My rabbit licked rat poop outside. Is she at risk? What to do?

There are a couple of diseases that a rat can give a person, but it's very unlikely it could be spread this way. Bacterial and parasitic diseases usually require a certain amount be ingested before they cause disease. It would take more than a lick to the outside of the mouth to give a substantial amount. There are some scary diseases like hantavirus that can be spread quite easily though. However, it is relatively rare. The best thing you can do to rule-out disease is by taking the rat to a state laboratory for testing. The government has disease monitoring laboratories that will examine and test the body for diseases of concern in your area. You can call your local vet, or Texas A&M veterinary diagnostic laboratory (https://tvmdl.tamu.edu/) for more information. Otherwise, I would not worry too much. It appears that you have done a good job washing away any potential contaminants and it would be rare for you to have contracted anything. If you happen to feel ill in the next week, then please contact your doctor and mention the rat incident. I hope that helps and all is well.

There are a few diseases that a wild rabbit can carry, but fortunately they are not commonly ones that would affect people, or be easily transmitted from the cat to people. There are a few different parasites that they can get from rabbits, so it will be a good idea to have her dewormed sometime soon to prevent the worms from growing. Your vet can recommend the best dewormer to prevent the worms of concern with rabbits (roundworms and tapeworms are the more common ones). As long as Sunday is not showing any signs of illness, the chances of her transmitting a disease like tularemia (https://www.cdc.gov/tularemia/) is not likely. If she happens to appear ill (vomiting, decrease in activity, decrease in appetite, diarrhea, breathing heavily, etc.), then it would be best to keep her away from your children and have a vet evaluate her as soon as possible. It would be rare for her to have acquired a disease that she can transmit to you or your children, but you can always take some precautions just to be sure. You can keep her separate (contact is really the only concern) from the children for 7-10 days to be extra safe. If she does not have any signs of illness during this time, then it's very unlikely she will have a disease that can be transmitted. I hope that helps and all is well.

You are correct that the rat can carry diseases. I recommend to call your veterinarian and tell them what happened. They may want to check him for any bites and booster his vaccines. The main concerns for rats are Leptospirosis and fleas who can carry plague depending on where you live. Theoretically, rabies and rat poison ingestion would also be a risk. Your veterinarian will be most familiar with your local environment and the potential diseases. Also make sure Brady is up-to-date on his flea prevention. Best of luck and please feel free to post any additional questions.

There is really nothing you need to do for this. There are a couple of diseases that can be transmitted from rabbits to dogs, but it would be very rare from this exposure. Without knowing if this rabbit had an infectious disease, we would not give any medication prophylactcally (in anticipation of a disease). If the dogs ate any of the meat, then there is a chance of them getting parasites, but this is easily treated with regular deworming. You can deworm them in a month to be safe. Otherwise, there's little need to worry. Dogs are quite tolerant of eating wild animals. If they happen to have signs of illness in the next two weeks, then it will be helpful to notify the vet of the rabbit exposure I hope that helps.

Hello. There are just too many questions that need to be answered in order to offer any advice. The best thing is to have your bunny examined by a veterinarian who can check Laddu for intestinal parasites, discuss the diet you are feeding her & possibly start her on a Critical Care diet & possibly antibiotics. There is no way for me to know if this is infectious, parasitic or a dysbiosis, so a good evaluation is imperative. Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach.

Hi, thanks for using PetCoach! I think that Bunny will be fine. I'd worry about the salt, onion and garlic content of the season packet. I think her licking some of the seasoning shouldn't be too much of a problem. I do not know of a toxic dose. I would only take her to the vet if she is vomiting, not eating or is lethargic. If you are very worried you can call pet poison control and see what the toxic amount, if there is one, for the season packet. http://www.petpoisonhelpline.com/ Have a good day!

[Rabies](https://www.petcoach.co/dog/condition/rabies/) in rats and other small rodents is extremely rare. I would be more concerned with the possibility that the rat had been poisoned elsewhere and its weakness was why your dog was able to catch and kill it. Leptospirosis, an infectious disease that affects the liver and/or kidneys, is also a high risk from contact with rats. Other possible diseases your dog could contract from contact with rats are: • Rat Bite Fever (*Streptobacillus moniliformis* form). Dogs can be infected by the bacteria by biting or eating infected rats. Dogs do not themselves get sick, but serve as carriers for the infection, passing it along to humans. • [Tularemia](https://www.petcoach.co/article/tularemia-rabbit-fever-in-dogs) is caused by the *Francisella tularensis* bacterium. Rabbits, hares and rodents, including rats, are particularly susceptible to the organism, and often die in large numbers during an outbreak. If a dog eats a rat (or other animal) infected by this organism or drinks water contaminated by infected rodent waste, the dog can become ill as well as passing the disease on to humans. Symptoms in dogs include refusal to eat, fever, cough, vomiting, and diarrhea. If not caught and treated, it can lead to death. In humans the symptoms are specific to the mode of infection (deer fly, ticks, contaminated water, handling dead infected animals, etc.) but can include: chills, eye irritation, fever, headache, joint stiffness, muscle pain, ulcers on skin, shortness of breath, sweating and weight loss. • [Bubonic plague](https://www.petcoach.co/dog/condition/plague): dogs can become carriers of the *Yersinia pestis* bacterium if they are bitten by the flea of an infected rat. Dogs do not tend to be sickened by bubonic plague but can pass the disease on to human caretakers. • [Salmonellosis](https://www.petcoach.co/article/small-pet-rodents-can-pose-a-salmonella-risk-to-humans) can be transmitted to a dog that encounters the fecal material of rats, other rodents and especially reptiles. Symptoms in canines include: fever, diarrhea, dehydration and shock. Death can occur if untreated, and the dog can spread the infection to human through its feces.