Unvaccinated dog fought a raccoon. What immediate steps should I take?

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!

Hi, thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach! If your dog is vaccinated then he should be fine but I would have the rabies boostered. If your dog is over due then he should be boostered and put in a 6 month quarantine. If he is NOT vaccinated and the dog that bit him has been confirmed to be Rabies positive your dog should be euthanized. If you are not sure if the dog that bit him is truly positive for rabies then Bruno should be quarantined for 6 months. I wish you the best!

HI, thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach! It means keep in the house and on a leash. Keep him away from animals and children. You just want to keep an eye on him and not expose him to anything that will make him get sick in the 10 day window that may confuse if he has Rabies or something else. Once the 10 days is up have him vaccinated and this won't be a worry any longer! Have a good day!

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!

Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach. If Teddy is current on his rabies vaccine, there is almost no concern in that department. If he is not up to date, you’ll need to call your vet because state laws vary on what has to happen next. I would warn first, that it may become infected and he may need an antibiotic so watch for swelling, redness, oozing, or excessive pain at the site. That being said, if that doesn’t seem to be happening yet, that’s a great sign. Next, I would recommend cleaning the wound as thoroughly as you can with dilute betadine or hydrogen peroxide. Then he needs an E-collar ASAP (most pet stores carry them) to prevent the licking so he doesn’t get it infected and lets it heal. If he cannot get to it, feel free to apply a triple antibiotic ointment like Neosporin. Repeat the cleaning and the Neosporin once daily until healed. If at any time the wound looks weird to you or Teddy is acting differently (lethargic, not eating, etc) take him to the vet right away. Side note: if he doesn’t already get regular flea/tick treatment, I’d get some because raccoons can carry fleas. Best wishes to you and Teddy!

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!

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.