Is it true that in order to find out an animal has rabies, specialists take off its head?

Question

That's from what I heard in King of the Hill. If it's not true what do animal control doctors do?

Answer 1

tru dat yo

Answer 2

No, not necessarily taking off an animal's head to test. What usually done is to observe an animal for 10 days (quarantined). That is if the animal appeared to be healthy during the time it has bitten someone. The quarantine period is a precaution against the remote possibility that an animal may appear healthy, but actually be sick with rabies.

To understand, rabies virus may be present in a dormant stage in any animal. After the animal bite,it goes through an incubation period which does not carry a risk of rabies because the virus is not in saliva. Rabies virus inoculated into a muscle travels from the site of the inoculation to the brain by moving within nerves. After the virus has reached the brain and multiplied causing an inflammation of the brain, the virus move from the brain to the salivary glands and saliva, and almost all animals begin to show the first signs of rabies.

Thus to say, if observation or quarantine is possible that is what is usually done.

If only for rabies control when the animal has not bitten anyone, any animal possible to have rabies are vaccinated for anti-rabies and keeping stray animals away.

Answer 3

To be absolutely sure, they need to do a test of the brain matter. So to test for rabies, they have to put the animal down and take a brain sample. But they don't have to cut the head off to do that.

They can also quarentine an animal and watch for signs of rabies. But that can take over a week. If it's a wild animal or a stray animal, they will just likely kill the animal and test it.

Answer 4

It is true. Rabies is caused by a virus that is found in the nervous tissue (and saliva) of the infected animals, therefore, the brain (which is the largest concentration of nervous tissue in the body) is the best place for experts to search for the virus. They can also use saliva, blood or spinal fluid for the tests, but brain tissue is more convenient, if only because there's more of it.

This doesn't mean that any animal that's presumed to carry rabies is sacrificed and its head taken for tests!! Like others have answered, the animal can be placed under observation for a given period to ensure it does not develop any symptoms. The brain testing is done when the animal is found dead or has been sacrificed as prevention.

Answer 5

That's what they do if the animal bites someone and has symptoms.

You cannot do blood tests for rabies, it is impossible.

Sometimes they watch the animal for rabies then after nine days, I'm pretty sure, if it shows the signs they kill it.

Answer 6

No! That's insane. I think they can take their blood and test it for rabies. If not, take it to the vet and they'll watch the animal to see if it starts acting like it has rabies. There was this racoon in my neighbor that we followed for an hour while we waited for the police. It convulsed and was foaming at the mouth, but the police thought it could have CWD (Chronic Wasting Disease) instead of rabies. It was sick, that's for sure. I think cutting off an animal's head to see if it has rabies would be stupid. It's dead then if you did that, you didn't save it!

Answer 7

Yes, to be 100% certain, they must remove the head and send it to a lab for the brain to be tested.