Rabies is a disease caused by a virus that affects the brain. It is spread between warm-blooded animals and could be spread to humans from an infected animal through a bite or other contact with the animal’s saliva. Rabies is a very serious disease; if an infected person is not treated, rabies is almost always fatal.

In Ontario, rabies is most commonly found in bats, raccoons, foxes, coyotes and skunks. Domestic animals, including dogs, cats, ferrets and rabbits can also carry the virus so pet vaccination is important.

For more information visit: Rabies in Ontario

Symptoms

Symptoms usually appear three to eight weeks after the bite, but they can appear as soon as nine days afterwards. Rabies is usually fatal unless treatment starts before symptoms appear. Symptoms usually begin with:

• Fever
• Cough
• Sore throat
• Headache
• General weakness or discomfort

As rabies progresses, more symptoms appear and may include:

• Insomnia – trouble sleeping
• Anxiety
• Confusion
• Partial paralysis
• Excitation and hallucinations
• Agitation
• Hypersalivation – increase in saliva
• Trouble swallowing
• Hydrophobia – fear of water or unable to drink

Death usually occurs within days of the start of these symptoms.

Prevention

Protect yourself, children and pets from animal bites:

There are dozens of preventable animal bites each year in Renfrew County and District. Always use caution around animals:

• Do not approach a dog with a Yellow Ribbon or collar – give them space
• Do not pet wild animals, stray cats and dogs
• Always keep your dogs on a leash while outdoors unless in designated dog parks
• Know the local by-laws on animal control and licensing
• It is a legal requirement in Ontario to vaccinate your pets (cats/dogs/ferrets) with rabies vaccine
• If there is a bat in your home:
  • Do not attempt to touch the bat as there is risk of a bite or scratch
  • Keep the door closed with an open window and the room lights ON to let the bat escape to the outside
  • If the bat does not leave, contact your local municipal animal control or a pest management company to capture and release the bat
  • If you or someone else wakes up to find a bat in the room (dead or alive), immediately call your health care provider or RCDHU to speak with a public health inspector for an assessment.
• Rabies is a 100% fatal disease when not treated early enough

If you are bitten or scratched by an animal:

If you are a victim of an animal bite, follow the below steps:

• Clean your wound immediately with soap and running water for 15 minutes
• Gather the pet owner’s contact information, if possible
• Try and remember what the animal looks like
• Visit your local hospital or speak to a health care provider to discuss treatment
• Inform RCDHU of the incident and follow the instructions given to you by a Public Health Inspector

Animal bite incidents must be reported to RCDHU immediately using the Contact with Suspected Rabid Animal Reporting Form.

If you are the owner of an animal involved in a biting or scratching incident:

• Provide your name, address and phone number to the person who was bitten or scratched. Your information will help Public Health Inspectors investigate the animal scratch/bite when it is reported to RCDHU. This will also help to avoid unnecessary rabies treatment for the person who was scratched/bitten.
• Follow RCDHU’s instructions on 10-day animal confinement. Animal confinement can take place at home or a kennel.
• Public Health Inspectors will release the dog after 10 days if the animal is alive and appears healthy.
• Release of the animal from confinement indicates that the animal was NOT infected with rabies at the time of the incident.
• Keep your dogs, cats, ferrets and livestock up-to-date with rabies vaccine.

Preventing Human Cases of Rabies

RCDHU works to prevent human cases of rabies through the following activities:

• Public Health Inspectors investigate animal bites and scratches that are reported to RCDHU. The owner has to put the suspect animal into quarantine. This is necessary to ensure that the rabies virus was not present in the saliva of the animal when the person was bitten or scratched. The animal is checked at the end of the quarantine period to make sure it is free of rabies symptoms.
• Monitoring the type, number and location of animals that have tested positive for rabies in Renfrew County and District and surrounding areas
• Having a Rabies Contingency Plan and keeping it up to date
• Investigating when people are exposed to animals suspected of having rabies
• Having a supply of rabies vaccine
• Consulting with doctors in deciding when there is a need to give the vaccine to a person who has been exposed to an animal suspected of having rabies

If you have questions or are looking for additional information regarding rabies, please contact RCDHU’s Healthy Environments department by phone: 613-732-3629 ext. 505 or by email: environmentalhealth@rcdhu.com.

Yellow Ribbon Campaign – Animal Bite Awareness

Yellow is the colour of caution on traffic lights, and is now a warning sign to give space to dogs and other animals that need it.

RCDHU is encouraging the use of a yellow ribbon (or bandana, bow, or similar marker) tied to a dog’s leash or collar to remind people to give the animal space. This is part of RCDHU’s rabies awareness campaign to reduce the number of reported animal bites in the region.

Yellow = CAUTION. If you see yellow on a pet, give the animal space!

For more information, please visit Yellow Ribbon Campaign – Animal Bite Awareness.