How likely dog bite rabies is
Dog bite rabies is rare in the United States. Even so, about 100,000 Americans get rabies shots each year, so getting them after a possible exposure is common care, not a rare event.
A pet dog with current rabies shots is a low risk. A stray, a dog that cannot be found, or a dog acting strangely raises the risk.
Rabies is deadly once symptoms start, the CDC warns. That is why the check happens before any symptoms show.
Wash the wound, then get seen
Wash the bite with soap and water right away. The CDC lists washing bites immediately as a main way to prevent rabies.
Then get medical care. A doctor decides whether you need shots, based on the bite and the dog.
- Wash with soap and water as soon as you can.
- Get seen by a doctor the same day.
- Tell the doctor whether the dog can be found.
The rabies shots
If shots are needed, CDC guidance calls for wound care, rabies immune globulin and a four-dose vaccine series.
- Vaccine doses are given on days 0, 3, 7 and 14.
- People with weak immune systems get a fifth dose on day 28.
Keep every shot appointment, and save the record from each visit. Those records also show what the bite cost you. For wound care beyond rabies, see dog bite treatment.
Dog bite quarantine: watching the dog
When the dog can be found, the local health office usually confines and watches it. In Pennsylvania, the Dog Law isolates a dog that bit someone for at least ten days.
The dog's health during the watch helps your doctor decide on shots. If the dog stays healthy, shots may not be needed. Ask the local health office in your state how the dog is doing.
If it was someone else's dog
Rabies shots, doctor visits and missed work are all part of the claim against the dog's owner. The owner's insurance usually pays for your shots and care.
The bite report that started the dog's watch also helps prove who owns the dog. Call (844) 703-3920 and we will help you put those costs on the owner's policy.
Next, read what to do after a dog bite, see who pays, or check the dog bite laws by state.