For this month’s topic we would like to focus on one of the scariest diseases; rabies.

Especially for dog owners, who are obligated to vaccinate their furry family members periodically throughout the year and when leaving or entering the country. And here we will explain why this is important.

Rabies is a terrifying disease, and it is not limited only to dogs, but also can be caught by humans and all types of mammals.

In most cases, rabies is contacted through a bite of an animal carrying the disease, or when such an animal licks a wound on a person’ skin, which would be very dangerous and highly possibly contagious.

The incubation period of the disease depends on where the person was bitten. Some show symptoms in weeks, while others can take months. Symptoms on the first stages of infection include cold or the bitten body part might start to itch and feel feverish. In the acute stage, the nervous system is affected, and the person might feel sense of anxiety, a fear of water, feel sensitive to wind, feel agitated, numb and experience symptoms of dementia. Two to seven days from the infection, the cranial nerves and the whole body muscles become numb, the victim falls into a coma and eventually dies from a respiratory failure. Those who have not been vaccinated have a 99.9% change of dying from rabies if they contact it. Currently there is no treatment for this disease.

There are still many countries worldwide where this disease is a crisis. In Japan, official records on rabies have been kept since 1897, and the worst period was for years starting 1923, when 9,000 dogs were infected. From 1950, owners were obligated to register their pets and have them vaccinated against rabies. In addition, a thorough extermination of strays in the nation in 1956, the outbreak of rabies has never been seen again in Japan.

But considering that pets from all over the world enter Japan every day, we can never stop being vigilant.

This is also one reason of why the entry of pets from one country to another is very strictly controlled, and requires many examinations.

To never repeat the past again, and to make rabies disappear, every pet owner must be responsible, respect the rules and take care of their pets.

Pet Giveaway Event Information

Pet giveaway location

Date: January 26^th, 2014 Sunday

Place: Hamakawa Port, Mihama Chatan Village

We will be holding a Pet Giveaway event on Sunday, Jan. 26^th. We hope to find homes for pets in need of a home and hope you can join us in this event. There will be veterinarians in attendance for those who have any questions on their pet’s health or training.

For more information, call Pet Support Center at 098-983-8111. It’s open every day from 9 a.m. to 8 p.m.

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