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My puppy bit me. Is rabies observation still needed after vaccination?

Updated On September 23rd, 2025

Pet's info: Dog | Rottweiler | Male | 2 months and 26 days old | 20 lbs

Hi. My boyfriend got bitten by our 3 months old rottie pup. By the time he got bitten, our pup wasn't vaccinated yet. A few days after the bite, we brought our pup to a veterinary clinic to get his anti-rabies vaccine. I did my research and according to it, I need to observe my dog within 10-14 days to figure out whether he is expose or not. But how can I do that if he was already vaccinated?

2 Answers

Most Helpful Answer

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Answered By Laura Johnson VMD

Veterinarian

Published on June 13th, 2018

Hi, thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach! If Storm has Rabies in the infectious form (in salivary glands) he will show signs of Rabies with in 10 days regardless of receiving the vaccine. We just worry when giving the Rabies vaccine with in that 10 day window that if the dog has a reaction to the vaccine we may think it is Rabies when it isn't. The only way your husband could have gotten Rabies from Storm is if it was in his salivary glands. So if Storm is fine at day 10-14 your Husband will also be fine. I wish you the best!

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Other Answers

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    Answered By Jennifer Summerfield, DVM CPDT-KA

    Veterinarian, Certified Dog Trainer

    Published on June 13th, 2018

    Hi there. In the United States, it would be very unlikely for a young puppy like this to have rabies. So try not to worry too much, as this is probably not an issue. The reason for the 10 day observation period is that if your pup had such advanced rabies that he was shedding the virus in his saliva at the time of the bite, he would rapidly develop neurologic signs and die within just a few days. So if your pup is alive and acting normal after 10 days, no need to worry :) The vaccine protects him from getting rabies if he would happen to be exposed in the future - it would not have any effect at all on a current infection if he already had the disease, so the 10 day observation period is the same regardless.

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