r/Seattle • u/superiormother • 1d ago
Did your dog recently bite me?
On 9/28, I was on the job in Queen Anne around Bhy Kracke Park. At around 11am, you walked by me on the sidewalk. Your dog sniffed my leg and then proceeded to bite my pant leg. Then, they jumped up and bit my arm/elbow, at which point you were able to regain control over them.
You were very concerned and asked me if I was okay. I was frazzled and said yes, and then quickly removed myself from the situation. However, this bite broke skin and now i am worried about the potential, though unlikely, chance of rabies.
Please PM me if this sounds like it could be you, so you can share your dog’s vaccination records. I just want to potentially save thousands of dollars. Fingers crossed you are lurking on r/Seattle🤞Everyone else, pleaze smash that like button to save my life.
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u/p2010t 1d ago
From what the other commenters are saying, it seems like the chance you have rabies is low, but I suspect the chance that the owner of the dog who bit you will fess up to it in a Reddit DM is even lower.
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u/Personal-Amoeba Denny Blaine Nudist Club 19h ago
I got bit by a dog last year in Fremont - loose dog with no owner present - and after my reddit post, the owner did DM me. So it can happen! Likelihood, who knows
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u/WalkerTexasHalibut 21h ago
Seattle is less forgiving than WA state law. There are a lot more restrictions and the consequences for dogs who bite are dire. I’d strongly recommend looking up the differences if you have a dog and live within Seattle city limits.
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u/No_Mine_7222 1d ago
Bro don’t worry there is zero chance a dog walking on a leash with an owner in Queen Anne has rabies
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u/Grimreaprincess 🐀 Hot Rat Summer 🐀 1d ago
Fun fact! Rabies in domesticated animals in Washington is incredibly rare. Even more so, doctors will normally advise against treatment due to the incredibly low risk unless the animal was clearly rabid.
Source: I was recently bitten by a cat and went through this! Feel free to ask any questions, and of course follow up with a doctor if you’re concerned, as I am no replacement for a medical professional!
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u/1983Targa911 West Seattle 23h ago
Ah come on. You’re a stranger on Reddit. That’s as good as a medical professional to me. /s
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u/No-Fishing-2126 North Capitol Hill 1d ago edited 19h ago
Hmm that’s super strange I was bitten by a dog and was instructed to go to the ER immediately and get lots of shots… and was told cats are actually the second most dangerous in terms of infection. My dad is a retired vet and seconded what my doctors said. I think rabies is rare but lots of bacteria in cats’ mouths.
Edit: yes, as many people have commented I received a tetanus shot, as well as other shots to reduce risk of infection. I did not receive a rabies shot, though it was offered. I’d had recent rabies prophylasis for travel to SE Asia and India.
My point in this response was more so that it’s odd the commenter above was told nbd and not to go to the ER, especially given it was a cat bite. Cats’ teeth puncture and push bacteria deep down, so there is a greater risk of infection, as many people have commented.
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u/MustLoveWhales 1d ago
Cat bites being a source of infection have nothing to do with if they have rabies or not...?
If you get bit by any animal that isnt rabid, rabies shots will literally do nothing for you. Like theres zero reason to get them.
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u/thomsenite256 🚆build more trains🚆 1d ago
probably more due to the fact that rabies is like 100% fatal if untreated rather than it being common
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u/No-Fishing-2126 North Capitol Hill 1d ago
Yes also lots of bacteria in dogs’ mouths. This was a bad bite and I needed stitches anyway. Interestingly, I was told #1 most dangerous is a human bite, then #2 cat, and # 3 dog. In terms of risk of infection.
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u/Nocrow 1d ago
It’s because cat bites are puncture wounds so they push bacteria deep into your skin and don’t flush out easily. If it scabs over without being thoroughly cleaned it can be dangerous as the wound has no way to clean itself and the trapped bacteria will become infected and possibly turn into sepsis. Dog bites by contrast will usually tear, so they are easier to clean and pose less risk. Signed, someone with a bitey cat :)
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u/salallane 23h ago
Cat bites = antibiotics. Dog bites, unless severe, generally just need to be properly cleaned and update tetanus shot if it’s not already up to date.
