Not all bats are going to have rabies but bats CAN and DO carry and transmit the rabies virus, alongside a list of other diseases too. Contact with bats should be avoided to ensure that you protect yourself against rabies, and you will also want to make sure that any family pets are kept well out of the way too. This is even more so the case if you have not had your pets vaccinated against the rabies virus, which you should have done. It is part of your duty as a responsible pet owner. It would be incredibly sad to protect your pooch from everything bad that the world has to throw at it, only for the dog then have to be euthanized because it came into contact with a rabies-infested bat in the back garden.



The situation is actually quite a common one — bats are often forced from the roost when they have a disease or infection, so a bat with rabies is probably going to be pushed out and left on the floor. That's if it doesn't get snapped up by other wild animal predators in the meantime — bats and other nuisance wildlife will often attract other animals further up the food chain. That's kind-of how the food chain works. The rabies virus is passed from one host to another by way of blood or saliva. If an infected bat were to bite your dog — the teeth penetrating through the skin and causing an open wound — the saliva from the bat's mouth would then be in the bloodstream of the dog. From there, it travels around the body and gets to work, paralyzing over time, but causing a host of nasty symptoms before that point. In almost all cases where treatment is not received before symptoms start, rabies is a fatal disease. If your pet has not been vaccinated against the disease, it will need to be put down.

What are the symptoms of rabies in bats?
The first thing you should know about rabies is that it doesn't present itself in the form of physical symptoms for a while. The virus itself can actually b in the body without causing any damage or symptoms, essentially asleep. When the time is right, the virus kicks into life. During the quiet/asleep time, however, the virus can still be passed on from one animal to another, such as, from a bat to you, or from a bat to your dog/cat.

Bats that have rabies may display some or no symptoms, and can include:
Being out of the roost during the day
Being out on the roost and on the floor, unable to fly
Flying towards people and acting aggressively
Biting, rabid-like behaviour

What do I do if me or my pet is bitten by a bat?
You probably wouldn't even know that you have been bitten by a bat, which makes the situation even more dangerous, once again. Bats have such small teeth that the penetration would feel like nothing more than a minor itch, perhaps? You might see tiny puncture marks, however. If you think you have been in contact with bias, bitten or otherwise, it is worth checking yourself over for any marks that look like bites. If you think you might have been bitten, you should seek urgent medical attention. You will need treatment for rabies as soon as possible. The chances that you will actually have it are rare, but it's not a chance worth taking unless you want to put your actual life on the line.

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