Domestic Animals

During 2015, domestic animals accounted for 48.7 percent of all animals submitted for testing, but only 7.6 percent (n = 420) of all rabies cases reported, representing a decrease of 5.6 percent compared with the 445 reported in 2014.

Sixty-seven rabid dogs were reported in 2015, representing a 13.6 percent increase from the 59 reported in 2014. Most of the rabid dogs were reported from Texas (n = 13), Puerto Rico (8), North Caroline (6), Georgia (6), and Oklahoma (6). A number of rabid cats decreased by 10.3 percent from 272 in 2014 to 244 in 2015. However, the percentage of dogs and cats tested for rabies that were positive (0.3 percent) did not change compared to previous 5 years.

A total of 85 rabid cattle were reported in 2015, representing a 9.0 percent increase from the 78 reported in 2014. Fourteen rabid horses and mules were reported in 2015, a 44 percent decrease compared with the 25 reported in 2014.