Rabies

If an animal bites you, follow these steps. They may save your life. 

• Quickly and thoroughly wash the bite with soap and water. Rinse it well. Put an antiseptic on it to kill germs. 

• See a doctor as soon as possible. The doctor will decide if you need treatment to prevent rabies. 

• Describe the animal that bit you – the kind, size, and color – to the doctor, local rabies control authority, or animal control officer. Tell children to get help from a teacher, nurse, parent, policeman, school guard, or another adult. Try to locate the animal or keep track of it if you know where it lives.  

• The local rabies control authority needs to have any biting dog, cat, or domestic ferret tested for rabies or observed for ten days. If the quarantined dog, cat, or domestic ferret is alive ten days after the bite, it could not have given you rabies. If the animal shows signs of rabies or dies during the observation period, it must be tested for rabies. 

Biting skunks, bats, foxes, coyotes, and raccoons must be tested for rabies. If bitten by another kind of animal, the local rabies control authority will decide if it needs to be tested or observed for rabies. 

• By law, you must have a veterinarian vaccinate your dogs and cats against rabies.  

• Restrain your pets; do not allow them to roam. 

• Avoid contact with wild animals and with dogs and cats, you do not know. Do not approach strange dogs or cats. Do not try to hand-feed wild animals and do not keep them as pets. 

• Do not touch sick or injured animals. Call and report them to an animal control officer. 

It is very important that everyone, especially children, know how to prevent rabies. 

If a pet is infected with the rabies virus, the way it acts may change. A friendly dog might want to be alone. A shy dog might want attention. Rabid dogs often become mean, roam, make strange noises and attack people and other animals. Rabid animals may drool, and they sometimes swallow stones, sticks, or other things. 

Later, as the rabid animal gets even sicker, it might have trouble chewing, swallowing, drinking or walking. It may not be able to close its mouth and may appear to be choking. Never try to clear the throat of an animal with these signs. If you see an animal acting this way, call the local animal control agency right away. 

Signs of rabies include: 

• Animals that have a change in behavior
• Wild animals that seem to be friendly or tame
• Wild animals – coyotes, foxes, bats, skunks, and raccoons – which you do not usually see in the daytime
• Animals that have a hard time walking, eating, or drinking
• Excitement or meanness in animals 
• Animals that bite or scratch at an old wound until it bleeds

• Poster Contest: Contest Information for the Rabies Awareness & Prevention Poster contest for K-8 
• Facts: History and facts about rabies. 
• Control: Rabies control in Texas, pamphlets, and programs. 
• Exposure: Exposure and treatment of rabies in Texas.
• Rabies Prevention in Texas includes sections on rabies biologicals; management of biting animals; collection and submission of animal specimens for rabies testing at the DSHS laboratory in Austin; list of and contact information for DSHS-designated laboratories; management of domestic animals exposed to rabid animals; rabies postexposure prophylaxis for humans with a guide for determining if it is necessary, plus a list of and contact information for laboratories that provide RFFIT (rabies titer) testing; preexposure vaccination for humans; adverse reactions, precautions, and contraindications pertaining to rabies vaccine; distribution points for human rabies biologicals; and contact information for the Zoonosis Control Branch and Infectious Disease Control Unit. 
• Facts of Interest Pertaining to Rabies (PDF): 8 things you may not know about rabies – but should
• The Many Faces of Rabies - Elsevier Connect. Categories of animals and types of behaviors associated with rabies
• Rabies:  A Comprehensive Interview with Pamela Wilson: Podcast on various topics pertaining to rabies (podcasts may be blocked by some networks)
• More: Other useful Rabies information