Dog people help! Rabid dog in my yard, how long can rabies live on grass?

[knifegill]

Cool. Thanks for all the info.

The dog looked like it was teetering around a bit, so maybe it was too confused to bite them? I've never seen any animal with rabies before so it could have been something else. We're just going to quarantine the yard for a few days and let the rain take care of it.

 

[yodaLBC]

Don't worry youre dogs will be fine! If you really wanna take extra pre-caution just dilute some bleach and just get a yard sprayer and just lightly spray the whole affected area...( I do this when I believe parvo might be around my yard/house) Goodluck!

 

[Bazinga]

awe man that sucks id say just move to a new place or keep your dog inside joking aside i would just dig up the the spots you think have the saliva and some new dirt and grass seed all this trying to kill the virus wont work as the virus is a non living thing so you cant really kill it

 

[Oddball]

awe man that sucks id say just move to a new place or keep your dog inside joking aside i would just dig up the the spots you think have the saliva and some new dirt and grass seed all this trying to kill the virus wont work as the virus is a non living thing so you cant really kill it

What? Since when are virii non-living? A virus ingests, metabolizes, excretes, replicates, and adapts to change.

 

[Dan F]

What? Since when are virii non-living? A virus ingests, metabolizes, excretes, replicates, and adapts to change.

Viruses do replicate (but only with the help of living cells) and are masters of adaptation. However, they don't ingest, metabolize, or excrete anything, as far as I am aware.

As to the question "Are viruses alive?", there is tremendous debate as to whether viruses are living organisms or a sort of "supra molecule". They lack most of the basic cellular functions that we use to define life, but at the same time do have some qualities that make them seem "alive".

 

[Dan F]

Some basic information from the CDC:

What Is a Virus?
A virus is an extremely tiny infectious agent that is only able to live inside a cell.

Basically, viruses are composed of just two parts. The outer part is a protective shell made of protein. This shell is often surrounded by another protective layer or envelope, made of protein or lipids (fats). The inner part is made of genetic material, either RNA or DNA.

A virus does not have any other structures (called organelles) that living cells have, like a nucleus or mitochondria. These organelles are the tiny organs that maintain a cell's metabolism (life processes). A virus has no metabolism at all.

Because a virus lacks organelles, it cannot reproduce by itself. To reproduce, a virus invades a cell within the body of a human or other creature, called the host. Each type of virus has particular types of host creatures and host cells that it will invade successfully.

Once within the host cell, the virus uses the cell's own organelles to produce more viruses. In essence, the virus forces the cell to replicate the virus' own genetic material and protective shell. Once replicated, the new viruses leave the host cell and are ready to invade others.

The above is only a very brief sketch of the nature of viruses. If you wish to learn more, basic biology textbooks are good sources of information.

http://www.cdc.gov/ncidod/diseases/hanta/hps/noframes/virus.htm

 

[Lupin]

Thank goodness...None of my dogs have been rabid for several years. Am I lucky they simply stay inside the house and none would have to contract rabies from stray dogs. Oh wait. There's no point releasing my dogs for a walk free outside the gate since they could get run over by the busy streets if they choose to run there.

 

[LRM]

What? Since when are virii non-living? A virus ingests, metabolizes, excretes, replicates, and adapts to change.

This is a bit more fitting if describing bacteria. A virus is more like parasitic DNA/RNA with a protective protein coat.

 

[ballinouttacntrol]

mfk truely has it all

 

[CLDarnell]

mfk truely has it all

LOL, well said.

CDC, NRA, EPA, GTA and of course MFK. Its all here