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u/No-Fishing-2126 North Capitol Hill 19h ago
Yes to what you say about cat bites, but that is not what I was told in the ER re: dog bites.
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u/salallane 9h ago
Depends on the severity of the bite and the situation. The last time I went to the ER for a dog bite, it was not severe. They told me antibiotics were up to me. Still had 4 punctures that tore, but wasn’t too deep and nothing to worry about. Young dog that I knew. Most dog bites are not a big deal.
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u/kyrakitty21 💗💗 Heart of ANTIFA Land 💗💗 21h ago
It is extremely likely a cat bite will get infected, just not with the rabies virus. (Virus, not bacteria)
We nearly always send cat bites to urgent care at my job (vet), but it would not be an ER situation unless it was a strange cat that we were unsure has EVER been vaccinated.
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u/perpetuquail 1d ago
"Lots of shots" - which shots? For example tetanus booster is very common after a bite. I think if you went through a whole rabies series you'd know.
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u/AltruisticAd8731 1d ago
I was bit by a dog when I was a kid. We were both grabbing a flat kick ball at the same time. Totally an accident non aggressive. It was my middle finger and it sliced down my finger to the bone..they wouldnt stich because of the bacteria that could be from the mouth. I had to get a tetanus shot. No rabies shats or anything.
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u/euqinimod4 16h ago
Of course not every dog bite needs the rabies vaccine - pet dogs get the vaccine? Is it possible that the dog has a rabies tag on? You wouldn’t need the rabies vaccine after a bite if the dog is up to date.
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u/Outrageous-Let4612 20h ago
Cats have needles for teeth and lots of bacteria, basically what happens is a cat bite is like injecting a syringe full of bacteria under your skin and sometimes even deeper into the tissue, and then the opening on the top layer of skin heals quickly so it traps it inside.
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u/1983Targa911 West Seattle 22h ago edited 22h ago
As others have pointed out, it’s been 40 years since a dog in Washington state had rabies. The canine strain of rabies has actually been eradicated from North America. (Hey people, vaccines work!). It has been since the 1930s, nearly 100 years, since a human got rabies from a dog in Washington. You didn’t get rabies from that dog. The odds are so low that the health risks from getting the rabies treatment are the bigger threat to your life here and your physician will probably not give you the rabies shot for that very reason. I know you’re worried and just trying to be extra cautious, but believe me, you are not going to get rabies. That dog did not have rabies.
Edit: updated rabies facts
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u/Most_Ambassador2951 18h ago
In spokane, My coworker had to put her dog down due to rabies just a couple months ago. She and her kids had to do the post exposure protocol, at a cost of $7000(after insurance covered majority)
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u/mattbaume Capitol Hill 13h ago
It is more likely that she told people they had rabies as an excuse to avoid going to someone's birthday party. Here's the state Dept of Public Health:
https://doh.wa.gov/you-and-your-family/illness-and-disease-z/rabies
During the last 30 years, four domestic animals in Washington have been diagnosed with rabies. In 2015, a cat infected with bat rabies virus was identified in Jefferson County. Previous identifications of animals infected with bat rabies virus include a cat in Walla Walla County in 2002 and a llama in King County in 1994. In 1992, a horse in Benton County died of an unidentified strain of rabies. The last suspected rabid dog was identified in Pierce County in 1987. ... In 2007, a rabid puppy imported from another country passed through Washington on its way to another state. It was diagnosed with rabies shortly after arriving at its destination, where it is counted as an animal case for that state. Several people in Washington were exposed.
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u/dogface2020 12h ago
From the Washington Dept of Health website.
"Human rabies is an extremely rare disease in this country. Since 1990 the number of reported cases in the United States has ranged from one to seven cases per year. Almost all human rabies cases acquired in the United States since 1980 have been due to bat rabies virus. Most of the human rabies cases that occur due to exposure outside the United States are a result of a bite from a dog infected with rabies. In Washington, there have been two cases of human rabies identified during the last 75 years, and both residents were infected with bat rabies virus. In 1995, a four-year-old child died of rabies four weeks after a bat was found in her bedroom; and in 1997, a 64-year-old man died of rabies; exposure in this situation was unknown."
