True/False: Mammals showing central nervous system symptoms should always be considered possibly rabid and should be euthanized.

• A. FALSE
• B. TRUE
• C. Not necessarily
• D. Only in certain cases

Answer: (B)

Neurologic signs in mammals raise a rabies warning because rabies can present with a wide, nonspecific mix of behavioral changes, ataxia, paralysis, or seizures, and no clinical picture reliably rules it out. Rabies is almost always fatal, and the risk of exposure to handlers, other animals, or the public means you can’t assume an illness is something else based on signs alone. The safest, most responsible approach is to treat any mammal showing central nervous system symptoms as potentially rabid and proceed with euthanasia and submission of brain tissue for definitive testing (the direct fluorescent antibody test). This allows for a definite diagnosis and prevents further risk, since live examination or rehabilitation in a potentially rabid animal is not a safe option. While many conditions could cause similar symptoms, the priority is public and animal health, so precautions and testing take precedence over trying to manage or release an animal with CNS signs.