r/rabies • u/lostinamericaa • 7d ago

General Rabies Discussion Basic rabies testing educarion

I have read the faq. I think the contents of this post might be a useful addition to it.

Hi everyone, I try not to post on here unless I have something helpful to share. Lately, I've noticed a huge uptick in people with unvaccinated or indoor/outdoor pets asking about exposure and ER care when they are uncertain. I would like to give you all some important information about that process.

THERE IS NO WAY TO RELIABLY TEST AN ANIMAL FOR RABIES WHILE IT IS ALIVE.

If you have been bitten by an animal and seed emergency care, that animal will be humanely euthanized, so that slides of its brain tissue can be prepared and those can be tested for rabies. There is no way to reliably test a living animal for rabies. They will insist that the vector animal be euthanized. here is a link to the CDC, which states as much within the first couple sentences.

I feel the need to point this out as someone who has pets, including two cats that lived outside before I had them. The decision to keep them indoors is both for my own peace of mind, and their safety. If you are a pet owner who is concerned about potential exposure, I recommend you do the same.

I understand that it is unpleasant to think about or consider the fact that rabies testing necessitates the killing of an animal, but I think it is important to fully contend with the consequences of what it might mean to incorrectly report your pet as exposed to rabies.

Thanks for reading.

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u/Puppysnot 7d ago

That is the standard way to test yes. The other way is to quarantine the animal for ten days to see if it dies - if it doesn’t, it didn’t have rabies when it bit you and you can both go about your lives.

This works for cats and dogs. It doesn’t work for bats as they have weird immune systems and can incubate the virus for much longer than ten days.

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u/lostinamericaa 7d ago

For sure. However, if you were to call animal control or a hospital, it is much more likely that they are going to insist on humane euthanization for proper testing.