Rabies scare: Animal bite!

Man, what kind of fury are we even talking about here?
Seriously, how many times have I been absolutely shredded by some stray cat? Left me bleeding for days with scratches that looked like little messages carved into my skin.
And don't even get me started on that 80-pound beast of a dog—some crazy mix of a Mastiff and a wolf—that lunged at me right in the middle of the street and snatched me up.
But hey, I’m still standing. Never had a single problem.

neonsailor26 said:I actually went to see them. I’m thinking about getting a fifth opinion at this point.

The first doctor I saw didn't even bother checking my arm properly. She just told me to move my hand left and right so she could see where the scratch was. Then she decided there wasn't even a scratch—which isn't true, it's just super, super tiny—so I just got up, grabbed my paperwork, and walked out.

After that, I headed over to a community health center to get a second look. Things were way better there, honestly. I walked into a room with two techs, and the older guy asked what was up, so I explained why I was there. He grabbed my arm, moved it side to side, and concluded he couldn't see anything either... but he did tell me that if the wound suddenly turns red or starts swelling again, I should come back for an injection. So yeah, that was my second opinion done.

Now I'm wondering, did they mess up? Is that even a thing?

I mean, I can't exactly bury myself in the backyard, right? 👎👎👎 My God.

Rabies is basically non-existent here in the States, and I don't think there's been a single case recorded all year. Hopefully, it stays that way.

If you're in a major city like Chicago, just head down to the rabies clinic at the CDC or a local public health office and let them decide if you need the shots. They’ll ask you some questions and check out the scratch, then they'll make the call on whether the vaccine is necessary.

Good luck!

Maria Gray45 said:Honestly, what kind of fury are we even talking about?
I’ve been scratched by stray cats more times than I can count—leaving deep marks that stayed visible for days
And then there was that massive 80-pound mixed breed—part Shepherd, part something else entirely—that lunged at me right in the middle of the street
I'm still standing, and I've never had any issues from it

Brava. My uncle drives 120 mph through downtown Chicago and he's never been in an accident, so clearly, speeding through city streets is a brilliant life choice.

If a random dog attacks and bites you, there's a legitimate risk involved, and you really ought to get vaccinated.

Gregory Turner71 said:Nice one. My uncle also hits 120 mph through downtown Chicago without a single issue—so clearly, speeding through city streets is just a great idea.

If some random dog attacks you and bites you, there's still a risk involved, so you really should get vaccinated.

That’s exactly why you need to head to a specialized clinic—they're actually the experts when it comes to deciding if the shots are necessary. 👍

Man, oh my God, why don't you go ahead and wake up those anti-vaxxers just a little bit 🤦

redotter95 said:Rabies has been practically wiped out here in America—honestly, I don't think there's been a single case recorded all year! I truly hope it stays that way...

If you happen to be in a major city like Chicago, just head over to a local community health center and have them evaluate whether you actually need the rabies shots. They'll ask you a few questions and take a look at the scratch, then they'll make the call on whether the vaccine is necessary.

Good luck!

Well, I'm actually from Canada.

Gregory Turner71 said:Great point. My uncle also speeds through town at 120 mph and nothing ever happens to him—so clearly, flying through residential streets is a fantastic idea.

I mean, if some random dog attacks you, sure, there’s a risk and you should probably get a shot.

Exactly 🙂.

And honestly, what the user above you is saying is basically what the doctor who first examined me told me 😲.

I really didn't want to start an argument with her, but seriously... is this really how people operate at a community health center? 🙂.

Casey Bennett said:Fury—it travels through saliva.

But what if they were licking their paws before that? 😲 🙂

neonsailor26 said:Well, I'm from Canada.

Sorry, I didn't catch that. 😁

In that case, just head to your local community health center.

Chances are pretty slim since it was just a scratch—but hey, if you're worried or it's eating at you, just go straight to an urgent care clinic.

Does the cat have an owner, or is it just a stray—you know, someone unknown?

redotter95 said:Sorry, I didn't catch that. 😁

In that case, you should probably head over to the nearest clinic that handles rabies shots.

I mean, honestly, the odds are pretty slim since we're just talking about a tiny scratch—but if you're feeling anxious or if it's really eating at you, then yeah, just head straight to an urgent care center.

By the way, does this cat actually have an owner, or is it just a stray—you know, someone totally unknown?

Well, I've actually already been to see a doctor three times since this happened! I just walked out of my local community health center about half an hour ago... The woman who examined the wound (which, mind you, is smaller than a millimeter!) told me there's really no reason to worry—though she did suggest that if I'm feeling nervous, I could always follow up with my own primary care physician at his office 😵. Anyway, I'm headed back out on my adventure tomorrow 🙄... So, I might as well just relax while they sort everything out.

The cat doesn't have an owner, which is exactly why I went straight to the doctor right away.

