As the Halloween decorations go up, we see images of bats everywhere. Although often misunderstood and feared, bats are a vital part of our natural environment, preying on flying insect pests and contributing to the survival of forests through pollination and seed dispersal. However, as mammals, bats can be a source of rabies virus, representing a risk to both humans and pets.
Rabies is a viral disease that infects mammals, including humans, domestic pets and wild mammals such as raccoons, skunks, foxes, coyotes and bats. The virus is usually transmitted by the bite of a rabid animal, although in rare cases it can be spread if infective saliva enters the  body through the eyes, nose, mouth or a cut or other wound. Once the virus enters the body, it will quickly spread to the nervous system. After the virus reaches the nervous system, treatment is rarely effective and the infected animal or person will die. It is possible to prevent the nervous system disease from developing by anti-rabies treatment immediately after exposure, but it is better to prevent exposure. As discussed in "In the News" in September 2009, worldwide more than 55,000 people die per year from rabies, although the number of human cases in North America is low. On a global basis, the most common source of human exposure is rabid dogs; but according to the Center for Disease Control in Atlanta, most of the cases of human rabies in the United States in recent years have resulted from the bite of a bat. Unfortunately, in the United States a few people still die of rabies each year because they do not seek medical care until it is too late. In some cases, because the bite from a bat is so tiny they don't realize that they have been bitten, while in others they aren't aware of the risk of rabies from the bite of a wild animal.
Our goal as your veterinary care providers is to help you protect yourself, your family and your pets from this risk. The first step is to make you aware of the natural habits of bats and how to recognize if something is not normal. Bats are nocturnal and navigate very well by echolocation, a type of sonar; they may roost during the day in trees or buildings, but do not normally approach humans. Therefore, it is abnormal to find a bat that is active during the day, is flying erratically or is unable to fly, appears to be weak, is making unusual noises, is found in an unusual place such as a room in the house or is easy to approach. The second step is to ‘bat-proof' your home to keep bats from roosting in your attic, garage, or crawl-space. Fall is the ideal time to bat-proof your home, since many bats migrate to warmer climates for the winter. Because your pet dog or cat stands the greatest chance of being infected by picking up a diseased animal, the third step is to make sure that your pet's rabies vaccinations are kept up-to-date, even if the pet is only kept indoors. Finally, never handle any bat that you might find, whether dead or alive. Although you cannot get rabies just from seeing a bat in an attic or at a distance, nor can you get rabies from contact with bat feces, urine, or blood, you can get rabies if infective saliva gets into your bloodstream.
If you think that you or your pet might have been bitten by a bat, wash the affected area thoroughly with lots of soap and water and IMMEDIATELY contact your public health department (and if your pet was exposed, seek immediate veterinary care). Whenever possible, the bat will be tested for rabies. If the bat is in your house, confine it by closing doors so that it cannot escape and then seek professional assistance from an animal control company or public health agency. Remember NEVER to touch the bat with your bare hands.
To learn more about rabies, go to reliable sources for information such as the CDC website at http://www.cdc.gov/rabies/ or the Health Canada website at http://www.hc-sc.gc.ca/. If you want to learn more about bats, or for information about bat-proofing your house, search the websites listed above, contact a local wildlife conservation agency or go to the Bat Conservation International website at http://www.batcon.org/.
Caution: These news items, written by Lifelearn Inc., are licensed to this practice for the personal use of our clients. Any copying, printing or further distribution is prohibited without the express written permission of Lifelearn Inc. Please note that the news information presented here is NOT a substitute for a proper consultation and/or clinical examination of your pet by our clinic veterinarian.
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