My dog bit a dead rat. Is rabies a concern for my dog or me?

Question

My dog bit into the flesh of a small rat outside and it seem like it was already dead before she bit into it. Please help! I don’t know if the rat has rabies and can be pasted on to humans ?? Please help. Pet's info: Dog | Mixed Breed | Female | spayed | 1 year and 11 months old | 12 lbs

Eryn Taormina, DVM · Accepted Answer

Hi there! There is a very low chance that the rat will have rabies. Although it is rarely found in rodents, it's of course still possible. The best thing to do is to make sure that your dog's rabies vaccine is up to date. You can also call your local animal control to see about coming to pick up the rat and properly dispose of it, and possibly test it for rabies. Here is a some information about rabies from the CDC: https://www.cdc.gov/rabies/exposure/animals/other.html

My dog bit a dead rat. Is rabies a concern for my dog or me?

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