Marina,

What you are describing is a paradigm obsessive thought pattern with compulsive behaviors. In this case, the obsessive thought is the thought that the squirrel could have Rabies. This produces anxiety. The compusions are checking the web in order to reassure yourself that you could not have gotten Rabies from a squirrel, in an effort to alleviate the anxiety. These sorts of checking and reassurance behaviors may provide some relief in the short run, but they make the overall condition much worse in the long run, since they reinforce the unhealthy thought pattern and don't fully relieve the anxiety.

I would recommend getting a referral to see someone who specializes in OCD. Primary care doctors can give you a referral, but they are as useless in diagnising and managing OCD as they are in diagnosing and managing mTBI. It's also not enough to just see any psychologist or psychiatrist--not even one who specializes generally in anxiety disorders. What you want is someone who specializes in OCD and is trained in Cognitive Behavioral Therapy and Exposure and Response Prevention Therapy.

If you want to learn more about OCD, I recommend reading Jonathan Grayson's book Freedom from Obsessive Compulsive Disorder.

The good news is that OCD is treatable, but (a) it doesn't just go away on its own, and (b) if you wait too long it can become more difficult to treat, since the habits and patterns you're trying to undo will be more entrenched.

Feel free to PM me if you have other questions about OCD. I have suffered from it since 1996 and have read most of the best-known books on it.