Does history-taking help predict rabies diagnosis in dogs?

Background: Rabies is a fatal disease. However, dogs are the principal vehicle for rabies transmission of human. A little information about pre-morbid behavior in rabid dogs could be found in the literature. Objective: Assess the value of history taking in predicting rabies diagnosis in dogs, and identify the percentage of rabies positives by history taking in a prospective study. Materials and methods: Studies were conducted at the Rabies Diagnostic Unit, Queen Saovabha Memorial Institute, Thai Red Cross Society between 2002 and 2008. Historical data were collected prospectively from 153 live rabies suspected dogs on admission to the diagnostic facility. Results: Rabies was found in 14% to 80% of dogs with completed questionnaires except for dogs less than one month old, not sick or sick for more than 10 days. Conclusion: History taking does not help in decision-making for rabies post-exposure prophylaxis of humans.