So, three different doctors checked you out and they all said there’s no reason to freak out? And you're still making this whole thing a drama just because of some tiny scratch from a cat? 🤦

You know vaccines aren't exactly harmless, right? There's always a risk of side effects. I mean, if you're overreacting to a little scratch, does that mean you don't worry about vaccine reactions either? 😁

Gregory Turner71 said:Brava. My uncle drives 120 mph through residential neighborhoods and he's never been in a wreck, so clearly, speeding through a suburb is a great idea.

If an unknown dog attacks and bites you, there's a risk, and yeah, you need shots.

It wasn't a dog attack; it was a scratch from a cat. Besides, even if a dog bites you, you don't necessarily need shots if the dog is up to date on its vaccinations—which you can verify by asking the owner for their records.

neonsailor26 said:Look, I'm originally fromCanada.

The fury has been totally uprooted; there hasn't been a single instance in years, ☕

neonsailor26 said:Good morning, everyone.

So, two days ago, a tiny kitten gave me a little scratch (it’s a wound smaller than a millimeter—honestly, it’s basically gone already).

Now I’m sitting here wondering... what are actually my chances of catching rabies from this?

Is there any legitimate reason to be panicking right now?

And more importantly, can I just walk into a clinic and demand the rabies vaccine on my own initiative?

Thanks in advance for the help!

You can't just go in and ask for it on your own; besides, the odds of you getting rabies are practically non-existent (I mean, it's a tiny kitten, right? A rabid kitten?).
I guess you'd have to be the unluckiest person in the entire galaxy to catch it that way....
But, if you know what I mean, you probably still have some reason to be a little concerned. 🙂

So, I got curious and did a little digging online. Hmm...

Basically, there’s this eight-year-old girl out in California who’s now the third high-profile person in the USA to actually survive rabies without being vaccinated. The poor kid got scratched by an infected cat back in April. They rushed her to a children's hospital where the doctors confirmed it was rabies. Since they couldn't pin down exactly when she caught it, they couldn't give her the vaccine. Instead, they treated her with antiviral meds and kept her in a medically induced coma—just to let her brain rest, I guess. She pulled through, though, and after two weeks, they moved her from the ICU to a regular ward at a pediatric hospital in Sacramento.

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, about 6,000 people head to one of the various clinics across the country every year looking for help because of rabies risks—you know, bites, scratches, or just general contact. After they get checked out, based on what the doctors see, roughly 1,500 of them end up needing the actual rabies shots (that whole anti-rabies immuno-seroprophylaxis thing).

Betty Foster97 said:the whole rabies thing is basically history, we haven't seen a single case in years, ☕

Sadly, wild rabies is actually still hanging around here in the States.

Every once in a while, you'll get a fox wandering too close to the suburbs somewhere in the country, and it turns out they've got it.

I'll have to check in with my buddies who hunt or work in vet clinics—they usually have their finger on the pulse of stuff like this. 👍

velvetmoose9 said:Unfortunately, wildlife rabies is still a thing here in the States.

Every now and then, a fox wanders into a suburb somewhere in this great country, and it turns out they're rabid.

I’ll check with my contacts in hunting and veterinary circles; they usually have a good handle on these things. 👍

That’s probably true. They claim there hasn't been a single case involving domestic dogs or cats since 2015 or 2016—
well, I suppose a house cat isn't exactly wandering deep into the woods on its own. 😉

Hmm, I suppose I am a bit more laid-back about these things than most. I have lost count of how many times I’ve been scratched or nipped by stray cats out on the streets, yet the mere thought of rabies has never once crossed my mind. When a bite is particularly nasty and leaves me with some swelling, I simply head down to a local clinic to pick up a round of antibiotics. In fact, because of my frequent run-ins with these feline creatures, I have already made sure to stay current on my tetanus shots.

melloworca6 said:It wasn't a dog attack or a bite—it was just a scratch from a cat. And honestly, even if a dog does bite you, there isn't necessarily a need for shots if the dog is up to date on its vaccinations; you can easily verify that by asking the owner to see their vet records.

Come on, please—take a second to actually read the post I’m replying to. 🙂

analogseal18 said:hmm, I’ve always been pretty chill about this stuff. Honestly, I’ve lost count of how many times some stray cat has scratched or nipped at me, and the thought of rabies never even crossed my mind. If I get a nasty bite that starts swelling up, I just head over to a clinic for some antibiotics and call it a day. Plus, dealing with cats is actually why I made sure to stay current on my tetanus shots.

When you look at it, that’s basically the standard playbook for how to handle it.👍

velvetmoose9 said:Basically, this is just the standard protocol we should be following 👍

Well, actually, if you get bitten by an animal where there's zero data available, or maybe the creature isn't even accessible
for quarantine purposes, the recommendation is to go ahead with the rabies vaccine...