A large part of the world has already tackled rabies. However, there are some countries, mainly the developing ones, where this virus is still a current problem. Even nowadays, tens of thousands of people die of rabies every year. Therefore, pet lovers celebrate the World Rabies Day on 28 September.
Rabies are a viral disease of warm-blooded animals; therefore, it also concerns us, humans. It attacks the nervous system and often ends in death. It is transmitted through infected saliva. Most often, it happens because of biting but it can also be transmitted by scratching. The symptoms might show up within several days up to several months. They include the changes in behaviour, aggressiveness and uncontrollable spasms. It always ends in death.
In the Czech Republic, it is considered to be eradicated for 17 years already. However, there is still a risk of its recurrence and the monitoring of this disease is still going on. As part of it, wild animals such as foxes in which the infection is most common are tested. The last detected case of rabies in the Czech Republic comes from 2002 and in this case, it also affected a fox. Among pets, the last case concerned a cat a year before that. We were officially and internationally declared a rabies-free country in 2004.
However, rabies was still common and spread across the whole territory of the Czech Republic in 1980s. It was possible to eradicate it mainly because of oral vaccination of foxes which was intensive between 1989 and 2009. On the World Rabies Day, we shouldn’t forget to mention the name of a Czech scientist, Oldřich Matouch, who, as the only Czech so far, was awarded a prestigious prize by OIE (World Organization for Animal Health) for his services to the veterinary community for the above-mentioned vaccination programme.
Even though this dangerous, fatal disease no longer occurs in the Czech Republic, an obligation to vaccinate not only dogs but also foxes and badgers kept in captivity is still in place. Also, an animal that hurt a person needs to be taken to the vet on the 1st day after the incident and on the 5th day as well. Vets check thousands of animals every year because of that.
Besides the developing countries, rabies is also a current threat in some European countries within the EU. It mainly concerns the countries with large numbers of stray dogs. Due to this reason, the State Veterinary Administration also warns against bringing home homeless dogs of an unknown origin from abroad. It could be easily spread by this again.
The European Commission plans to eradicate rabies across the whole EU until 2030. We can only hope that this plan will work out which is in our interest as well as it the interest of others and it will never come back.
According to the data published at the end of last year, more than half of the people from around the world lives with at least one pet. The most numerous dog population is in the United States (70 million dogs), followed by Brazil (36 million) and...
When I travel, I'm always interested in what is the view of the given country upon the keeping of pets. And generally, how animals are treated there. The position of cats, dogs and rodents varies significantly in different countries, so there’s...
People often confuse the grey wolf with the Czechoslovakian Wolfdog. This shepherd’s and today a very popular breed was bred from the German Shepherd by crossbreeding with the Carpathian wolf. Even though the dog and the wolf are very similar in...
The golden hamster, sometimes referred to as hamster-teddy bear because of its appearance, was first captured less than a century ago by zoologists in Syria. Hence also its second name – the Syrian hamster. Over time, it became a popular pet throughout...
The cloning of dogs or cats is slowly becoming a completely normal reality. For now, you can encounter it mostly in Asian countries. It’s the companies in South Korea that are most famous for their business plans focusing on the grieving dog and cat...
It would probably entirely unnecessary to describe the appearance of the German Shepherd. Probably everyone, even non-dog-lovers, have seen the German series Inspector Rex. Apart from the most famous colouring with black or golden marks, it is bred...
Getting a cat doesn’t mean only buying a cat toilet, bowls, a bed and a couple of toys. You also have to realise that the animal will also need certain care and count with this already before getting it. Each breed has its own specifics. While some are...
The Persian Longhairs, which have most likely descended from the Turkish Angoras, were bred in England at the end of the 19th century. Since then, they have undergone great changes, and today they have a much more compact body in comparison to the...
The desire for your own dog friend can also lead to a great disappointment. Since a lot of people fall for scammers when buying through an ad. Getting a dog this way is a risk not only from the money point of view, but also with respect to the mental...
Traveling with a dog in the city is stressful for many dog owners. One of the reasons may be the fear of riding escalators. If the dog is not accustomed to them since young age, he can have issue with it as an adult. Even in the case that your dog aces...
For the majority of dog breeders, winter is the period that has to be waited out somehow. But this time of year provides ideal conditions for the musher sport. And if you found pleasure in summer trainings with the dog, don’t hang the dog harness on an...
Most owners consider pets kept at home to be full-fledged family members. And year after year, they invest more and more money in them. Just for dog and cat food, Czechs spend around eight billion crowns a year. The business around pets is experiencing...
