My dogs licked a wild rabbit. Are they okay? Do they need medicine?

This may not be a problem. However I would monitor Blue for lethargy or general signs of illness within the next two to three weeks. If you think your dog is "off", take him to your veterinarian for an exam Rabbits can carry tularemia or fleas that carry the plague. A fever would be the first sign. Make sure you tell the vet about the rabbit leg should your dog get sick.

There are a few diseases that a wild rabbit can carry, but fortunately they are not commonly ones that would affect people, or be easily transmitted from the cat to people. There are a few different parasites that they can get from rabbits, so it will be a good idea to have her dewormed sometime soon to prevent the worms from growing. Your vet can recommend the best dewormer to prevent the worms of concern with rabbits (roundworms and tapeworms are the more common ones). As long as Sunday is not showing any signs of illness, the chances of her transmitting a disease like tularemia (https://www.cdc.gov/tularemia/) is not likely. If she happens to appear ill (vomiting, decrease in activity, decrease in appetite, diarrhea, breathing heavily, etc.), then it would be best to keep her away from your children and have a vet evaluate her as soon as possible. It would be rare for her to have acquired a disease that she can transmit to you or your children, but you can always take some precautions just to be sure. You can keep her separate (contact is really the only concern) from the children for 7-10 days to be extra safe. If she does not have any signs of illness during this time, then it's very unlikely she will have a disease that can be transmitted. I hope that helps and all is well.

Thanks for reaching out about Fluffy. There is a relatively low risk of cross-contamination but a possibility. Diseases such as leptosporosis or Encephalitozoan cuniculi can be horizontally transmitted through the urine and feces, it really depends on what area of the United States you live in. Contacting a local veterinarian with experience with rabbits and exotics should be able to answer those questions. If concerned, a veterinary visit is recommended to assess and provide a diagnostic plan. Good luck.

There are a couple of diseases that a rat can give a person, but it's very unlikely it could be spread this way. Bacterial and parasitic diseases usually require a certain amount be ingested before they cause disease. It would take more than a lick to the outside of the mouth to give a substantial amount. There are some scary diseases like hantavirus that can be spread quite easily though. However, it is relatively rare. The best thing you can do to rule-out disease is by taking the rat to a state laboratory for testing. The government has disease monitoring laboratories that will examine and test the body for diseases of concern in your area. You can call your local vet, or Texas A&M veterinary diagnostic laboratory (https://tvmdl.tamu.edu/) for more information. Otherwise, I would not worry too much. It appears that you have done a good job washing away any potential contaminants and it would be rare for you to have contracted anything. If you happen to feel ill in the next week, then please contact your doctor and mention the rat incident. I hope that helps and all is well.

Hi! It's fantastic that Pikica has been vaccinated against Rabies. I wouldn't be concerned. It's most likely that Rabies hasn't been transferred to you or your pet. You'll want to be sure to keep your pet up to date on heart worm prevention and that Pikica is fully protected against intestinal parasites. Parasites can be easily transmitted between wild and domestic animals. Keep up the good work!

I am sure that was a very lovely surprise! Of course there are no guarantees what s/he chewed on but many dogs do this without us even knowing and without any long-term concerns. I think you are right to keep your dog from licking your child for a while, just in case, as well as monitoring your dog for diarrhea. Be aware that peroxide can cause vomiting in dogs. If you would like something topical to spray on, you could try something like this: Finally, it would be a good idea to discuss checking for internal parasites with your vet as these can easily be transmitted to children. They can typically screen for them with a simple stool test. I hope this is helpful!

Oh dear! Dogs are bad about eating random things off the ground, and it can definitely be worrying. If it looked like a piece of meat, the most likely problem that this would cause is a minor upset stomach if it was spoiled or rotten. It's not possible to get rabies from eating meat like this, so no need to worry about that :) Some types of tapeworms and other parasites can be transmitted this way, so it would be a good idea to deworm him sometime soon to be safe. You can monitor him for the next day or two for any problems. If he has repeated episodes of vomiting, severe or bloody diarrhea, or if he's acting strange or lethargic, I would recommend having him examined by a vet since these can be signs of a more serious problem. Otherwise, you shouldn't need to worry.