Will Falconer, DVM Moderator
Hi Chris,
Rabies doesn't usually show up in your backyard. It's not a high incidence disease. You can check online for your local health department's reporting of it, as it's a reportable disease.
I've armed folks in a previous blog post to make sure euthanasia never comes up in a case like you describe. Be sure to see the comments there. Some great ideas.