Rabies in humans is fatal almost. Anyone can get rabies after an exposure to a rabid animal. There are two types of exposure. One type is a bite, which is any penetration of the skin by teeth. The second is a non-bite exposure in which saliva or brain tissue from an animal with rabies gets into any scratch, open wound, eyes, or the mouth.
Some animals are more likely to be infected with rabies than others.
Although some animals with rabies look and act normal, most will develop one of two distinct forms of the disease. Usually, animals become irritable, restless, and nervous. An infected animal may have a tendency to eat unusual things like sticks, straw, stones, and soil. Difficulty in swallowing causes the animal to drool saliva, but a drooling dog is not always a rabid dog. The only way to tell positively if an animal has rabies is to kill it in a humane manner and test its brain for the rabies virus.