Can you name a viral disease, with no cure, that threatens both humans and our beloved pets? No, it isn’t COVID-19. It is rabies.

Rabies is a viral disease transmitted from animal to animal through saliva or brain/nerve tissues. The virus attacks the central nervous system and causes disease in the brain. A bite or scratch from an infected animal is all that is necessary for transmission of this fatal virus. 

In Wisconsin, the primary reservoirs for rabies are bats and skunks. These animals have adapted to living with and among humans so our potential risk is heightened. In fact, a rabid bat was identified on North Sherman Avenue within the last two years.

This doesn’t mean we should exterminate bats or skunks. What it does mean is we need to protect our pets and ourselves by updating and maintaining our pets’ rabies vaccinations. 

Public Health Madison & Dane County said, “Getting your dogs and cats vaccinated is their best protection against the rabies virus… In Wisconsin, all dogs are required to be vaccinated and in Madison, cats must also be vaccinated.”

The good news about rabies is there is an effective vaccine to protect our pets. Young dogs and cats receive a one-year vaccine early in their lives, followed by a three-year vaccine the following year. The vaccines produced today offer excellent protection from this deadly and horrible disease and are well tolerated by our companions. 

Vaccinating your pet for rabies is a simple way to protect your companion, yourself and those around you. Do it for your pet. Do it for your family. Do it for the greater good. We all will be better for it.