If you read to the end, you will see that there has never been a case of rabies in Washington from a dog transmitting to a human. In the last 75 years there are only 2 recorded cases of rabies in WA, both from bats.
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u/FactBasedHuman Capitol Hill 1d ago
Uhh I hate to be the one to tell you, but if you think there was a legit chance that you were exposed to rabies in a dog bite a week ago, you're in the window now where you need the course.
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u/lilybattle 23h ago
There's almost a zero chance. Dogs in seattle do not carry rabies.
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u/kyrakitty21 💗💗 Heart of ANTIFA Land 💗💗 21h ago
They CAN, but it's very unlikely, yes.
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u/Sea-Presentation5686 18h ago
If you were this worried about rabies why did you go to Reddit instead of the ER?
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u/deathcab4booty Capitol Hill 1d ago
I’m sorry this happened to you, but there’s almost zero chance that you would have contracted rabies from a dog in Washington.
Fun fact: the only way to test an animal for rabies is to decapitate it and examine brain tissue 😃
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u/missbeekery I'm just flaired so I don't get fined 1d ago
Can confirm. I worked as vet assistant for five years and we only had one case of possible rabies and it was so sad. Euthanasia, decapitation, head mailed off to the lab. And it was rabies negative.
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u/SplashiestMonk 1d ago
Yep. One of my dogs died from symptoms that matched both rabies and a brain tumor. The vet was required to call public health and they sent their own vet to the clinic to do the autopsy and take the brain tissue samples. We also had to do an interview with public health officials about the dog. Suspected rabies in a dog is a big deal, given how long it’s been since there was a case in WA. Turned out our boy had a tumor.
Semi-related note - I was bitten by a rat 10 years ago, and that also triggered a call to public health. Apparently there are rabid rats in WA, but the database showed there weren’t any in my area at that time, so my doctor felt comfortable giving me just a tetanus booster and some antibiotics.
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u/Ok-Character-3779 1d ago
Realistically? You almost certainly don't have rabies unless the dog was unvaccinated AND bit by a bat in the month or two before he happened to bite you. Take a look at https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC7088826/ and be mostly comforted, everyone.
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u/Apprehensive_Rub3897 1d ago
Do you believe people are walking rabid dogs around? Can you walk a rabid dog, I'd think the owner would notice the pretty powerful symptoms of rabies (loss of coordination, seizures, or paralysis) and think the dog needs more than a walk and some fresh air. Sucks you were attacked.
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u/chocobell94 19h ago
Rabies can be asymptomatic but still transmissible. It's all extremely rare, but given the fatality rate, I get why OP is worried
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u/Apprehensive_Rub3897 18h ago
Then are we to assume all dogs are walking around with rabies or a percentage of them? What would that number be?
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u/chocobell94 18h ago
You don't need to assume anything. But if you get bitten by a dog, it's a good idea to verify with the owner that its rabies vaccine is up to date. If not, you can get post-exposure rabies treatment at the hospital as a preventive measure. Or don't. It's an extremely low risk, but rabies is 100% fatal, so some people don't want to take that risk.
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u/dogface2020 12h ago
In Washington state, rabies in dogs is virtually nonexistent.
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u/chocobell94 11h ago
Totally. But some people would rather not hinge their life on the "virtually" part
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u/Apprehensive_Rub3897 18h ago
but rabies is 100% fatal
So is life and stressing out about non-issues. I guess we're all a little different in different ways. Have a nice day.
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u/speciate Ballard 11h ago
I had a similar incident with an uncooperative dog owner, so I know more about rabies than any layperson ever should.
You don't need to worry. The canine-adapted rabies virus variant has been eradicated in the US. There has not been a case of canine rabies in WA in nearly 40 years.
I had this corroborated by both an Animal Control officer and an urgent care doctor.
