The puppies are a little more than 4 weeks old and were born in a neighbor's shed, so they can't have been infected after birth. the mother was a street dog and hasn't shown any symptoms of rabies yet, but I heard it can take up to 6 months for symptoms to show. is it safe to adopt and handle the puppies? they haven't shown any symptoms either. Can rabies be transmitted through the father?
Well they still could have been affected after birth with being in a shed, but if a rabid raccoon or bat or something had been in there with them chances are you would have a couple dead puppies. Puppies can get rabies from any mammal that has rabies, but they won't have rabies just because the father had rabies, unless the father was there after they were born and was able to trade saliva with them…Rabies is passed through saliva problem being rabies causes increased salivation so more rabies for everyone. If an unvaccinated dog comes in contact with a rabid animal there is a very good chance that the dog will be infected. the survival rate for puppies with rabies is only 20% so you'll know if they have rabies. Puppies don't take that long to show. very few dogs do. it takes longer for rabies to show in cats because their immune system is naturally stronger than a dog's. but for all intents and purposes the puppies can't get rabies from the father unless he was there after their birth which is highly unlikely in the dog world…it isn't sexually transmitted it is transmitted through bites because it's in the saliva. anyway all you can really do is wait and see, but I would say the puppies are fine to handle unless you see them acting crazy and trying to bite and maul everything. If they are acting ok you would be unlikely to contract rabies anyway because they won't be biting you. No real way to tell. It's a risk you take with wild animals. the chances of rabies also vary greatly depending on your area.
Rabies is not usually transmitted from mother to pups. If the mom has circulating virus, she should be showing symptoms already, and likely wouldn't have survived to give birth.
In any event the puppies must stay with their mother until weaned, ideally at least 8 weeks and possibly longer. If you're in doubt about safety, have your local Animal Control or humane society take the mother and puppies for the next few weeks. Perhaps you can contribute something to their care and upkeep, and commit to adopting one of the puppies.
Ok- does the mother have rabies? Rabies is transmitted through the bite of an infected animal. the saliva of the infected animal gets into the blood stream. Rabies is a fairly quick disease. in a matter of days after the bite, symptoms will appear. not months. obviously all the pups should see a vet and should have been handled daily from day one. I fear for the adoption prospects of these pups since the mom was a street dog and obviously the pups have gone 4 weeks without human socialization.
the safest thing is to cull them- goodness knows what else they could be carrying (rabies is the least concern here, other diseases are easier to pass from father and/or mother to puppies) and what they may infect other dogs with- plus, the mother being a street dog, chances are that she's wild, and wouldn't be adoptable.