My new puppy licked my wound. Could he have rabies without signs?

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.

Hi Milna! I'm sorry to hear that your puppy was bitten. There are no symptoms of rabies that appear immediately. Since rabies is a fatal disease that can be transmitted through bodily fluids (saliva, blood) to humans, please take your puppy to a vet immediately. In addition to the concern of rabies, your puppy should have his wound evaluated, cleaned, and be started on a course of antibiotics.

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.

The only way to know if a dog was infected with rabies is to monitor for signs of rabies. The test for rabies uses brain tissue so it can't be done on an alive animal. There is a 15 day window of time from when an animal can transmit rabies until the animal would be showing clinical signs of rabies and then death. If there is no history of a bite wound on the pet dog than the likelihood of rabies is very low. If you ever see any signs of rabies than have him/her examined by a veterinarian. There are other diseases that can be transmitted to humans, like Ringworm, Salmonellosis, Leptospirosis, Campylobacter infection, Giardia infection, Cryptosporidium infection, Roundworms, Hookworms, etc. If your dog was examined by a vet and appears healthy, vaccinated, as well as treated for common intestinal parasites than it is not likely you will get an infection from him/her, especially if you have a normal immune system. Use a monthly heartworm pill that also contains a dewormer, like Heartgard or Interceptor to decrease the chance of your dog getting intestinal parasites in the future.

Yes I understand. The infection in my opinion is very unlikely, but I hope you appreciate the fact that i cannot rule it out 100% and this is a platform designed only for veterinary advice. I would recommend to ask advice to a human doctor about it.

Depending on the severity of the scratch (feel free to post a picture of it) Lily should be checked by your veterinarian. Antibiotics may be needed but extra vaccination shots are not. Disinfection can eventually be started at home with very diluted hibiscrub or betadine or salted water baths. Buster collar may be useful as well to avoid any scratching (if any). 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.