Can you please answer these questions in relation to your query...

• When exactly did this happen?
• Which country are you in?
• How is the dog now, the latest you saw/ heard about it?
• Was the dog already immunized against rabies?

First of all, do not get excessively scared. It is not a common condition is Canada.

Since the dog is available for observation, please observe it carefully for a total of 10 days for signs of rabies.
Signs of rabies in animals: It appears in two different forms: Furious rabies in which the animal changes behaviour, becomes restless, wanders aimlessly, and bites any animal, person, or object in its way. Eventually the animal becomes paralyzed and dies. Dumb rabies in which an animal changes behaviour, becomes withdrawn or more affectionate, tries to hide, has difficulty swallowing, and dies after a few days without ever becoming violent. However, dogs usually become excitable, and may be vicious, wander aimlessly, and bite for no reason.

Human rabies is exceedingly rare in Canada. Only 21 cases have been reported since 1925 and just 6 since 1960!

Look at this in the light of this information: Worldwide, there are more than 50 000 human rabies deaths reported annually, with about 30 000 deaths in India, and the rest occurring primarily in Southeast Asia, Africa, and Latin America.

That seems normal. But have you noticed any change in its behavior? That is more important.

Ideally dogs need to get an annual booster dose. However, it has at least received some immunization.

It is called Post-exposure prophylaxis. When a possible exposure to rabies virus is suspected, and after a physician's evaluation, post-exposure prophylaxis is given. Earlier vaccines had lot of adverse effects. The newer vaccines (human diploid cell vaccine - HDCV) are quite safe and do not have significant adverse effects. Nothing unusual will happen if you receive it without actual infection. That is a very common situation.

The post-exposure prophylaxis regimen consists of one dose of immune globulin and five doses of rabies vaccine over a 28-day period. Doses of rabies vaccine are given on days 0, 3, 7, 14, and 28. They are relatively painless too.
Post-exposure prophylaxis is a medical urgency and you must contact your GP/ physician as soon as possible for a thorough evaluation.

Action plan for you:
1. See your GP/ Physician
2. Observe the dog for 6 more days
3. Remember that rabies is not common in Canada. Even when it is seen, exposure is most often through wild animals than domestic animals.

Wish you the best,
Regards
Shashikiran

Seems very unlikely.
1. The ball first fell in the food bowl and then you continued to play with the same ball. (Transmission of rabies thorugh inanimate vectors, ball here, is very rare. In addition, the ball has been exposed to another vector, food bowl. After that, the ball has also been used in play).
2. The ball hit the mouth area, and you licked it. (There seems to be very negligible chance of virus getting transmitted like this).

There is generally no risk to other humans from a patient with rabies. Despite there being tens of thousands of cases each year worldwide, as noted above, there has never been a documented case of human-to-human transmission, other than the few cases resulting from corneal transplants. Despite this lack of evidence for human-to-human transmission, people who have been exposed closely to the secretions of a patient with rabies are often offered immunization purely as a precautionary measure.
In your case, very very unlikely...

The incubation period of rabies in dogs ranges from 2 weeks to 6 months. However, animals cannot transmit rabies during the incubation period. Once an animal develops disease, it becomes infective and generraly develops significant clinical disease within 10 days, may even die within that period.

It is safe to assume, if the dog is 'healthy' even after 10 days of the bite, that it was not infective at the time of bite (it may not even be suffering from rabies!).

Best regards
Shashikiran

A few more questions. Is it possible to infect objects with rabies, if so how long will it be before it the virus dies. If I infect clothings and put it in the wash what would happen? Please answer back, I believe that I'm not infected with rabies yet but I want to learn more to be sure in case I do have it. I don't anyone else to have it because of me.