Is my dog safe from "zombie deer" disease spreading locally?

A dog must come into contact with saliva or nervous tissue (brain, spinal cord, etc) of an infected animal in order for the risk of rabies transmission to be present. Once the saliva or tissue have dried, the risk is quite minimal. Sniffing a carcass will not pose a risk. Blood, urine, feces, or muscle tissue are not infectious. As long as James remains current with vaccination, he should be fine. It is always recommended to keep him away from roadkill or dead animals anyway.

Hello, and thanks for your question. The ultimate decision will need to be made by your primary vet - but I would absolutely keep them both current on their rabies vaccinations, even if they have chronic health concerns. The rabies virus is 100% fatal, and can be spread to people, so it's just not worth the risk of letting their vaccine status lapse. In many states the law requires a current rabies vaccine. The rabies vaccine is very safe, so it is very rare that I will stop keeping a patient of mine current on the vaccine. Hope this helps! I can tell you're trying to make the best decisions for your dogs!

Thank you for submitting your question regarding Roxi. Lyme disease is extremely common in the northeast and upper midwest regions of the United States. Every year the distribution of disease seems to spread to include new areas. So depending on your region of the country, it is a true threat. It is spread by ticks. So if you live in an area with a high incidence of disease, you will want to vaccinate your dog as well as keeping her on year long flea and tick prevention. I hope this information helps!

If she is vaccinated for rabies she cannot transmit rabies, the main concern with rats is leptospirosis (wail's disease) that can also be transmitted to humans but if your dog is vaccinated then he should be covered for this bacteria as well.

Hello and thank you for reaching out to Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach. I would not be concerned by this! Dogs unfortunately love to sniff (and even lick or eat) other dead animals, so it was great that you were able to act quickly and keep Jordy from eating whatever that was. It sounds like you keep him up to date on all of his vaccines, which is excellent. As long as he continues to act normally (eating, drinking, urinating and defecating normally), and is otherwise healthy, I would not be concerned. I hope this is helpful!

Thank you for contacting Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach with your question about Bree. Good on you for making sure that she is protected from ticks. Given that the tick is not engorged, it did not feed her on, so no disease would have been transmitted. The tick needs to bite and feed to pass along disease into her bloodstream. I imagine she is quite tired from her busy day. To be safe, watch for continued lethargy, limping, joint swelling, and a loss of appetite. I hope this helps!

Unfortunately it is possible but Zoe may also be completely fine and not have any problems (especially because she may not have swallowed anything). Rinse her mouth out if you have not already done so and then wash your hands well. Here is a link about the various types of food poisoning in pets: https://www.petcoach.co/article/garbage-intoxication-food-poisoning-in-dogs-and-cats/ Have Zoe examined if needed and please feel free to post any additional questions.