My unvaccinated dog licked a wound. Is rabies a concern for the person?

Rabies is usually transmitted by saliva being transferred into a wound. If your dog is vaccinated against rabies and had no wound in the area where he was licked, then the risk of him getting infected with rabies is small. However in the future do not let your dog interact with street dogs. They can have not only rabies, but also mange, distemper and other communicable diseases.

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.

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.

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!

Your puppy can be tested for rabies and your wound should be checked by your doctor (human). Signs like the one describe are not typical of rabies, as you said, but it is best to have Voldemort checked by your veterinarian. a physical examination and blood test can reveal possible infection. 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.

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.

No he will not. He can't get rabies from licking another dog. He is vaccinated so he is protected and he would need to be bitten by an animal that has rabies to become exposed. I'm glad you have had Apollo vaccinated against rabies as it is a fatal disease for animals and people. Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach to help you get answers to your veterinary questions.