Everyone has heard about the dangers of rabies and the effects it can have on dogs and other animals. This is a very dangerous disease that can be fatal in many cases. But can goats get rabies as well?
Goats can contract rabies, although it’s quite rare. In order to get rabies, goats must be bitten by a rabid animal, or come in contact with their infected saliva. Rabies is often fatal for goats, but some vaccines and preventive measures can be used before the disease takes over.
Most domestic goats will never have to face rabid animals in their lives, but if they get infected, it can quickly spread through the herd, and even to other animals and humans. To learn more about what rabies is, rabies symptoms in goats, and treatments and prevention, read below.
What Is Rabies?
According to the CDC, rabies is a deadly but preventable viral disease. It causes inflammation in the brain and central nervous system. The disease is also contagious can be contracted by most mammals if they come into contact with a rabid animal. Bats, raccoons, skunks, foxes, and other wild animals are the main mammals that harbor the disease, but most human infections are caused by dogs.
Dogs frequently contract rabies, and it can make them more aggressive and prone to bite. Rabies is spread via bites and infected saliva, so once something has been bitten by a rabid animal, it’s safe to assume that they’re been infected as well.
Rabies is almost always fatal once it takes hold. However, there is a period between the initial infection and when symptoms start to appear during which treatment is possible. Once an animal starts to show symptoms though, it’s usually too late to do anything.
Humans can get rabies as well, although it’s completely treatable as long as they seek immediate medical attention. According to a study performed by the CDC, only 25 U.S. citizens have died from rabies in the past decade, and the numbers have been going down ever since the 1970s. Widespread vaccination programs, health checkups, and pet awareness have reduced the spread of rabies considerably.
“Rabies can be prevented by vaccinating pets, staying away from wildlife, and seeking medical care after potential exposures before symptoms start.”
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC)
Rabies is not completely gone though, so everyone still needs to be on the lookout for dogs, wildlife, and even farm animals that are acting strange. An outbreak of rabies can quickly spread.
Warning Signs Of Rabies In Goats
Cases of rabies are uncommon among goats, especially nowadays, but they still pop up from time to time. Goats who freely graze in open areas are more likely to stumble across wildlife that are carriers of rabies, so try to keep your goats’ grazing area somewhat limited.
Dogs are common carriers of rabies, so keep an eye on any dogs that hang around the goats. If any goat is bitten or injured by an aggressive dog, you may want to take them in for treatment, just to be safe.
Goats will display some warning signs of rabies if they are infected. Your goat may be rabid if you notice any of the following symptoms:
- Drooling
- Inability to swallow
- Aggression
- Depression
- Attempting to bite or attack other animals
- Stupor
- Weakness
- Circling
- Agitation
- Hyperactivity
- Blindness
- Repetitive actions
- Nervousness
- Solitude
- Anorexic behaviors and appearance
- Change in voice
- Frequent bleating
- Frothing at the mouth
- No longer eating or drinking
- Paralysis
For more information about rabies symptoms in goats, you can visit this article.
Rabies can look like a lot of different things in goats, but a combination of the symptoms overhead could indicate that they’ve been infected. It’s useful if you get to know your goats’ personalities and behaviors so you can spot changes if/when they occur.
Unfortunately, once you notice these symptoms of rabies, it’s usually too late to do anything to save the goat. Once they start reacting to the virus, it means the disease has already taken hold of their brains and caused significant damage.
The best you can do once you identify rabies is to separate the other animals from the infected goat and vaccinate the herd. The infected goat will die due to the rabies infection, and it may be kinder to put it down before the disease kills it. This is always a sad situation, but it will give the goat an easier passing than just letting the disease run its course.
Rabies Prevention And Treatment
As listed above, there isn’t any way to cure rabies once the goat begins to show symptoms of infection. But there are vaccinations and treatments that you can try before the disease advances to that point.
First of all, try to limit your goats’ exposure to wild animals and unfamiliar dogs. Make sure they are grazing in a fenced-in area and keep an eye on the wildlife you see nearby. If you see animals that are being unusually reckless or aggressive, then you might be dealing with some rabid wildlife.
Second, err on the side of caution. Rabies can take days or even months to become symptomatic in goats. It’s easy to brush off your worries and think that the goat will be fine. But if a goat has been attacked or bitten by a rabid animal, you should always take them in for an examination as soon as possible.
Third, vaccinate your goats. There aren’t currently any official rabies vaccines for goats, but there are several off-label options that can be prescribed by veterinarians. Ever since a rabid goat appeared at a fair in 1996, a rule was set in place that all publicly-displayed mammals must be vaccinated for rabies, even if they had to use off-brand vaccines to do it (source).
Finally, treat the rest of your goats and farm animals. If one of your animals was exposed to rabies, there’s a good chance that others were too. This might seem like overkill, but it’s better than losing your animals to rabies further down the road and wishing you could do something to prevent it.