My unvaccinated puppy scratched me. Am I safe? Do I need a doctor?

Hello. No, you do not need to worry about rabies, but you may need to see your own physician about your scratch if it remains swollen. Max is definitely old enough to receive his rabies shot. Other than this, just watch Max for the next 10 days. If he should become sick or act unwell in any way during this 10 day period, please see your vet immediately for further recommendations. Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach.

Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach! What else to do for it depends on what it looks like on physical examination which is hard for me to tell without an evaluation. If it looks superficial and you cleaned it then it is likely to heal. However, it may not if it is deep or it is infected. If no improvement or worsening in the next few days, have her evaluated by a veterinarian for further assessment and treatment. Good luck and have a great day!

Hi there and sorry to hear about your run in with your sweet puppy Jaggu. We are not medical doctors and cannot give medical advice for you, only your puppy as we are veterinarians. However, I can just give you some general information that may help. Dogs cannot transmit any blood borne diseases to humans. As per any wound that any of us may encounter, I would recommend to thoroughly disinfect the wound and if you have any doubt or worry about an infection in your finger, my best advice to recommend you seek medical care. I hope your finger is feeling better soon.

Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach! Sorry you are going through this. It sounds like they started the vaccination earlier than usual. Usually the second round of vaccines is applied at around 10-12 weeks. However, you should be ok as long as you continue the vaccine schedule as recommended by a veterinarian. The next step is having them provide you with a vaccine record. If you have recently started using Frontline, then it is fair to give it a few weeks to see if it helps. If you see ticks it is important to remove them. If you see more fleas, I recommend a product called Capstar which can help kill a lot of fleas at once. I do think that it would be best to have Teddy evaluated by a veterinarian sooner than 3 weeks as he is likely due for the next round of vaccines. Good luck and have a great day!

I am sorry to hear about your concern for your puppy. The answer to this question will depend on the circumstances. If this is a puppy you do not know/a stray/from an uknown home then I would recommend contacting your human physician. If this is your puppy who has been in your care with no exposure to wildlife and who is acting normally/healthy then the concern for rabies is very low but it does look like there is a puncture in your skin so I would recommend consulting your human doctor as we can develop bacterial infections due to dog bites and your doctor can advise you if treatment is necessary.

Hi, thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach! I am sorry we can not treat people or provide advice regarding people. You need to speak to a human physician regarding YOUR health. If Bini doesn't show any signs of rabies 10 days after she scratched you then you did not get rabies from that incident. She is out of the woods on having rabies 6 months from the vaccine. I wish you the best!

Hi, thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach! Any bite from an unvaccinated animal puts you at risk for Rabies. Getting antibodies from the mother's milk is not enough protection. If the puppy has been indoors and not bitten by an unvaccinated animal it is VERY unlikely that it has Rabies. IF Dachie has Rabies he will die or show symptoms with in 10 days, if that happens you should seek immediate rabies treatment. You should be fine to wait the 10 days. Isolate and quarantine the puppy. It is good you have had the Rabies vaccine and you are likely protected but everyone's immune system is different. If you were bitten by a rabid animal you would be treated regardless of your own vaccine history but it is less involved. Have all your dogs Rabies vaccinated when age appropriate. I wish you the best!