Can a dog have rabies for 2 months without showing symptoms?

The incubation period of rabies in dogs is typically between three to eight weeks, but there have been reported cases of incubation periods lasting up to six months. Behavioral changes are an early sign of rabies, as well as a hypersensitivity to light and sounds. There could also be another medical cause behind his behavior. If you concerned that Snoopy has rabies, you need to take him into the vet immediately. The only test to confirm rabies is a post-mortem exam of the brain, but your vet can quarantine him to see if his symptoms progress further. You will also need to see your doctor immediately if the vet thinks Snoopy has rabies, as you will have been exposed to it if he bit you, and you will need vaccines. Please take Snoopy into a vet now.

If a dog has Rabies and is the INFECTIOUS stage of the disease (an animal can be infected with the Rabies virus but not able to pass it to others/not show signs for months) then death will usually occur within 10 days. This is where the 10 day observation period stems from. It is possible, however, for an animal to be carrying the virus but not YET able to transmit the virus for longer periods of time. For this reason if an unvaccinated dog is bitten by another animal such as a raccoon, a quarantine period of 6 months is usually recommended. The exact rules will depend on your local laws.

The incubation period for rabies in humans is typically 1-3 months, but can very from between 1 week to 1 year according the the World Health Organization (WHO). According to the Center for Disease Control (CDC), 90% of cases of rabies in humans develop within 6 months of exposure to rabies, and it extremely rare to have rabies appear in humans after an incubation period of 7 years. A CDC study done in 2008 found in only one girl in Australia who had an incubation period of 6.5 years after exposure to rabies. Finally, you could have only gotten rabies from AA if she had it, and given that she hasn't shown any signs in 10 years and she is healthy, there is no chance she had rabies or given it to you from a bite years ago. I have seen you have posted this question numerous times with experts reassuring you this is not something to worry about or lose sleep over. At this point, I suggest to speak with a doctor about your concerns.

Correct - if a dog is still alive and not showing any neurologic symptoms 10 days after a bite incident, then you can be certain that it was not carrying rabies in its salivary glands at the time of the bite.

A pet will never get Rabies and not become symptomatic. They will always show symptoms. So if your pet is not showing any neurological symptoms, then she doesn't have rabies, especially if she has not had any encounters with wildlife that could have had rabies within the past 10 days. You can proceed with vaccinating her so that she is protected. Thanks for visiting Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach! Take care.

Hi, thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach! No the vaccine will not cover up Rabies if Simcha got it from the bat. If Simcha has rabies now and hasn't been previously vaccinated doing the vaccine in 10 days will not cure her or prevent this incident. Simcha should have a 6 month quarantine as Rabies can take 6 months to show up. The Rabies vaccine your Vet will give in 10 days will just prevent Rabies from that point on but will not change the future of the bat situation. The best thing to have done would have been to test the bat for Rabies. I wish you the best!

Hi there. It's possible that a stray cat could be infected with rabies even if it's not showing any symptoms. However, an infected animal isn't contagious until the very last stages of infection. The general rule of thumb is that if an animal with an unknown vaccine history bites someone, it needs to be quarantined for 10 days to observe for any symptoms. If the animal is infected and contagious, they will develop serious neurlogic issues and die within a few days. If they animal is still alive and healthy after 10 days, you can be confident that it was not shedding the rabies virus at the time of the bite.