Rabies

[Bellaaa13]

Hi everyone,

This is my first post here. I've had anxiety since the age of 9 (am now 15) and I also suffer from OCD, but only recently have I developed health anxiety. It started off with a fear of cancer which is ongoing but today something happened and I'm now scared I have rabies.

About 2 or 3 hours ago, I was playing with my dog. She suddenly licked me on the face, right across my eyes and mouth which I never let her do! I'm 95% sure her saliva got into both my mouth AND one of my eyes. I'm terrified that this has infected me with rabies as I've read you can contract it in this way. I rinsed my eye out immediately but drank water before I remembered and rinsed my mouth so I might have ingested some!!! Either way once it's in I could be infected.

I feel as if I need to go to the hospital immediately and get a jab, but no one's able to take me as I'm home alone probably till after midnight and I fear by the morning it will be too late. How long after getting infected could I get a jab and still be fine?

I'm trying to reassure myself as I live in Switzerland and got my dog in the UK, an from what I've read rabies is rare in both countries. I think (?) my dog has had her rabies jabs but I'm not 100% sure which is making me very anxious as I won't be able to check with my mum till tomorrow.

My dog doesn't seem to have any symptoms of rabies except she has been acting unsettled and restless the past few nights but my mum puts this down to the heat wave. However, I'm scared these are signs she has it and therefore could've passed it onto me.

I'm particularly worried as these last couple of days we've seen a few different stray cats and a hedgehog in our garden and I'm concerned that these could've had rabies and bit/scratched her and passed it on. My dog was also scratched badly by a fox 3 months or so ago, but could rabies stay in her system this long with no symptoms?

I'm petrified at the moment. What should I do? Any advice would be appreciated. Do you think I should go and ask for a jab at the hospital ASAP? I know I'm probably being stupid but I feel so anxious right now I can't think about anything else.

Thank you.

[Fishmanpa]

This is truly not a concern at all! From what I understand, your dog would have had to be registered and vaccinated in order to cross the border. I hope you can believe what I'm saying as the rabies rabbit hole is as irrational and deep as the ALS rabbit hole.

Positive thoughts

[Bellaaa13]

This is truly not a concern at all! From what I understand, your dog would have had to be registered and vaccinated in order to cross the border. I hope you can believe what I'm saying as the rabies rabbit hole is as irrational and deep as the ALS rabbit hole.

Positive thoughts

I hadn't thought of that. Thank you so much, that's reassuring.

[MyNameIsTerry]

We only have rabies in our bats in the UK.

[paranoid-viking]

How on earth could you get rabies when not even your dog has rabies? Do you know anything of rabies at all?
No, you dont have and you will not get rabies. Stop wasting your time worrying about something you dont have.

[bottleblond]

Bellaaa

You will be absolutely fine honey!. Please try not to worry.

Lisa
x

[Darwin73]

I'm sure if you ask your mum or dad, they'll be able to reassure you that your dog was vaccinated. Take a few deep breaths - you won't get rabies.

[worriermama]

Just think of all the people who routinely let their dogs lick them all over their faces/mouths! It's the most common thing in the world. I grew up with a big pack of dogs that spent tons of time outdoors in a rural setting and I used to share my food with them, and they were always kissing me on the face and mouth (yuck!). You'll be fine.

[paranoid-viking]

I'm sure if you ask your mum or dad, they'll be able to reassure you that your dog was vaccinated. Take a few deep breaths - you won't get rabies.

And even if it was not vacinated here are some facts: when the animal is unfortunate enough to be infected it will develop the disease within 1 to 3 months and will die one week after symptoms appear. However, the animal can not infect anyone during the incubation period, ONLY after symptoms apear. And you said your dog licked you 3 years ago???? And is alive and healthy today?? Do your math.

---------- Post added at 17:47 ---------- Previous post was at 17:45 ----------

We only have rabies in our bats in the UK.

And yeat maybe 4 or 5 among millions of bats I would guess. I am sure we would have heard more about rabies in the UK if it had been common among bats. I guess.

[axolotl]

And yeat maybe 4 or 5 among millions of bats I would guess. I am sure we would have heard more about rabies in the UK if it had been common among bats. I guess.

I think it's less than that even - a couple of individuals of migrant species were found to have it when caught. Conservation workers who have license to handle bats have to have a rabies shot, but I've never heard any suggestion the general public are at the slightest bit at risk.

But anyway, if rabies was as common in non-human mammals and and easy to catch as people on this forum think it is, it would be at epidemic proportions, not the super-rare disease it is in vast majority of places people on this form come from.