Dreamcatcher Alpacas
Alpaca health · Infectious diseases

Rabies in Alpacas

Updated 2026-10-02By the Dreamcatcher Alpacas editorial team6 peer-reviewed references
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Emergency — call your vet now

This condition can kill within hours. Get veterinary help immediately.

A fatal viral disease of the nervous system transmitted by bites from infected wildlife. Rare in alpacas but always fatal and dangerous to people.

Category
Infectious diseases
Urgency
Emergency
Spreads to people
Yes — see below

Signs & symptoms

  • Sudden behavior change (unusual aggression or dullness)
  • Difficulty swallowing, drooling
  • Incoordination, paralysis
  • Death within days

Related symptom guides: Aggression Toward People.

What causes it?

Rabies virus from the bite of infected raccoons, skunks, foxes, bats or dogs.

Risk factors

  • Areas with rabies in wildlife
  • Unvaccinated animals

How vets diagnose it

Only by brain testing after death.

Treatment

None. Suspected cases must be isolated and reported; anyone exposed to saliva must contact a doctor immediately.

Do not wait to see if it improves. Camelids hide illness, and by the time signs are obvious the problem is often advanced. Call your veterinarian.

Prevention

  • Ask your vet whether rabies vaccination (an extra-label use in camelids) is advisable in your area
  • Discourage wildlife around barns and feed

Can people catch it?

Rabies is fatal to people. Never handle the mouth of a neurologically ill alpaca without gloves; report exposures immediately.

Background

Rabies is a viral disease that causes inflammation of the brain in humans and other mammals. Early symptoms can include fever and abnormal sensations at the site of exposure, which are followed by nausea, vomiting, violent movements, uncontrolled excitement, fear of water, inability to move parts of the body, confusion, and loss of consciousness. Once symptoms appear, the result is virtually always death. The time period between contracting the infection and the start of symptoms is usually one to three months but can vary from less than one week to more than one year. The time depends on the distance the virus must travel along peripheral nerves to reach the central nervous system.From Wikipedia — “Rabies”, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0.

Research & references

PubMed lists 19 peer-reviewed papers on this topic in camelids. The most relevant include:

  1. Raccoon rabies outbreak in Hamilton, Ontario: A progress report. Lobo D, DeBenedet C, Fehlner-Gardiner C et al. Canada communicable disease report = Releve des maladies transmissibles au Canada, 2018. PubMed 31007622 · DOI · cited 13×
  2. Infectious diseases of New-World camelids (NWC). Thedford TR, Johnson LW The Veterinary clinics of North America. Food animal practice, 1989. PubMed 2647231 · DOI · cited 25×
  3. Nanobodies as antivirals against rabies in experimentally infected mice. Agostinho WC, Parreño V, Vega CG et al. Revista do Instituto de Medicina Tropical de Sao Paulo, 2025. PubMed 41059854 · DOI · Free full textOpen access
  4. Protective effect of different anti-rabies virus VHH constructs against rabies disease in mice. Terryn S, Francart A, Lamoral S et al. PloS one, 2014. PubMed 25347556 · DOI · Free full textOpen access · cited 33×
  5. Nanobodies®: new ammunition to battle viruses. Vanlandschoot P, Stortelers C, Beirnaert E et al. Antiviral research, 2011. PubMed 21939690 · DOI · cited 110×
  6. Rabies surveillance in the United States during 2004. Krebs JW, Mandel EJ, Swerdlow DL et al. Journal of the American Veterinary Medical Association, 2005. PubMed 16379626 · DOI · cited 32×

Frequently asked questions

What is rabies in alpacas?
A fatal viral disease of the nervous system transmitted by bites from infected wildlife. Rare in alpacas but always fatal and dangerous to people.
What are the signs of rabies?
Sudden behavior change (unusual aggression or dullness), difficulty swallowing, drooling, incoordination, paralysis and death within days.
How do you prevent rabies?
Ask your vet whether rabies vaccination (an extra-label use in camelids) is advisable in your area. Discourage wildlife around barns and feed.
Is rabies an emergency?
Emergency — call your vet now. This condition can kill within hours. Get veterinary help immediately.
Can people catch it from alpacas?
Rabies is fatal to people. Never handle the mouth of a neurologically ill alpaca without gloves; report exposures immediately.

This page is educational and does not replace advice from a veterinarian who has examined your animals. Camelid medicine uses many drugs “extra-label”, so dosing must come from your vet. In an emergency, call your vet first. Read our disclaimer · How we write and review content.