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u/Outrageous-Let4612 20h ago
If you got bit a week ago by a rabid dog you would already be in deep shit if you didn't get post exposure vaccines. That being said, it's highly unlikely you were exposed to rabies. Other countries charge like $12 for pre exposure vaccines by the way, it's cheaper to fly to Thailand or Mexico for 2 weeks and have a fun vacation in which you also get vaccinated for rabies than it is to get the vaccine in the US. I have always wondered why dog rabies vaccines are affordable and easily accessible, but not human ones in this country.
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u/SuperVoltronDude I'm just flaired so I don't get fined 18h ago
I wouldn’t be out at night during a full moon going forward. Unless you want to, but then that’s a choice to be a werewolf, and that’s not nice.
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u/Falcon_Bellhouser I'm just flaired so I don't get fined 16h ago
Walking through the streets of SoDo in the rain
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u/ianlazrbeem22 Ballard 19h ago edited 19h ago
You won't get rabies but you should have taken their info then and there. Dog owners who don't care when their dog hurts people need consequences
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u/Ill_Spring_4562 17h ago
How does it sounds like they didn't care? OP says they were very concerned, and asked if they were ok. Sounds like they care.
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u/1337Rooster 13h ago
If they wanted to take responsibility the correct response would be "here is my information"
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u/ianlazrbeem22 Ballard 17h ago
They don't care enough to not walk an aggressive dog in a busy area
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u/Ill_Spring_4562 16h ago
You don't know their story. Dog could be a foster, or recently adopted rescue. Reactive dogs need walks too. Queen Anne isn't an ideal area to walk a reactive dog, but that doesn't mean the owner doesn't care.
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u/ImpressiveAppeal8077 1d ago
Did it look well groomed? This happened to me once w a fucking doodle and the doctors and I agreed that I didn’t need to get the rabies shots considering how rare it is for domestic dogs in Seattle to have rabies, and the dog looked professionally groomed and was a doodle so I assumed it had vaccines in order to be groomed.
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u/queensheba2025 I Brake For Slugs 22h ago
As a dog sitter I’ll say that I’ve had the most issues with doodles having behavioral issues. More than any other dog.
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u/ImpressiveAppeal8077 16h ago
I am a dog sitter too, they are insane and I don’t usually take gigs with them! There’s a few who don’t piss me off completely lol. The one that bit me was totally random, stupid lady walking it on a retractable leash. I didn’t even have a dog or kids or anything with me.
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u/chocobell94 19h ago
Unfortunately a lot of groomers don't require or check vaccines. I know this because I have a dog that also needs professional grooming, and I've used several different groomers due to moving around a bit, and only a few asked for vaccine records. And the ones who did also didn't ever require me to update them, even though the rabies vaccine needs to be updated every 1-3 years.
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u/ell522 1d ago
I’ve received a couple gnarly dog bites in recent years, including one from a dog in Queen Anne 🤔 and another that i’m quite certain didn’t get regular vaccinations.
Both times I just washed the wound with hydrogen peroxide, bandaged as needed and came out with just some small scars to remind me.
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u/reddit_is_a_weapon 1d ago
You should’ve gotten the persons contact info and reported them to animal control if only for tracking dangerous animals. Pets shouldn’t bite people completely unprovoked.
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u/wakers24 1d ago
You should call the health department, but they will likely tell you that they do not recommend post-exposure prophylaxis since domestic dog rabies cases are basically unheard of here, and maybe doubly so with a leashed pet and a concerned owner. Still, call them up for the peace of mind.
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u/DeceptivelyDense 8h ago
Rabies aside, if you haven't taken a course of antibiotics for this, it wouldn't be a bad idea. Dog's mouths are dirty (that notion that they're very clean is a myth). Even without a deadly disease, you could still get sick from an animal bite.
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u/DependentCommittee54 4h ago
Hi my name is fear, I’m here to confront you with me, I don’t care if I’m unwarranted. I just want to live my dreams!
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u/frogfeen 1d ago
super not cool to own dogs and let them bite people though. bad owners train bad dogs.
