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Rabies, a virus, is preventable in humans but not treatable. There are vaccines available for our pet dogs and cats and for several species of farm animals including horses. An unprotected mammal infected with this virus will die. If the infected animal bites or somehow gets its saliva into a wound on a human then that human will become infected unless immediately treated with special injections. The best course of action is PREVENTION. We have laws requiring that all dogs and cats be vaccinated for Rabies with penalties and fines for lack of compliance with these life-saving laws. In the state of North Carolina, cats and dogs must receive their first Rabies vaccination between the ages of 12 and 16 weeks. Having a pet over the 4-month age mark that is unvaccinated is considered against the law. The first vaccination for Rabies that your kitten or puppy gets at 4 months of age needs to be repeated 12 months later. The second Rabies vaccine should be valid for 3 years, at which point it needs to be repeated every 3 years thereafter. An exception is that when and if your pet comes in contact with a potential carrier of Rabies, the vaccine should be repeated again in approximately 48 hours. An example of this would be your dog has a fight with a raccoon, which are known carriers of Rabies or your cat brings home a dead bat, another common carrier of rabies. If a stray or unknown animal bites you or any other human, please contact your local animal control officer immediately.
Another zoonotic disease is Ringworm. Ringworm is NOT a worm. It is a fungal infection spread from either pets or soil to humans and other mammals. Being a fungus, it is somewhat similar to Athletes Foot in that it can be very contagious from animal to animal and from animals to humans. It affects the skin of humans and causes a variety of signs on our pets. These symptoms can appear to be like many other skin infections; there may be hair loss, crusting, scaling, redness, and secondary infection. Some animals, primarily cats, can be carriers. This means any cat you may come in contact with may have the ringworm spores on its fur and spread them to you without the cat ever looking sick or showing any signs. If you or your pet has skin lesions then you need to see a dermatologist and your pet needs to see the veterinarian.
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