How to Identify a Rabid Animal

Medically reviewed by Jennifer Boidy, RN

Last Updated: November 10, 2024 Fact Checked

Rabies is a serious neurological disease that impacts animals and people all around the world. Rabies is spread through saliva, usually through a bite. If left untreated, the virus will travel to the brain and cause death. Due to the serious nature of the rabies virus, properly identifying infected animals is extremely important. Ultimately, by observing animal behavior, looking for the physical characteristics of the disease, and learning about rabies, you’ll be better able to identify a rabid animal. In the end, your knowledge of how to identify a rabid animal will protect you and safeguard public health.

Things You Should Know

Rabid animals will often engage in unusual behaviors, aggressive behaviors, anxious behaviors, and overly friendly behaviors.
Look out for physical signs of rabies, like excess salivation, paralysis, and seizures.
Rabies is high transmissable and sometimes lethal, so avoid interactions with wild animals and if you get bit, seek medical treatment immediatley.

Part 1

Part 1 of 3:

Observing Animal Behavior

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1
Watch for unusual behavior. Animals who have the rabies virus may engage in behaviors that are not typical for that animal. For example, a wild animal may lose its fear of humans and come towards them. Similarly, a nocturnal animal may come out during the day. If you see an animal doing something atypical, get away from it and move to safety.^{[1]
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- Call animal control and tell them about the animal, including where it is and what it's doing.
- Don't approach the animal.
2
Look for aggressive behavior. The most common sign of rabies infection is overly aggressive behavior. Aggressive behavior, and physical contact that often results, serves as a major reason for the spread of rabies to people or other animals.^{[2]
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- Normally tame animals might growl, bark, or snap at people.
- Wild animals may run or try to attack people.
- Infected animals may show signs of destructive behavior, such as hurting themselves, property, or the environment around them.^{[3]
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3
Watch for signs of anxiety. Infected animals tend to demonstrate some sort of anxious behavior soon after clinical signs of infection appear. Thus, any animal exhibiting strange behavior should be handled with caution.^{[4]
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- Anxiety may manifest through nervous ticks or irregular movement.
- A rabies-infected animal may demonstrate anxiety by licking or chewing on their initial point of infection.
- Anxiety may make the animal seem fearful of contact with people or other animals.
- Anxiety may manifest through uncharacteristic shyness or irritability. Thus, normally friendly animals will be less social.^{[5]
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  American Kennel Club
  The American Kennel Club (AKC) is a purebred dog pedigree registry in the United States. The AKC advocates for the responsible ownership of dogs and promotes purebred dog events, such as the Westminster Dog Show.
  
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Beware if an animal seems overly friendly. While infected animals may appear aggressive or anxious, others show signs of being friendly. Ultimately, friendliness in infected animals is one of the biggest dangers to humans or other uninfected animals, as contact with an infected animal can lead to infection.
- Stay away from stray or feral animals that seem friendly. A friendly animal can turn aggressive very quickly, especially if they are infected with rabies.
- Avoid approaching a wild animal because it shows signs that it is friendly.
- Some infected wild animals may seem unusually calm or even docile.^{[6]
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Part 2

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Looking for Physical Characteristics

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1
Look for excessive salivation. A common sign of rabies is hypersalivation – increase production of saliva. This is important, as saliva is the main vector for transmission of the rabies virus. Watch for:
- Dribbles of saliva from the mouth.
- Foaming of the mouth.
- Excessive licking around the mouth, in a seemingly erratic pattern.^{[7]
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  The Humane Society of the United States
  National organization devoted to the promotion of animal welfare
  
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Watch for signs of paralysis. Paralysis is the inability of an animal to move or properly use parts of its body. In conjunction with behavioral and other physical signs, paralysis is an important sign of rabies in animals.
- Paralysis often manifests in the head or throat.
- Paralysis may occur in the arms, legs, or elsewhere in the body.
- Paralysis may begin around the site of infection and gradually move throughout the animal’s entire body.^{[8]
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  PubMed Central
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See if the animal has seizures. Seizures are one of the most common signs of rabies. Coupled with other symptoms, they are highly indicative of a serious case of rabies. Thus, seizures are an easily identifiable symptom that can give you a good idea if an animal is infected. Seizures are:
- Characterized by shaking, rapid contraction of muscles, and irregular breathing.
- Often the first sign before paralysis.
- Present in about half the cases of paralytic rabies.
- Not always present in rabies-infected animals.^{[9]
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Part 3

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Learning About Rabies

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Know that rabies is highly transmittable. The most important thing to know about rabies is that it can be transmitted to humans or other animals with relative ease. Ultimately, this makes it a very dangerous disease. Rabies can be transmitted if an animal or human is:
- Bitten by an infected animal.
- Scratched by an infected animal.
- Exposed to the saliva, brain matter, or nerve tissue of an infected animal through an open wound or by touching mucous membranes.
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Understand that rabies can be fatal. As a disease of the central nervous symptom, rabies can spread throughout an animal’s body fast, and quickly debilitate it. Death quickly follows the appearance of clinical signs of infection.^{[10]
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- The incubation period is roughly three weeks to eight weeks.
- Infected animals often die within 5 days after clinical signs of infection appear.
- There is no cure for rabies. After clinical signs appear, death is almost guaranteed.^{[11]
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Use caution when interacting with wild animals. Wild animals are the largest source of rabies infection around the world. Thus, you should always exercise caution, keep your distance, and avoid close contact with wild animals.
- Raccoons are most associated with rabies in eastern North America.
- Skunks commonly suffer from rabies.
- Foxes are susceptible to rabies infection.
- Bats are known carriers of rabies, worldwide.
- Squirrels are rarely infected by rabies but commonly suffer from a brain parasite that shows signs like rabies.
- Opossums are very resistant to rabies but may exhibit rabies-associated behaviors (aggression, salivation, and more) as part of their defense mechanism.^{[12]
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  Cleveland Clinic
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Seek medical treatment immediately if you are exposed to the rabies virus. Immediate treatment is important since there is no cure for rabies once someone shows clinical signs of infection.^{[13]
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- A doctor will clean your wound.
- If you have not been vaccinated before, a doctor will vaccinate you against the rabies virus.
- The doctor may contact local authorities to alert them to the possibility of a rabies outbreak among domestic or wild animals.^{[14]
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  Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
  Main public health institute for the US, run by the Dept. of Health and Human Services
  
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Keep your pets safe. You can avoid rabies and keep your pets free from it by not letting them roam freely. Pets who roam freely may interact with an animal that is infected. Additionally, get your pets vaccinated against the rabies virus. This will keep them safe in the event that they do come in contact with an infected animal.^{[15]
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- Contact your veterinarian to make an appointment to have your pet vaccinated.