My dog licked my open wound. Can I get rabies if his vaccine expired?

Related Answers from Veterinarians

• Answered By Laura Johnson VMD

  Veterinarian

  Published on October 3rd, 2018

  Hi, thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach!
  
  No, if the dog is rabies vaccinated and it has not expired you should be fine. I would not allow a dog to lick open wounds as it could cause an infection. If you are still worried I recommend calling your countries public health department.
  
  Have a good day!

  

  1Pet Parents found this answer helpful

• Answered By Jessica Keay, DVM

  Veterinarian

  Published on May 31st, 2017

  If the dog's rabies vaccine expired this recently the dog should still be protected against rabies, as we believe the vaccine probably is effective even past the expiration date, particularly this close to the date. If the dog was showing signs of neurological disease, this could be more concerning, but if you do not have open wounds on your skin then transmission is much less likely. Most transmission occurs via bite wounds, though there are rare cases of saliva getting into the eyes nose or mouth. If the dog was showing signs of rabies, then the head can be submitted for rabies testing if the dog hasn't been cremated. If the dog was under veterinary supervision for his illness, the veterinarian can let you know if any of his symptoms were suspicious for rabies. The dog's veterinarian is the one to talk to about his vaccination status as well. If he had been vaccinated regularly for years then it is less concerning. If he had only ever had one vaccine in his life, then this increases his risk of exposure.
  Here is an article on rabies FYI:
  https://www.cdc.gov/rabies/transmission/exposure.html
  http://www.veterinarypartner.com/Content.plx?P=A&S=0&C=0&A=601

  

  1Pet Parents found this answer helpful