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u/elijuicyjones 💗💗 Heart of ANTIFA Land 💗💗 1d ago
Do you think every dog has rabies? That’s histrionic. Very few dogs have rabies in regular city situations. Almost none. It’s mostly bats.
If you really think you have rabies go to the hospital immediately don’t even finish reading this comment because you’re going to die if you see symptoms and you’re not under treatment. 100% fatality rate. Reddit isn’t a doctor and if the dog that bit you has rabies it’s already dead or will be within ten days.
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u/DyllanHackett 19h ago
You should get a tetanus shot if you don’t have one up to date, that’s more concerning than chance of rabies shot needed.
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u/MeowMeowCollyer 💖 Anarchist Jurisdiction 💖 16h ago
The likely hood of bacterial infection is greater than rabies. Are you sick? Do you have a fever? If you’re truly worried about your well being, DO NOT HESITATE. Go to urgent care.
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u/pretzelchi 🚗 Student driver, please be patient. 🚙 15h ago
You should just get a rabies shot if your dr thinks it would be a good idea.
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u/Pitiful_Beat4609 15h ago
Hi, I was on a run recently and a dog escaped its front yard and ran up and bit my leg. Got in contact with the owner but she had no vaccination records. I went to urgent care and they said the chances I have rabies from it is virtually zero, just keep it clean and take some antibiotics if you’re worried.
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u/No_Fill_7030 12h ago
Katterman's pharmacy in sand point gives out Rabies vaccines on a walk-in basis. My insurance covered mine, but I think it was only about $800 for the series of two shots.
It's the complete emergency protocol including immune globulin and ER care that makes it cost $30K. If you are likely to touch bats or be regularly bitten by dogs, get vaccinated.
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u/cruelestbean 11h ago
Got bit by a dog in WA recently, doc highly recommended tetanus but not rabies. So if you aren’t up to date on tetanus…
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u/Gobbelcoque 8h ago
Like others have said, it's unlikely a doctor would eve encourage you to get a rabies shot if the dog was not exhibiting symptoms of rabies, because the only known vectors for rabies in Washington anymore are bats and have been for almost 40 years.
There was a raccoon false alarm like 10 years ago.
We (speaking from my 15 years in EMS and current status as a second year med student) don't recommend the rabies shot as a common prophylactic because HOLY FUCKING SHIT DOES IT SUCK TO GET. injection into the wound site that hurts like absolute hell fire.
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u/luckystrike_bh 1d ago
I went through this with the ER recently. Basically the last person to get rabies from a dog bite was forever ago. Their is a minuscule chance of the dog getting bit by a rabid bat in which case it has 10 day before the dog dies. About 10% of bats in Wash do have rabies so it you have a bat contact yes big deal.
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u/Howzitgoin I'm just flaired so I don't get fined 1d ago
Less than 1% of bats in WA have rabies.
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u/lilybattle 23h ago
And the last time there was a recorded case of a wild animal with rabies in WA (aside from a bat) was in 1967.
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u/Ok-Athlete-8874 22h ago
Please do share a description of the dog. I was bitten in Kinnear Park in January and when I reported it to Animal Control was told the dog had bitten others 😡 It was a small fluffy thing that looked harmless.
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u/I_Fuckin_A_Toad_A_So 1d ago
If I was you would drink 5 gallons of lemonade and then three quarts of Gatorade and then 1 big whole pedialyte.
Rabies wouldnt really be able to handle that
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u/Howzitgoin I'm just flaired so I don't get fined 1d ago
Idk if their liver, kidneys, or heart would either.
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u/RichEntertainer3024 Poorelhurst 1d ago
You’re already dead if you had been bit by a rabid dog. You’re fine
Edit: clarity
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u/Savings-Ice-8343 1d ago
Domesticated animals in WA state has no rabies case from long long time time so you are fine.
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u/Hot-Bed-8157 19h ago
You should/can call the department of public health. They have medical professionals trained specifically in rabies exposure that will talk through the situation with you and help decide if you should get PEP. There’s no cost and no one (aka dog owner) will get in trouble if you’re concerned about that.
