Rabies has plagued animals wild and domesticated for centuries and is still active in the United States. The only state never to report a case of human or animal rabies is Hawaii. In the early 1900’s the number of deaths in human from rabies were 100 or more cases per year. The big decline started in the 1940’s when vaccine and animal control programs were put into place and human rabies cases were about 40 cases each year. In the 1950”s the number of human rabies cases were 99 for the entire decade. Then in the 1960’s the number dropped again to 15 cases. The vaccine campaigns started in the 1940’s all but eliminated the circulation of canine strains by the 1960’s. But late 1970’s and early 1980’s brought a surge of a variant strain that was well adapted to dogs. In the last 40 years in the US, most reports have been confirmed in wild animals rather than domestic animals. Raccoons are the most frequent species to carry rabies followed by skunks, bats and foxes. There are seven rabies virus strains, six which effect man. Genotype 2 has never been isolated in a human case. While there are countries that are rabies free (Germany, Japan, Iceland, Finland, France, Sweden, Norway, just to name a few), we still cannot let our guard down. We must remember to vaccinate our pets and beware of wild animals that seem tame. If your vaccinated pet gets bitten or scratched by another animal suspected of being rabid, your dog needs to be revaccinated immediately and closely observed for 45 days. If your dog has not been vaccinated for rabies and gets bitten or scratched by a suspected rabid animal, it is recommended that your dog be euthanized immediately. The rabies virus is spread through a bite or scratch from an infected animal. The virus is in the salvia, and spreads through the nervous system and brain in 2 to 6 weeks. In the first stage an infected dog shows signs of nervousness, anxiety, aggression in sweet dogs and friendly behavior in dogs that are normally shy. A dog will lick the site of the wound and run a high fever. The next stage is where the dog is very irritable, disoriented, has seizures, and become vicious. Death can occur at this stage. The last stage the dog has difficulty breathing and facial muscles become paralyzed. The dog may also salivate or foam at the mouth. This is a terrible death for a beloved pet! Don’t take your chances with your best friend and maybe family members as well, see your vet for regular rabies vaccine!