My dog licked my nose. Can I get rabies after an unknown bite?

Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach! Rabies is contracted through a bite or scratch from something infected with rabies. Unless you bit him and have rabies, he can’t get it from biting you. Keep up on his vaccinations and he should be good. Also, if he bites you make sure you wash the area with soap and water so it doesn’t get infected. Kisses to Odin!

There is no chance this person will get rabies from being licked. Rabies is only passed via a bite from an infected animal, and if your dog did have rabies, you would see signs such as foaming at the mouth, loss of appetite, weakness, seizures, sudden change in personality, and disorientation among others. There is no need to worry. There has been no cases of human rabies acquired in the UK since 1902. The last recorded case of human rabies was in 2012, but the patient acquired rabies in India after being bit by a dog. I would recommend having your dog vaccinated for rabies, distemper, parvo, canine hepatitis, and parainfluenza for her health.

More than likely you will not get rabies if your dog licked a small wound, especially if he has been vaccinated in the past. Monitor him for the next 10 days because that is the time between when an animal is infectious until they start showing clinical signs. So if your dog doesn't start showing clinical signs of rabies in the next 10 days you couldn't get rabies from him. If you are concerned and want more information, please call your own doctor or your local health department. You should also have his rabies updated if it has expired.

If your rabies vaccine is current then you have very little risk. Rabies is transferred via saliva so if there was no bite then highly unlikely. It does have potential risk to get infected if deep enough. Make sure to keep it clean though until it heals

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!

Rabies can be transmitted through contact with saliva, so if your dog contracted the virus and was symptomatic there is a small possibility you could get rabies from contact with saliva. If you have reason to think Sunday might be showing signs of rabies you should contact your physician and veterinarian right away.

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.