My dog is aggressive, foams at mouth, shakes. Rabies or anxiety?

Question

Hello, I have a pitbull mixed with a Labrador. He acts aggressive towards animals and people. He experiences foam in his mouth. At night, he often shakes. He is scared of anything that moves. It could be as simple as a water bottle. I was reading about rabies and I was wondering if these symptoms could be a sign of rabies? Pet's info: Dog | Mixed Breed Large (61lb +) | Male | neutered | 2 years and 1 month old | 65 lbs

Jennifer Summerfield, DVM CPDT-KA · Accepted Answer

Animals with rabies typically become progressively worse with other neurologic symptoms (such as muscle tremors and seizures), and die within a few days of beginning to show symptoms. So if this behavior has been going on for longer than that, it isn't rabies - instead, it's likely to be a behavior issue. From your description, it sounds like Max is very anxious and fearful. Many fearful dogs are also aggressive towards other animals and people. If you want to work on this problem, I would recommend making an appointment with a veterinary behaviorist who can evaluate him in person and help you put together a detailed treatment plan for his aggression and anxiety issues. This might include medication, as well as management suggestions to help him avoid situations that make him afraid, and specific training exercises you can work on to help with this behavior. You can search for a board-certified veterinary behaviorist in your area here: www.dacvb.org

My dog is aggressive, foams at mouth, shakes. Rabies or anxiety?

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