In May–June 2025, the National Institute for Communicable Diseases (NICD) called for increased awareness and preventive action against rabies. The call followed a Public Health Bulletin South Africa study of Limpopo (2011–2023) that reported 32 human rabies cases (27 confirmed, 5 probable), 81% linked to dog bites.
Tragically, rabies is almost always fatal – which can be devastating to pet owners facing the loss of a beloved companion. According to the Human-Animal Bond Handbook, published by global animal health company, Zoetis South Africa: “Pets and their owners support each other in a mutually reinforcing interaction that promotes good health and well-being in both.” Losing a pet often feels like losing a family member and can trigger the same kind of long-term grief.
The handbook adds that responsible pet owners care for their animals by providing healthy food, a comfortable home, love, play and veterinary care. This includes making sure pets are protected against diseases like rabies – because while rabies can’t be cured, it can be prevented.
What is rabies?
Rabies is a virus that can infect any warm-blooded animal, including house pets and humans. It gets transmitted through the saliva of an infected animal, usually through a bite wound. The virus travels up the nerves to the brain. Here, it causes inflammation, leading to varied symptoms that eventually result in death.
No treatment for rabies in pets
The scary thing about rabies is that there’s still no treatment for the virus. If your pet gets infected, it will have to be euthanised. This is to prevent your pet from infecting other animals or people, as well as to spare them the pain and suffering that comes with the later stages of the disease. That’s why it’s so important to prevent your pet from getting rabies in the first place.
How to protect your pet against rabies
While it may not be treatable, rabies can be prevented. What you need to know:
- Ensure your pet is vaccinated: Vaccination is the best form of defence. Your pet’s chances of getting infected are far lower if they’ve been vaccinated.
- Rabies vaccination isn’t one-off: Your pet will get their first injection as a puppy or kitten, but they still need top-up vaccinations. If you’re not sure whether your pet’s rabies vaccinations are up to date, ask your veterinarian. They should have a record on their system and if your pet has a vaccination card, it should be recorded on there too. Important note to pet owners: In South Africa, rabies vaccination of dogs and cats is a legal requirement under the Animal Diseases Act. Ask your veterinarian for schedule recommendations in your area.
- Rabies vaccinations aren’t just for dogs: Dogs and cats are required by law to be vaccinated; other mammals (e.g. livestock) may be vaccinated based on veterinary advice and risk.
- Keep your pets away from wild animals: Keep pets away from wild mammals that can carry rabies locally (e.g. jackals, mongooses, bat-eared foxes and, more recently, Cape fur seals) and avoid contact with unknown dogs and cats. Cats that are hunters may have a higher risk of contact with an infected wild animal, which is another reason why vaccination is so important.
- If your pet gets bitten or scratched: Take your pet to a veterinarian ASAP.
- If a person is bitten or scratched: Immediately wash the wound with soap and running water for at least 15 minutes and seek urgent medical care for rabies post-exposure prophylaxis (PEP).
Working together to protect our animals
Combating rabies starts with education. The Zoetis Human-Animal Bond Handbook stresses how important it is for all pets to receive necessary medical attention and offers best-practice guidelines for educating people about responsible pet ownership and what that entails.
True well-being means creating an environment where health naturally emerges. By working together, we can help prevent the loss of animals to rabies.
Download the Zoetis Human-Animal Bond Handbook here.
