Hi Everyone,

I've been visiting the HA forum for a while now, and have found some real comfort and reassurance here, but this one is a doozy.

A couple of weeks ago, our dog was in a fight with a raccoon in our backyard. The dog heard the raccoon in our hedge and went after it. Our dog suffered a gash to it's hind leg and got stitches and is recovering well. The dog's shots were all up-to-date. Raccoons are a regular feature in our area. I didn't give it a thought, other than being relieved our dog was ok.

A few days after the raccoon incident, I was giving our dog some treats, and it was licking my hand, and I realized I had a small cut on my hand, and I immediately thought: RABIES!!! I frantically washed the cut with soap and water. I started worrying.

Luckily, we had a vet visit a few days later. I explained everything to the vet, and vet said, never let a dog lick a wound, but only because of germs, and she wasn't at all worried about rabies. That made me feel better.

UNTIL. News broke a few days ago that a young man who lives on an island nearby just died of rabies after a bat flew into his hand. Somehow, that has sent me into an absolute tailspin. I've become irrationally nervous about our dog - the slightest growl and I'm panicked. My mind is full of what if, what if, what if.

Here are some things I've found in my research:

- according to disease control, in our region, raccoons do not have rabies, only bats do.
- our dog's shots are up to date
- the health authority in our region oversees administration of rabies vaccine and it's highly unlikely I would get it even if I begged for it. (A woman went to the papers after being bit by a raccoon because she was denied the vaccine as it was determined not a risk.)

I know these "facts" and repeat them to myself, however, the what ifs find a way in - what if that raccoon was the first to have rabies? What if our dog is incubating rabies somehow despite the shots and it doesn't show up for months?

Last night I went to pottery class and finally managed to throw my first cylinder on the wheel. The time I spent doing that was a reprieve from my panicked thoughts. But as soon as I was alone in my car again driving home, the rabies worry was back.

I'm wondering if anyone has strategies for coping when alone - any tricks for thinking or battling thoughts that have worked for you? I feel terrible for our dog, who I think senses that I'm afraid of him. I know it's not normal to think this way. I just want to break out of it.