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My dog caught a squirrel, no bite marks. Should I worry about rabies?

Updated On September 23rd, 2025

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

My dog caught a squirrel yesterday, but didn't kill it. There was no blood from the squirrel and I think my dog just had it in his mouth (it was completely wet with slobber). Should I be seriously concerned about rabies? We live in SoCal.

2 Answers

Most Helpful Answer

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Answered By Anna M., DVM

Veterinarian

Published on February 8th, 2021

Small rodents and squirrels are almost never found to have rabies, so I wouldn’t be too worried. However, it would be a good idea in general to make sure Bobby is kept up to date on his rabies vaccine so he’s protected if he has any future encounters with wildlife!

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Other Answers

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    Answered By Linda G, MS, DVM

    Veterinarian

    Published on February 8th, 2021

    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 Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach.

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