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Per my previous questions, my dog caught a squirrel yesterday, but didn't kill it and is up to date on his vaccines. If the squirrel had rabies, could the dog carry and transmit the disease to humans without having contracted it himself?

Per my previous questions, my dog caught a squirrel yesterday, but didn't kill it and is up to date on his vaccines. If the squirrel had rabies, could the dog carry and transmit the disease to humans without having contracted it himself?

Updated On February 8th, 2021

Pet's info: Dog | Mixed Breed Large (61lb +) | Male | neutered | 1 year and 2 months old | 16 lbs

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Answered By Linda G, MS, DVM

Veterinarian

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Hello. First, it is very unlikely that an animal like a squirrel would have rabies. Small prey animals rarely survive an attack by a larger predator, & if they do manage to escape, rarely live long enough for the virus to make its way to the brain & salivary glands, which would make the squirrel infective. Second, the vaccines we use are about 99.9% effective. There is no way your dog can carry & transmit the virus without becoming infected himself, & again, this requires the virus to travel from a bite wound, into the nervous system, to the brain & salivary glands. So, as long as Bobby is up to date on his rabies vaccine, you have nothing to worry about. Our vaccines are very, very good, & the virus does not survive on the outside of your dog. I hope this helps relieve your worry about this. Thanks for contacting PetCoach.

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