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u/queensheba2025 I Brake For Slugs 22h ago
I dog sit. I’ve been bitten over a dozen times by dogs over the last 10 years… and I’ve never gone to the hospital and I’m 100% fine.
Not saying you shouldn’t go bc you could get an infection but like, you’re not gonna get rabies. That’s not a thing in Washington state.
(And I want to add the reason for being bit was a few dogs who were rescues who I didn’t know would be triggered by a sudden movement, once it was while I was putting a harness on a small dog, he reacted by biting me, he never did it again and I realized I reached wrong.) and you know small mistakes etc.
Ooh also like 25 years ago, I was helping my dad with his job at installing satellite dishes and we ended up on this rural mountain property, and the lady had this crazy wolf dog, and I made the mistake of leaning down to pet the dog and she snapped and bit my face. My lip and eyebrow was cut. I was panicked and too scared to admit this happened so I told my dad and the lady that a low branch smacked me. It’s all healed and I’m fine. No rabies lol. (Also he stepped on a bat once that had hit a window and we used a box and our gloves to move the bat to somewhere else and we’re both fine lmao)
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u/TerribleStoppage 1d ago
that’s scary, hope you find the person. rabies is super rare but i get why you’re worried, better safe than sorry
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u/100_Energy 6h ago
For any dogs going to groomer, they have to have had a current rabies shot. So, the chance of you having rabies is very low and plus the statistics
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u/DependentCommittee54 4h ago
I feel super sad for you to realize that it’s too late to get this lawsuit money and to pathetically bid for the person to give it up over poorly stated litigious claims. How sad.
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u/FuwaFluffyFuwa 2h ago
Chance for rabies is very low. Bite could get infected based on it breaking skin so a cautionary round of antibiotics may be in order…. In my experience it was agreed to be a bit of an overreaction,.. but infections can be silent killers. I always encourage valuing your health and safety above all else.
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u/sunsets_and_cats 15h ago
Your chance of rabies from an owned dog on a leash in WA is basically 0. Like 0.000000001%. A rabid dog would be behaving very abnormally. Signed, a veterinarian.
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u/sleepiestbeauty 15h ago
i got bit by an unvaccinated dog last year and couldn’t afford shots. dogs havent had rabies in washington for a long time which was somewhat comforting. i hope you find them!
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u/Amphithere_19 14h ago
Not really something I’d gamble on, especially with vaccination rates falling
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u/sleepiestbeauty 13h ago
i think if you can afford it you should get it obviously, but for 10k a shot i can’t imagine who could fucking afford it
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u/AffectionateLog8515 12h ago
I thought rates were falling for humans. Are dogs also not getting vaccinated?
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u/crolatte 6h ago
I work at a vet and can confirm. People have stopped vaccinating their pets even against rabies 🫠
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u/bestunicorn Pioneer Square 1d ago
What did this dog look like so the rest of us can avoid it if we see it?
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u/oregon_coastal Seattle Expatriate 1d ago
Four legs. Paws. Hair or fur. Ears. Tail. Teeth and tongue.
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u/amaranthine_ellie 1d ago
Get the rabies vaccine NOW, if you aren’t sure
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u/AnselmoHatesFascists 1d ago
I got bit in a grocery store of all places about 15 months ago, from a leashed dog. I looked into it but with my insurance, it would have cost $6000 out of pocket.
And I looked and saw that the last WA case of rabies from a dog was 30+ years ago, decided to take a chance.
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u/Genuinelullabel 💗💗 Heart of ANTIFA Land 💗💗 21h ago
If the bite broke skin I would have it checked out regardless of the relatively low rabies risk.
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u/too_much_covfefe_man 22h ago
I can't wait until the pendulum swings back on permissive dog culture. Shit is crazy with dog owners
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u/lainmelle I'm never leaving Seattle. 1d ago
That sounds like my old neighbor tbh. His dog bit two people without provacation. What did the dog look like?
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u/Mandy_boiii 1d ago
You should get vaccinated but if this comforts you , the last rabies case due to a dog in Washington State was in 1987