Health officials are warning pet owners to ensure that their animals are vaccinated against rabies as new infections have been reported in multiple states, including a case in Louisiana, where a pet dog in the Mire area tested positive. The dog was euthanized and additional testing on other dogs from the household is pending. The news comes shortly after Texas recorded its first case of rabies in a pet dog in more than a decade.
The warnings come as the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) reported an increase in human exposures to rabid, or potentially rabid, animals this year. In July and August, there was a 17 percent increase in rabies-related inquiries compared to the same period in 2025. Certain states have seen sharp increases.
In Idaho, 24 rabid bats have been detected, more than in any of the previous three years. In Texas, 22 cases of rabies in wild animals were reported in San Antonio and the surrounding Bexar County area. According to the Mayo Clinic, the animals most likely to transmit rabies in the United States are bats, coyotes, foxes, raccoons and skunks.
Rabies is rare in people in the United States, but the World Health Organization states that death is "inevitable" once clinical symptoms begin and the virus infects the central nervous system. Rabies can spread through the bite or scratch of an infected mammal or when infected saliva enters broken skin, the eyes or the mouth. If you are bitten by an animal or exposed to an animal suspected of having rabies, you should seek medical attention immediately.
Rabies activity has been confirmed in the following states: Virginia recently issued a public warning after health officials in Suffolk announced that a raccoon had tested positive for the virus. Similarly, North Carolina officials are tracing people who may have handled infected baby goats from a mobile petting zoo, while Florida issued a 60-day alert for part of Brevard County after a raccoon tested positive. Early rabies symptoms in pets can be difficult to recognize because they often resemble other illnesses.
Initial signs can include fever, lethargy, loss of appetite or changes in behavior. Animals that are normally friendly may become withdrawn or unusually aggressive, while timid pets can appear more excitable than usual. As the disease progresses, neurological symptoms typically develop.
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