I just got back from a ride. I had what was I think maybe the biggest dog I have ever seen run out at me from someone’s front yard out in the country, and he took a nip at me just below the elbow. I had a long sleeve shirt on, but it still barely broke the skin. No blood came out, but there is a slight puncture and there is blood visible - like a scrape that just brings blood to the surface. Do I have anything to worry about? Do I (or the dog) need to be tested?
Thanks.
I think you need to find out if the dog is current with Rabies shots. Call Animal control from that county where the dog bit you. Have them go and find the dog–especially if leash laws are inacted there-- and let them find out if the dog has his rabies shots-- I would also call your Dr. and see if you will need rabies shots if in fact the dog is not current with rabies vaccine.
Good Luck!!!
Thanks - I did call the sheriff and they told me I had to call Animal Control, which will be in tomorrow. I’m more wondering if I should go to the doc today. As far as the wound, there is no need for any real treatment. I have washed it thoroughly. Just wondering if there is anything a doc could do other than wait to confirm if the dog has his updated shots.
I am a physician, and as a runner have also been bitten by more then one dog. I can tell you that if the wound looks fine, you need no treatment. If it gets red or starts to “drain” fluid then you probably need some antibiotics. As for having the dog tested, thats a total waste of time. The chances of a dog having rabies, especially a dog who lives with a family is literally a million to one…or mabye less. Dont even give it a second thought.
Thanks for easing my mind a bit. I didn’t realize it was that rare in dogs. But even at a million to 1, since it is pretty much 100% fatal, I’d still like to be safe.
As for the wound, one of the two places where it punctured the skin is now kind of a raised red welt maybe a centimeter or so in diameter with the puncture right in the middle. Any need to have it looked at? I am not really worried about the wound per se. I take it that any kind of inflammation or anything like that would not have anything to do with rabies anyway, correct? You’re just talking about infection or something like that? The bite was through a shirt, so I would guess that makes rabies even more remote, correct? Isn’t it transmitted through the saliva?
Thanks.
ok, not to be condescending, but your rabies fear is a little irrational. If you’re worried just wait 7 days and go see if the dog is still alive, if he is then your safe. No one has EVER in the united states gotten rabies from a dog who lived for more then 7 days after the bite. Dogs that can give you rabies are very sick…and have only a few days to live. Now if a bat had bitten you, i would have a different opinion. But if you report the bite and want “everything” done, all they will do is quarantine the dog for a week, if he lives your safe. I personally wouldnt bother, you run more of a risk in getting in your car tomorrow morning. The wound is a more legitimate concern, if its red from the trauma, no worries, if the redness starts to spread then i would get it evaluated immediatly. It needs to start looking better quickly or i would let an MD take a look.
Actually, the dog could have Rabies and not look sick yet. You can’t tell just from looking! Having said that, Skid, I don’t really think you have anything to worry about. Rabies is very uncommon, esp. in dogs and cats, because most of them are vaccinated so regularly. I would recommend either a proof of Rabies vaccination within the past 3 years for the dog, or you should insist upon a 10-day quarantine, just to be safe.
Calling animal control is primarily to make authorities aware of problems with an aggressive or not properly trained/restrained dog.
I like dogs as much as the next guy, but what if the same dog next time gets a hold of a child?
Stray dogs also have a much higher probability to actually carry other diseases that occur in other wildlife.
File the report with animal control! For your peace of mind (re rabies), to give the owner a warning, and last but not least the sake of your community.
Don’t worry about it. But do look at the bright side. If you do not get rabies shots for it after saying you are still concerne, and die, you can put “I told you so” on your tombstone!
i am a public health nurse, and deal with animal bites.
the physician is correct, from one point of view - that being the actual risk to you from your superficial injury being very very low.
however, animal bites carry a greater public health import. as another poster noted, what if this animal is unvaccinated, bites a child riding by on his little huffy, and then runs away ?? in that case, since there is no record of the animal, and no animal to quarantine the child would have to undergo rabies shots. techinally speaking at this time, unless you can verify thru animal control that the dog is still observable/quarantined by a responsible owner or other party or vaccinated, you yourself are advised to undergo rabies shots, by CDC guidelines. a physician may poo-poo this, and some do - but those are the rules, and they exist for good reason.
report dog bites, and procede as directed.
Buy a gun, find the dog, kill it and bring its dead corpse to the vets to get tested. You will kill three birds with one stone: (1) make sure the dog never bites anyone again, (2) get your test results and (3) teach the irresponsible dog owner the need to secure their dog.
Sincerely - A dog lover (not!)
“Now if a bat had bitten you, i would have a different opinion.”
Sorry to hi-jack but, Now please explain your thoughts on this one. I wait with bated breath!
Your subject line reminded me of a cartoon my dad used to keep (he’s a vet) where the vet is on the phone saying something along the lines of “if you had bitten the dog, I would gladly prescribe a treatment, but since the revers is true, I suggest you contact your physician”.
When getting shots for my dog, the vet had said that the last time a person got rabies from a dog was 1959. I think you’re in the clear
I have also been biten by a dog when I was out for a run…
The little fokker came out and bit me in the calf…I had 2 full puncture wounds on my calf and 2 smaller ones on the front (from his top jaw)…the worst part was that I was right at about the midpoint of a run…(at least not too too far) but still had to run/jog home 4 or 5 miles.
Oh…and I DID turn to kick him, but he bite and ran off…grrrr…
Anyway, I went home, cleaned out the punctures, band-aided them and then went back to the house by car.
Knocked on the door, explained what happened…the guy wanted to see (I suppose to make sure I wasn’t making it up) I showed him my now blood soaked band-aids and he said…“oh geesh…I’m sorry…hang on” closed the door I hear “ANGUS!!! what did you do!!!”
So I told him that I just wanted to make sure the dog was up to date on shots, that I was going to call animal control, so they had a record of what happened.
When I called animal control, they told me that they’ll check out the dog and they dog has to stay indoors and confined for 7 or 8 days. If the dog didn’t show any signs of rabies by then, I COULDN’T have rabies myself since it wouldn’t have been in the dogs saliva.
I never went to a doc for MY wounds, and I heard back from animal control (8 or 9 days later) that the dog was fine.
So now I own my own dog I run with…and I don’t have any more problems with dogs or people when out on runs
and other than constantly chasing my tail…I’m no worse off than before
It’s sad that the poor bat is now taking over in the public’s mind as the vector for rabies because the actual risk of death due to a bat bite is tiny compared to other public health risks; it’s just that bats are so evocative as an icon of darkness, strangeness, and scariness (if you ever get a good close look at one they are stunningly cute and beautiful, IMHO. Don’t touch, just look.).
Here’s the CDC link which is fairly balanced although it should reiterate frequently in the text that the benefits of bats far outweigh the disease vector risk.
http://www.cdc.gov/ncidod/dvrd/rabies/bats_&_rabies/bats&.htm
In California, the crash of bat populations is boding ill for public health, the agricultural sector and the environment in general; bats are one of the most effective natural controls for pest insects,(including mosquitos which are arguably the deadliest creature the planet in terms of disease vector status) and so, the loss of bats only means more pesticides have to be applied to the land.
So here’s my advice, don’t handle any wild animal whether they are raccoons, skunks, ferrets, OR bats and you’ll be rabies free.
Oh yeah, eat a balanced diet, moderate your caloric intake commensurate with your level of activity, buckle up, know your sex partners well or take appropriate precautions, and for god’s sake, don’t smoke, just don’t. You might live forever…unless you ride a bike; those contraptions are killing machines (wry smile here).