What Farmers Need to Know About Rabies in Cattle

By Blake Jackson

An unusual spike in skunk rabies cases across Kentucky, particularly in the Blue Grass region, has prompted veterinarians to urge cattle producers to review prevention, recognition, and response measures.

All livestock species are susceptible to rabies, with cattle and horses among the most frequently reported infected animals. The disease is caused by a virus that attacks the nervous system, spread through saliva–most often from the bite of an infected animal.

In Kentucky, skunks are the primary wildlife reservoir, though raccoons, foxes, coyotes, and bats can also transmit rabies.

Cattle are often bitten on the nose after investigating wildlife behaving abnormally, such as skunks active during the day. Incubation typically ranges from two weeks to two months, with death occurring within days after symptoms appear.

Clinical signs in cattle fall into two forms. The paralytic form involves progressive weakness, drooling, altered vocalization, and eventual paralysis, while the furious form includes aggression, hyperexcitability, loud bellowing, and abrupt cessation of milk production in dairy cows. Both forms progress rapidly to coma and death.

Producers and veterinarians should use personal protective equipment–gloves, goggles, and masks–when examining suspect animals or handling carcasses, as rabies virus is shed in saliva and present in nervous tissue. Human exposure requires immediate wound cleansing, medical evaluation, and possibly rabies post-exposure prophylaxis.

Diagnosis in cattle can only be confirmed post-mortem by examining intact brain tissue. The Kentucky Department of Public Health oversees rabies reporting, while the Kentucky Department of Agriculture manages livestock quarantine and exposure protocols.

Vaccination is available and recommended for valuable stock, show cattle, or animals in frequent contact with the public. Vaccinated livestock exposed to rabies should receive an immediate booster and be observed for 45 days. Unvaccinated animals face euthanasia or strict 4–6 month quarantine.

Producers should never consume meat or milk from symptomatic animals. While pasteurization and cooking inactivate the virus, handling raw tissues from exposed livestock carries serious risk.

With wildlife rabies cases up, officials emphasize prompt reporting of suspect cases, strict use of PPE, and proactive vaccination to protect both animal and human health.

Photo Credit: usda