Signs & Symptoms of Bovine Rabies

Rabies is a zoonotic disease, meaning it is transmissible between species. Most mammals, including cattle, are vulnerable to the virus that causes rabies, and there is no treatment. Vaccination is the only way to prevent rabies, though the vaccine can be administered to humans directly after exposure and still be effective. Domestic animals infected with rabies must be destroyed.
    • Rabies spreads quickly through unvaccinated herds.

    Signs vs. Symptoms

    • Symptoms refer to sensations the patient experiences, while signs are what an outsider can observe. For example, being nauseated is a symptom, whereas vomiting would be a sign.

    Bovine Rabies

    • According to the International Society for Infectious Diseases, there has been an increase in cases of bovine rabies during the past few years, perhaps due to some ranchers dispensing with the vaccine to save money.

    Signs

    • Signs your cow has rabies include aggression, slobbering, repeated bellowing, difficulty standing or walking, refusal or inability to eat and/or drink and lethargy.

    Hydrophobia

    • Rabies is sometimes called hydrophobia, because animals with rabies tend to shun water. Rabies causes the throat to swell shut, so the animal can't even swallow water.

    Geography

    • According to Dr. W. Dee Whittier of Virginia-Maryland Regional College of Veterinary Medicine, rabies infections vary by regions. Most domestic animals are exposed from bites by wild animals. Cows are the most common domestic species diagnosed with rabies.

    Risks to Humans

    • The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention warns that drinking raw milk from a cow infected with rabies might transmit the disease, though there are no reported cases as of October 2009.