Dog or cat bites...

I accidentally cut my wrist with a razor yesterday. It wasn't a deep cut, but man, it just wouldn't stop bleeding... After about five minutes, I stepped outside for a second, and my little dog—who's usually out in the yard anyway—swiped his tail right across the wound. I jumped back immediately and scrubbed the area with alcohol several times. I used some antibiotic ointment and a bandage, then a few hours later, I disinfected it again and slapped on a fresh patch.

Do you think there's any chance of an infection here???

The thing is, I'm scheduled for surgery under general anesthesia in a couple of weeks, and now I'm spiraling thinking something might have gotten into my bloodstream. To make matters worse, the last time I got a tetanus shot was probably back in high school...🤦🤦

Andrew Richardson14 said:I accidentally cut my wrist with a razor yesterday. It wasn't a deep cut, but man, it just wouldn't stop bleeding... After about five minutes, I stepped outside for a second, and my little dog—who's usually out in the yard anyway—swiped his tail right across the wound. I jumped back immediately and scrubbed the area with alcohol several times. I used some antibiotic ointment and a bandage, then a few hours later, I disinfected it again and slapped on a fresh patch.

Do you think there's any chance of an infection here???

The thing is, I'm scheduled for surgery under general anesthesia in a couple of weeks, and now I'm spiraling thinking something might have gotten into my bloodstream. To make matters worse, the last time I got a tetanus shot was probably back in high school...🤦🤦

Look, nothing's gonna happen to you. Stop stressing.😛

So, back on August 20, 2013, I got bit by this dog right out on the street. Honestly, I don't think the thing had rabies... it seemed way too calculated. It was just quietly stalking me—I hadn't even noticed it or heard a sound—and then suddenly this black head with green eyes is just staring me down. I figured it was nothing and tried to keep walking, and then out of nowhere... pain in my leg. Turns out the dog had decided my leg was its new favorite target. My reflex kicked in, though, and I kicked him right in the snout. He pulled away all slobbery... haha! If he actually had rabies, he wouldn't have been able to plan it out like that, lurking and waiting before pulling back all drooly. He would've just gone feral on me without any restraint. Plus, if I'd caught it, I’d be dead by now since it's been over a year and I didn't get the shots. Right? 😁

So, last night, some random cat overheard us talking inside and decided to show up at our front door, meowing its head off... super loud. My sister and I grabbed some milk and deli meat and headed out to feed him, but the second we stepped outside, he stopped the noise act and just started rubbing against our legs. He wouldn't even touch the food, though. He just sniffed it, looked totally uninterested, like he wasn't even hungry. Honestly, he looked way too groomed and well-fed to be a stray—like some pampered house cat from a nearby neighborhood that just wandered off. He kept hovering by the door like he was trying to find a way inside. After about ten minutes of petting him, he suddenly tried to swat my hand with his claws, but I managed to pull away just in time. Then he switched to my sister, acting all sweet before suddenly giving her a little scratch. She jumped back, and we just went inside. Once we were in, the damn thing started meowing loudly again, and it went on for a while. It was just a tiny scratch on her leg, barely a centimeter long, no blood, almost invisible... we didn't bother with the doctor or anything, just washed it with soap and water. But look, I’m a total hypochondriac, so now I can't stop overthinking everything. What if I'm wrong and that cat actually isn't healthy? The whole thing was just weird—the constant meowing, then getting aggressive right after being petted... what are the odds it could be rabid? Sadly, the cat was gone the next day, so I can't track down the owner or see if his behavior was actually off. Since the scratch is basically invisible, do I really need to get the shots for rabies? When I was a kid growing up in the countryside, my grandma had like ten unvaccinated cats that scratched me all the time and I was fine, but now this is driving me crazy because I can't see the cat to tell if he's acting normal or not... 🙆‍♀️🙆‍♀️

There hasn't been any rabies reported in the US lately. The last known instance was back in 2014 involving a fox.

A cat bit me while I was trying to fish my phone out from under it. It caught me right on the wrist, and a few hours later, there's noticeable swelling. I already washed the area with soap, applied some antibiotic ointment, and took an oral antibiotic since I had some on hand. Now I'm wondering: do I actually need to head to the ER?