My dog licked my open wound. Can I get rabies if his vaccine expired?
Updated On September 23rd, 2025
Pet's info: Dog | Mixed Breed | Male
H! Can I get rabies if my dog lick my small open wound? He had a vaccine before but I think its already expired. Please help. Thanks!
3 Answers
Most Helpful Answer
Published on September 2nd, 2016
More than likely you will not get rabies if your dog licked a small wound, especially if he has been vaccinated in the past. Monitor him for the next 10 days because that is the time between when an animal is infectious until they start showing clinical signs. So if your dog doesn't start showing clinical signs of rabies in the next 10 days you couldn't get rabies from him. If you are concerned and want more information, please call your own doctor or your local health department. You should also have his rabies updated if it has expired.
4Pet Parents found this answer helpful
Related Answers from Veterinarians
-
Published on October 3rd, 2018
Hi, thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach! No, if the dog is rabies vaccinated and it has not expired you should be fine. I would not allow a dog to lick open wounds as it could cause an infection. If you are still worried I recommend calling your countries public health department. Have a good day!
1Pet Parents found this answer helpful
-
Published on May 31st, 2017
If the dog's rabies vaccine expired this recently the dog should still be protected against rabies, as we believe the vaccine probably is effective even past the expiration date, particularly this close to the date. If the dog was showing signs of neurological disease, this could be more concerning, but if you do not have open wounds on your skin then transmission is much less likely. Most transmission occurs via bite wounds, though there are rare cases of saliva getting into the eyes nose or mouth. If the dog was showing signs of rabies, then the head can be submitted for rabies testing if the dog hasn't been cremated. If the dog was under veterinary supervision for his illness, the veterinarian can let you know if any of his symptoms were suspicious for rabies. The dog's veterinarian is the one to talk to about his vaccination status as well. If he had been vaccinated regularly for years then it is less concerning. If he had only ever had one vaccine in his life, then this increases his risk of exposure. Here is an article on rabies FYI: https://www.cdc.gov/rabies/transmission/exposure.html http://www.veterinarypartner.com/Content.plx?P=A&S=0&C=0&A=601
1Pet Parents found this answer helpful
Book an appointment with the pros – our expert vets are here to help.
