Help protect pets, people from rabies

by Lisa Bloch, Director of Marketing & Communications

I vividly remember watching the horror movie “Cujo,” which I was probably way too young for, but such was the plight of a Gen Xer. The plot, for those who didn’t watch it or read Stephen King’s book, centered on a formerly sweet Saint Bernard who contracts rabies from a bat after his owner fails to vaccinate him. The dog then goes on a rampage, mauling several people to death.

Rabies is a rare but serious disease caused by the rabies virus, which can infect the brains of both people and animals. Once people and animals are infected with the rabies virus, they almost always die.

Fortunately, today in the U.S., rabies in dogs is very unusual, representing just 1% of all rabid animals reported every year. The number of human deaths in the U.S. from the virus averages between one and three annually. And there’s a simple reason for that: vaccinations.

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, “before 1960, bites from rabid dogs caused most human rabies cases in the U.S. Mass pet-vaccination programs enacted in the 1950s significantly reduced rabies in dogs.”

In countries where there are high populations of stray and domestic dogs that are unvaccinated, rabies accounts for 20,000 human deaths a year.

However, a disturbing trend is starting to take hold in the U.S. that could very well threaten the protections we’ve enjoyed for the past 75 or so years.

According to an article in the New York Times, “anti-vaccine sentiment is spilling over into veterinary medicine, making some owners hesitant to vaccinate their pets, even for fatal diseases like rabies.”

The article points to a 2023 survey that found 52% of pet owners expressed some uncertainty about the importance of pet vaccination.

“Vaccine-hesitant owners tend to overestimate the risks of the vaccines and underestimate the risks of infectious disease. Part of the challenge for veterinarians mirrors a problem faced by pediatricians: Vaccination has been so effective that many pet owners don’t think of diseases like rabies and parvovirus as serious threats,” the article says.

According to the California Department of Public Health, the state requires that dogs over four months of age in California be vaccinated for rabies. There is no statewide requirement for cats to be vaccinated for rabies, but some cities and counties require cats to be vaccinated, including Marin. Because rabies is serious and can still be a risk for cats, the American Veterinary Medical Association recommends all cats be vaccinated for rabies, even if they live indoors only.

Generally, puppies receive their first rabies vaccine between 12 and 16 weeks of age, which stimulates the immune system to make antibodies. A second single dose is administered one year after the first, regardless of your dog’s age, and then every one to three years thereafter, depending on the type of vaccine given and your local/state health ordinances.

While Cujo’s story may have been an exaggeration conjured by the mind of a horror writer, one thing King got right was the vector for the rabies infection: a bat.

Bats have a much higher incidence of rabies infection than other wildlife, which is why it’s critical to never touch a bat and to keep our pets away from them. If you find a bat that’s not mobile or has flown into your house, call Marin Humane immediately at 415-883-4621.

The protections we enjoy today didn’t happen by accident — they’re the result of decades of pet guardians doing their part. So, the next time your pet’s rabies vaccination is due, don’t skip it. It’s a small act that keeps the whole community safer — pets, wildlife and people alike.