First Aid

If bitten by a dog, it is important to ascertain whether the dog is rabid or not. For this, try to catch the animal and keep it tied up. If the following signs are observed, it is probably rabid:

• Frothy Saliva around Mouth
• Strange, aggressive behavior
• Hydrophobia - fear of water

If it is rabid, it will die within two weeks. Be sure to give it enough food and water, and keep other dogs and people away from it. If it doesn't die, give it a rabies vaccine and release it.

Treatment of the wound

Rabies is a disease caused by a virus which makes animals go mad. Rabies symptoms are: Frothy mouth, Apparent delirium, hydrophobia (fear of water), and strange behavior. Rabies is spread through body fluid contact; the virus is present in the saliva, tears, and other body fluids. Any animal with rabies will die within 10 to 14 days of infection.

A dog which has been vaccinated will not get rabies even if bitten by a rabid dog for the duration of the vaccine's validity. Standard rabies vaccines are good for a period of 1 year. The important thing is to avoid getting bitten by a rabid dog.