What are the chances of getting rabies from a sick animal?

Question

Hello doctor,

I may have had a possible rabies exposure and need to know if I should go to the emergency room or if I am fine. My dog chased and caught a very sick deer. He did not bite it, but his chest and muzzle touched its back legs. Immediately, in less than 10 seconds, I grabbed him by the chest to pull him away. My hand touched his chest, and my hand had an open cut on it. The deer may have been rabid. Do I need to go to the emergency room for shot treatments?

Please suggest.

Answer 1

Hello,

Welcome to icliniq.com.

I understand your concern.

Thanks for explaining everything so clearly. Based on what you described, I get why you are worried, and you are smart to be cautious when it comes to rabies. Let us walk through it carefully:

In your case, your dog chased and physically contacted a sick deer, and you are worried that the deer might have been rabid. But your dog did not bite the deer, just touched it, and you touched your dog’s chest (fur) to pull him away immediately after, and you had an open cut on your hand. Rabies transmission requires saliva, brain/nervous tissue, or spinal fluid from a rabid animal getting into a mucous membrane (eyes, nose, mouth) or a fresh, open wound (like your cut).

So, if the deer was rabid and had saliva on its back legs, and that saliva transferred to your dog’s fur (not very likely). And then from your dog’s fur to your open cut (even less likely), there is a theoretical but very low risk. However, kindly note that rabies is 100 percent fatal once symptoms appear, and post-exposure treatment is highly effective when given early. So doctors take any possible exposure very seriously.

I suggest you do the following:

Clean your cut immediately with soap and water for at least 10 to 15 minutes if you have not already. This alone can dramatically lower risk.
Call or go to the ER (emergency room) or urgent care immediately to explain the situation. They will decide the exposure is low-risk and does not need treatment, or they will start rabies post-exposure prophylaxis (PEP) just in case.
Have your dog evaluated by a vet immediately, especially if he is not fully vaccinated. If he is vaccinated, that is great—but they still need to report the potential wildlife contact.

Yes, you should go to the emergency room or at least call your local public health line or urgent care right now. Even though the risk is very low, rabies is too serious to wait or guess.

I hope this information helps you.

Thank you.