Rabies

In this episode of Current Vet, Dr. Lottie explains rabies, how it causes disease, the 3 phases of clinical signs and what we should do if we suspect a case

Find us on TikTok & Instagram: @veterinaryvista

Timeline:
00:00 Intro
00:31 Case
03:15 Aetiology & Pathogenesis
07:18 Clinical Signs
10:14 Diagnosis
13:15 Treatment
15:53 Prevention
20:11 Key Points
21:48 Outro

Recommended reading

• National Association of State Public Health Veterinarians (2016). Compendium of Animal Rabies Prevention and Control. Public Veterinary Medicine: Public Health.
• Small Animal Internal Medicine, Chapter 64 – Encephalitis, Myelitis, and Meningitis (pp. 1125–1126).
• WHO (2024). Expert Consultation on Rabies: Third Report (Technical Report Series No. 1012). Geneva: World Health Organization.
• WOAH (2023). Manual of Diagnostic Tests and Vaccines for Terrestrial Animals, Chapter 3.1.18 – Rabies
• Global Alliance for Rabies Control website. https://rabiesalliance.org

References

• Balcha, C. (2017) ‘Review of rabies preventions and control’, International Journal of Public Health Science (IJPHS). doi: 10.11591/IJPHS.V6I4.10781
• Coleman, P.G. and Dye, C. (1996) ‘Immunization coverage required to prevent outbreaks of dog rabies’, Vaccine, 14 (3), pp. 185–186. doi: 10.1016/0264-410x(95)00197-9
• National Association of State Public Health Veterinarians Compendium of Animal Rabies Prevention and Control Committee (2016) ‘Public veterinary medicine: public health — Compendium of animal rabies prevention and control’, Journal of the American Veterinary Medical Association, 248 (5), pp. 505–517. doi: 10.2460/javma.248.5.505
• Singh, R., Singh, K.P., Cherian, S., Saminathan, M., Kapoor, S., Reddy, G.B.M. et al. (2017) ‘Rabies – epidemiology, pathogenesis, public health concerns and advances in diagnosis and control: a comprehensive review’, Veterinary Quarterly, 37(1), pp. 212–251. doi: 10.1080/01652176.2017.1343516
• Rupprecht, C.E., Hanlon, C.A. and Hemachudha, T. (2002) ‘Rabies re-examined’, The Lancet Infectious Diseases, 2 (6), pp. 327–343. doi: 10.1016/S1473-3099(02)00287-6
• Small Animal Internal Medicine (2020) Chapter 64: Encephalitis, myelitis, and meningitis, pp. 1125–1126. 6th edn. St Louis: Elsevier Saunders.
• The Ecologist (2025) ‘Rabies in sea mammals (Cape fur seals, South Africa)’, The Ecologist, 14 July 2025. Available at: https://theecologist.org/2025/jul/14/rabies-sea (Accessed: 27 October 2025).
• U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (2025) ‘Rabies: Information for Veterinarians’. Available at: https://www.cdc.gov/rabies/hcp/veterinarians/index.html (Accessed: 27 October 2025).
• U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (2025) ‘Rabies Post-exposure Prophylaxis Guidance’. Available at: https://www.cdc.gov/rabies/hcp/clinical-care/post-exposure-prophylaxis.html (Accessed: 27 October 2025).
• Bautista-Alejandre, A. (2025) ‘CDC warns of rabies risks following Maryland feral cat outbreak’, DVM360. Available at: https://www.dvm360.com/view/cdc-warns-of-rabies-risks-following-maryland-feral-cat-outbreak (Accessed: 27 October 2025).
• World Health Organization (2018) WHO Expert Consultation on Rabies: Third Report (Technical Report Series No. 1012). Geneva: World Health Organization. Available at: https://www.who.int/publications/i/item/WHO-TRS-1012
• World Organisation for Animal Health (WOAH) (2023) *Manual of Diagnostic Tests and Vaccines for Terrestrial Animals,*Chapter 3.1.18 – Rabies. Available at: https://www.woah.org/fileadmin/Home/eng/Health_standards/tahm/3.01.19_RABIES.pdf.
• World Organisation for Animal Health (WOAH) (2025) ‘Rabies’. Available at: https://www.woah.org/en/disease/rabies/ (Accessed: 27 October 2025).
• World Health Organization and Global Alliance for Rabies Control (2025) ‘Global Alliance for Rabies Control’. Available at: https://rabiesalliance.org (Accessed: 27 October 2025)

Current Vet is an educational podcast intended for veterinary students, veterinary professionals, and individuals with an interest in veterinary medicine.

All content provided in this podcast and its associated materials is for educational and informational purposes only. It is not intended as, and must not be considered a substitute for, professional veterinary advice, diagnosis, or treatment.

Any clinical cases discussed in this podcast are fictional, and are designed to reflect typical or likely clinical scenarios for educational purposes. They do not represent specific real-life cases, clients, or animals.

While every effort is made to ensure accuracy and alignment with current evidence at the time of publication, veterinary medicine is a rapidly evolving field, and recommendations may change over time.