Question: How do dogs develop rabies?

Marisol Collins answered on 11 Nov 2016:

Hi Charlotte! Rabies is a virus, and it can spread between infected animals through their saliva, usually by getting bitten. The virus uses very clever ways to make sure that it spreads from one animal to another. If the virus gets through the skin through a bite or a wound, it replicates to increase in number, and then finds its way to the nervous system. It travels along the nerve to the spine, and then the brain. Once there, it can affect the way the infected animal behaves, and can make them very aggressive and confused. In this state, they are more likely to bite another victim, and so the virus spreads further and further.
Humans and dogs can catch rabies is they get bitten by an infected animal if they haven’t been vaccinated. It causes a very serious disease that will nearly always kill you unless you receive treatment really quickly. Luckily, we don’t have rabies in the UK, but in countries that do, it is really important to educate everyone in how to recognise an infected animal and how to avoid getting bitte.