My dog fought a raccoon. Is rabies a risk even with recent shots?

If he gets in contact with such wild animals, yes,it is definitively best to have him vaccinated. Please do not hesitate to contact us again on the forum or by requesting a consultation if you have any more questions or to discuss it any further.

Thank you for submitting your question regarding Alpha. I recommend that you seek emergency veterinary care today. The wound looks severe and may require surgery. If not, oral antibiotics at minimum will be started. He will likely need a booster of his rabies vaccine given the high rate of rabies in raccoons. I hope this information helps!

If Cooper has been vaccinated for rabies this year, then no there is no chance of him having rabies. The rabies vaccine lasts either a year or three years depending on the brand given. You have no need to worry.

Hello and thank you for reaching out to Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach. If the dog is up to date on its rabies vaccinations, the chance of you contracting rabies is incredibly low. What we recommend is to quarantine the dog who bit you (or have the owner of the dog quarantine it) for 10 days and monitor the dog for the development of any abnormal neurologic signs. If the dog is completely normal after 10 days from the time you were bit, you are in the clear. If the dog becomes sick at all in that time frame, or if you become sick at all, I recommend contacting your doctor. I hope this is helpful - best of luck!

Hello, and thanks for using PetCoach. The most important thing is that your dog was vaccinated for Rabies prior to this attack, and that you boostered his vaccine again afterwards. The rabies vaccine is quite effective, and boostering the vaccine after the attack will help in case one of the unvaccinated dog did have rabies. Ideally, it would be beneficial to observe all 3 dogs for 10 days after the attack, but you have done everything right with your own dog. If that third missing dog did have rabies and has since died, then the other two (unvaccinated) dogs would likely need to be euthanized, and your dog would need to be closely monitored for several months - but the risk of your dog contracting rabies with an up-to-date vaccination status is very very low. Here's a link to some more information on rabies. https://www.petcoach.co/article/rabies-in-dogs-symptoms-diagnosis-treatment-vaccination/ I hope this helps! I'm sorry this happened to Babu!

Poor Oddie! I’d definitely recommend getting him in to the vet. My main concern is for infection of those bite wounds- he’ll almost assuredly get some antibiotics (unless the wounds are much more shallow than I’m thinking). Your vet will also know more about local laws concerning reporting suspicious/rabid animals (if that is even a concern in your area). On that note, the Rabies vaccine is extremely effective so I have no concern for Oddie about that. If you can take him to an ER clinic tonight, that would be great. But if Oddie seems comfortable, it can probably wait until tomorrow. In that case, do flush the wounds with diluted iodine if you have it, warm soapy water (followed by plain warm water) if you don’t have it. If you have (or can get) an E-collar for Oddie, I’d put that on to prevent licking. If the collar is on, you may also put a triple antibiotic ointment (eg Neosporin) on the wounds until you can get to the vet tomorrow. Do not use if he can lick it off. This will not work long term but is a decent stop-gap until tomorrow. I do NOT recommend bandages or oral medication of any kind. Instead, leave the wounds open and use ice for pain and swelling control. Icing each spot for 5-10 mins every 4-8 hours will go a long way for both pain and swelling. Hope this helps and best of luck to you and Oddie!

Hello, and thanks for your question. I'm wondering if the rabies vaccine product or protocol is a bit different in India vs the United States. Our typical protocol with a previously vaccinated (up-to-date) dog who may have been exposed to a rabid animal (such as a wild animal or unvaccinated dog) is to booster the dog immediately with another rabies vaccine - just once....and then get back on the standard vaccine schedule of every 3 years. We don't typically do the multi-dose PEP you're describing, although that protocol would be given to people with exposure. However, rabies is much more endemic in your area - so I would defer to the advice of your local vet who treats far more rabies exposure cases than we would. If the original plan (prior to your dog's second altercation with another stray) was to give the two additional shots on the 4th and 5th, then I would probably stick with this plan. All vaccines can carry a small risk of reaction - but there's no "overdose" per say. And any risk of vaccine reaction is negligible compared to the risk of actual rabies exposure, in a rabies endemic area. So it is always best to err on the side of protection from rabies. I hope this helps!