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Stray dog bit me, only scratches. Do I need to worry about rabies?

Updated On September 23rd, 2025

Pet's info: Dog | Native American Indian Dog | Male

Yesterday I was walking by a road when I saw a stray dog he was hyper. I have pet him only once but yesterday I don't know why he started biting me although his bites didn't pinch me . He bit me on my hand and leg but there are only 2 scratches on my hand and no scratches on leg . Can you help me please?

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1 Answer

Most Helpful Answer

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Answered By Dr. Strydom, DVM

Veterinarian

Published on June 19th, 2019

Please don't pet stray dogs. You don't know their vaccination history and if the dog has rabies you could die without getting proper treatment.......That being said, the chance of you getting rabies from what I see in the photos is pretty much zero. It is transferred by bites (saliva) that break the skin. You really should be consulting with a human doctor. We are not human doctors. Please, just don't pet animals with unknown rabies vaccination history.

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