Any mammal that is wild, domestic, caged, or feral that shows signs of rabies typical to that species should be considered possibly rabid. Most free-ranging wild animals instinctively avoid humans unless otherwise conditioned by artificial feeding. Those animals that approach people or their pets and attack should be considered possibly rabid.
All high-risk wildlife species should be considered highly suspect regardless of their health or behavior status, as these animals have been shown to sometimes have the virus in their saliva for a week or more before becoming ill and may lack reliable signs of the disease, and/or because of their status as a known rabies reservoir regularly confirmed through rabies testing.
High-Risk Animals
- Unvaccinated outdoor cats
- Wildlife such as raccoons, bats, skunks, coyotes, foxes, otters, bobcats
- Unvaccinated ferrets
Moderate-Risk Animals
- Stray dogs
- Unvaccinated dogs
Low-Risk Animals
- Vaccinated dogs, cats, and ferrets
- Wild rodents
- Pocket pets including rats, mice, hamsters, guinea pigs, hedgehogs, domestic rabbits; armadillos, opossums, and caged monkeys (Herpes B virus should be considered for all macaque monkey exposures)
Key Risk Assessment Questions
- Did the bite break the skin (bat bites may not be clearly visible)?
- When did the exposure occur?
- What is the animal species (low or high risk)?
- What is the animal’s rabies exposure risk (housed inside vs. left unattended outside)?
- If an owned pet, how long have the current owners owned?
- What is the animal’s vaccination status (no history of vaccination, overdue for vaccination, up to date; one previous vaccination, history of 2 or more vaccinations)?
- Was the bite provoked?
- Does the animal currently appear healthy with normal behavior?
- Did the bite involve the victim’s head or neck?
- If a domestic animal or livestock, is it available for observation?
- If a wild animal or exotic pet, is it available for testing (Cases involving valuable or rare
wildlife/exotic pets may be handled differently.)?