Discounted rabies vaccines available June 1

May 25—In an effort to prevent the spread of the rabies virus, veterinarians will be providing discounted rabies shots at numerous locations throughout Morgan County on June 1.

Vaccines will be administered for $14 per animal. Dr. Steve Osborne, owner of Osborne Animal Clinic in Decatur, is the Morgan County rabies inspector and runs the clinic. He said it can take anywhere from about a month to six months for the rabies virus to reach the brain after an animal or person is bitten by a rabid animal.

Rabies is a fatal virus if left untreated in any mammal, including pets and humans, but a simple annual vaccination will leave your pet about 93% protected, according to local veterinarians.

Dr. Michelle Stallions of Osborne Animal Clinic said animals who have contracted rabies will act one of two ways, depending on if they have the dumb or furious form of the virus.

"The dumb form, they can become kind of mentally dull," she said. "Sometimes wild animals, like a racoon or something, can become what would be interpreted as more friendly. Basically, they just act differently than what their normal behavior would be. They would be out in the daytime more often, not so scared of people and that sort of thing."

People usually think more about the furious form, Stallions said.

"It's where they hypersalivate, become aggressive, and seem kind of crazy," she said. "Typically, people would usually stay away from an animal acting like that, whereas the dumb form where they're just more kind of lethargic, maybe drooling, a little more out of it, or just seeming more friendly. But both forms are signs of rabies and are very serious.

"A good rule is don't mess with wild animals and don't touch dogs and cats you don't know."

Osborne said the length of time before the virus reaches the brain can vary.

"That virus attaches itself to the nerves. It starts moving up the nerves and goes toward the brain. If you're bitten on the nose, it's not a really long trip. If you're bitten on the toe, it's a longer trip," Osborne said. "That virus moves up and up and up to bigger and bigger nerves and eventually goes to the brain."

Osborne said the virus then moves from the brain to the salivary glands. At that point, he said, the animal will show signs of rabies.

"The period of time that the virus is in the salivary glands, and they are infected ... is only the last 10 days," Osborne said.

Only during the last 10 days of an infected mammal's life can it spread the virus to another mammal, Osborne said. He said once an infected mammal reaches those 10 days, it is too late to save its life and it will die. If humans are infected, there are rabies shots they can receive.

"Rabies left untreated is 100% fatal for all animals, humans, dogs, raccoons, whatever," Osborne said. "You do have the opportunity, if you start early, to stop the development of rabies before it gets to your brain, before it kills you."

Osborne said with a dog or a cat, the owner rarely knows they have been bitten by a rabid animal. However, there are cases where it is suspected.

"Hopefully that dog will have had its rabies shot and then that dog would be quarantined at your location or somewhere for a significant period of time in a double-fenced environment," he said. "He gets multiple rabies shots in an effort to jack his immunity up and stop the progression of the virus."

Stallions said there is more than one reason pet owners should get their dogs and cats vaccinated.

"No. 1, if you want to be compliant with what our state law is, it is required by law for dogs and cats to be vaccinated annually," she said. "And beyond that, is just because they could be exposed if they do ever come in contact with an animal. Like I said, it may not be one that looks classically like it has rabies, but if they get bit and that saliva is able to enter the blood stream of that dog or cat then they are at risk for contracting rabies."

The vaccine is very effective.

"The chances of them contracting rabies and having a current rabies vaccination is very, very, very slim," Stallions said. "It is a very good vaccine in preventing the disease if they get bit."

Osborne said rabies vaccinations should be given annually because it will build up immunity in the pet's body. He said the rabies clinic is held to increase the number of dogs that have pre-exposure rabies protection.

"Dogs are the interface between wildlife which is where rabies is mostly kept nowadays in the pool of wildlife animals, bats, skunks and raccoons," Osborne said. "Dogs move back and forth and so they are at high risk to be encountering any one of those animals that may have rabies."

The rabies clinic in Alabama started in the mid-1940s and was one of the first things organized by veterinarians to try to slow the out-of-control deadly disease. Veterinarians would make over 100 stops in Morgan County so that people did not have to travel far to get their animals vaccinated.

"Instead of doing 140 locations in the county and every veterinarian participating, a lot of veterinarians will just do it in their hospital and don't go out anymore," Osborne said. "But I still go out, and I still recommend it as part of being the rabies inspector that we do that."

There will be two veterinarians making stops this year, Osborne said.

"We won't be able to go to as many spots, but we'll still get out there and get into your community," he said. "We'll target the communities that are farther away from where veterinarians are and try to make it as easy as we can for people to get their dogs vaccinated."

—erica.smith@decaturdaily.com or 256-340-2460.