Why People Infected With Rabies 'Bark' Like Dogs

Rabies is a deadly virus that can be stopped. People and animals can get it if a rabid animal bites or scratches them. In the United States, wild animals like bats, raccoons, skunks, and foxes are most likely to have rabies. But in many other countries, dogs still have rabies, and most people who die from rabies die from dog bites.

The rabies virus attacks the nerves in the brain and spinal cord. If a person who might have been exposed to rabies doesn't get the right medical care, the virus can cause disease in the brain, which can lead to death. Rabies can be prevented by getting your pets vaccinated and staying away from wild animals that are known to spread the virus.

How To Know A Dog Infected With Rabies

People should know that the rabies virus can stay in the body of an infected dog for weeks or even months before symptoms appear. Changes in a dog's behavior that come on quickly and get worse are a clear sign that it may have rabies. For example, a dog that is usually aggressive or unfriendly might become friendly all of a sudden, or a dog that is usually calm and friendly might become aggressive.

Also, the dog may drool a lot, not be able to swallow, have a drooping jaw, be irritated and use its teeth aggressively with little or no provocation, bark and bite things that aren't alive, like cages or sticks. The dog may also have seizures, general body paralysis, and die.

Once the signs of rabies start to show, there is no known way to treat it. The rule is that dogs with visible signs of rabies should be put down (painless killing). Also, any dog or other animal that has been bitten by a dog that is thought to have rabies will be euthanized.

Before signs of the virus show up, it usually takes 2 to 8 weeks after the initial infection. It's important to know that the virus can be spread through saliva as early as ten days before your pets show any signs of illness. Dogs that aren't vaccinated and are free to roam outside without being watched are most likely to the virus. 

They have to deal with wild animals and are more likely to fight with sick or infected stray dogs or cats. Keeping your dog's vaccinations up to date is not only important for your dog's health, but it is also important for public health. Getting your pet vaccinated not only keeps him from getting rabies, but also keeps him safe if he bites someone else.

Why Rabies Patient May Start Barking Like a Dogs:

Rabies primarily affects the central nervous system. Once the virus enters a victim, it travels to the central nervous system where it would wreak its havoc.

The infected individual usually develops either of two form; the furious or the paralytic form.

People who develop the furious show aggressive behaviors, with agitations, restlessness and sometimes hallucinations. These are the people that usually 'bark' like dogs. This barking, on the other hand, is caused by muscle spasms in the larynx, which can sound a lot like barking.

The video above shows a patient who suffers from rabies

The laryngospasm causes the patient to produce howling sounds that mimic barking.

When it comes to rabies, like every other vaccine preventable diseases, the best solution is vaccination.

There has been few cases where a patient had rabies and still survived.

Jeanna Giese is the first person ever known to have survived symptomatic rabies without takin the rabies vaccine. She is only the sixth person known to have survived rabies after the onset of symptoms; the other survivors suffered from vaccine failures, according to Bionity.

Other attempts to treat other patients using the procedure that was used for Jeanna has been ineffective