The Disease of Death - Rabies
A dog owner from my colony approached me yesterday. Her dog was behaving strangely, she said. He was not eating or drinking, was digging furiously and howling. He was also trying to attack any strangers who came to visit , though he was not aggressive around the family members.I went to her place and sure enough, the dog was also salivating. It was a classic case of rabies. Rabies is a vet's worst nightmare. There is no cure. To stop the spread of the disease, the animal has to be put down. If not, the animal dies in 15 days time but by then, they may have spread the disease through bites or their saliva. Rabies is caused by the Rabies virus. The virus is present in the saliva of the infected animal. Once the animal bites someone, the virus starts spreading in the nerves after 24 hours and travels towards the brain. It also causes the paralysis of the nerve which controls the swallowing action, hence the inability to eat or drink. That is why the disease is also called 'Hydr...