Should a vaccination be taken for the dog's scratch?
Patient: I was lightly bitten by a dog (that appeared to be a house pet) and the bite only left two scratches. It did NOT penetrate the skin. There was some saliva (the dog wasn't foaming), but I cleaned it immediately. This happened 24 hours ago. I don't know if the dog had its vaccinations Doctor: HiThanks for posting your query on HCM.I appreciate your concern for the suspected dog bite.The rabies virus is predominantly found in the brain and the salivary secretions of the rabid animals.In view of the history of dog bite with some salivary secretions on the scratches, you are required to take the anti rabies vaccine after the thorough cleansing of the wound, a booster dose of Injection Tetanus toxoid.The anti rabies vaccine has to be injected into the deltoid muscle of the arm on the following days 0,3,7,14, and 30 days.If the dog happens to be healthy after 10 days, you may discontinue the remaining doses of anti rabies vaccine,Hope this answers your query.