My dog had a bat in her mouth. Should I worry about rabies infection?

Fortunately, rabies in dogs is very rare in the U.S. and hopefully this dog has been vaccinated at-least once already. Knowing his vaccine status will make a big difference for knowing whether rabies is a concern or not. If he happens to have a rabies, or city registration tag on the collar, then this indicates that he would have been vaccinated before. If he is neutered, then this would also be a good indication that he has been vaccinated before. One thing you can do in order to find out his vaccine status is to take him to a local shelter and have him scanned for a microchip. They can also help locate the owner and find out more information about the dog. Rabies usually requires a break in the skin to be transmitted. It is also less likely that Buddy has rabies if he's not showing any signs (the vet at the shelter can check for any signs). Overall, it seems very unlikely that this dog has rabies, or that your sister would be infected. For more information and understanding the risk of rabies, I recommend you read the information at the link below. https://www.cdc.gov/rabies/index.html I hope that helps and all is well with your sister and the dog.

Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach! You only need to worry about rabies if you are bitten by an animal whose rabies or vaccine status you don’t know. Since Romeo didn’t bite you, I wouldn’t be concerned. Kisses to Romeo!

Usually from the wound the virus travels through the nerves to the central nervous system and salivary glands as well (from where it can then spread and be transmitted). Unless the tongue was injured (so the virus could have travelled to nerves through blood stream), there are basically no chances that infection occurred. Rabies do not resist in the environment for long (max 24 hours usually) time as well.

No. I would not be worried about this unless you know the dogs have been in contact with a rabid animal (domestic or wildlife). If they have not, then there is no chance of you getting rabies. Also, the vaccine is a killed virus so there is no chance of you getting rabies from a vaccine or a recently vaccinated animal. Hope this helps. Best wishes!

You need to get Max vaccinated against rabies ASAP! It is possible for him to get rabies from a rat but not likely. Any mammal can carry the rabies virus but it is more common to get it from bats or other wildlife, not really rats. Don't take any more chances and get his vaccinations as soon as possible! I hope the helps. Best wishes!

Small rodents and squirrels are almost never found to have rabies, so I wouldn’t be too worried. However, it would be a good idea in general to make sure Bobby is kept up to date on his rabies vaccine so he’s protected if he has any future encounters with wildlife!

Hi there! Without confirmation of rabies infection by very specific testing it is impossible to know with certainty if an animal or person has contracted the virus. With that said, rabies infection must be always be considered when an animal comes in contact with any unvaccinated/unknown or wild animal, especially if said animal is showing neurological signs. Signs of infection typically do not occur until 5 days post initial infection. Rabies is transmitted through saliva/bites, ingestion of an infected animal, urine, and through an infected mothers milk. While it does not sound like there was any penetrating wounds, I highly recommend that you contact your regular veterinarian as soon as possible to discuss how to proceed, as the laws regarding handling potential rabies cases vary from state to state. If Scarlett is up-to-date on her rabies vaccine she may need to receive another rabies vaccine and/or be quarantined for a period of time as a precaution. Remember that people can also become infected with rabies, therefore be sure that you limiting your contact with Scarlett as well as the stray cat until you speak with your regular vet and discuss a plan moving forward.