My dog bit me. How does rabies spread and can it be triggered?

Question

I don't know if this is a stupid question, but still I'll ask. Is rabies a triggered disease? Like when my dog bit me, will their rabies virus be triggered and spread throughout their body and eventually die? Because I'm really confused. I don't understand the concept of the transmission and spread of rabies. When I get bit, is it because my dog was bitten by a rabid animal and got infected and bit me or just bit me out of nowhere and then the virus got triggered and infected my dog? Pet's info: Dog | Mixed Breed | Male | unneutered | 9 months and 4 days old | 13 lbs

Jennifer Summerfield, DVM CPDT-KA · Accepted Answer

Hi there. No, the rabies virus is not "triggered" in the biting animal because it bit someone. The rabies virus is transmitted through the bite of an infected animal, so this is the only way to become infected. Once an animal is infected, they may not show any symptoms for weeks or months (or even longer, in some cases), but they will also not be contagious during this time. The rabies virus cannot be transmitted through biting until it reaches the host's salivary glands, in the very last stages of the disease. Once this happens, the host is generally already showing symptoms, or they will be within the next few days. This is the reason for the customary 10 day quarantine period after a bite - if the biting animal is still alive and acting normal after 10 days, then they were not contagious at the time of the bite.

My dog bit me. How does rabies spread and can it be triggered?

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