Is Anti-rabies Vaccination Required After Eating Food Licked By Street Dog?

Posted on Sun, 26 Jun 2016

Medically reviewed by Ask A Doctor - 24x7 Medical Review Team

Sun, 26 Jun 2016 Answered on

Wed, 13 Jul 2016 Last reviewed on

Question : do you need to get vaccinated if you and your wife ate food licked by a street dog?I read u get rabies if ur mouth,nose or eyes come in contact of rabid saliva?

Answered by Dr. Manisha Gopal (22 minutes later)

Hello
Actually if there is no history of immunization status of the animal and there is contact between his secretions and your broken skin/mucosa, then you should take precautions. Get vaccinated please.

If you can -try to keep a check on the particular dog and observe his behavior.

Dr. M Gopal

Above answer was peer-reviewed by : Dr. Chakravarthy Mazumdar

Follow up: Dr. Manisha Gopal (14 minutes later)

Isn't the virus really short lived? It must have been atleast 2-3 minutes before we ate food by mistake. My own doctor has asked me not to worry and no need to take injections.

Answered by Dr. Manisha Gopal (25 hours later)

Brief Answer:
rabies is 100% fatal. Taking vaccine wont harm

Detailed Answer:
Hello and welcome to health care magic!

Yes, your doctor is right that the virus is short lived.
I asked you to take the vaccine to just let go any slightest chance of infection.
When the animal can be searched and observed then the number of rabies vaccine to be taken is also less.
Rabies is 100% fatal. So, if any of my patient would have come with similar scenario, I would have advised him to go for injections. Taking vaccine is not going to harm in any way!

I dont want to scare you but I would have done the same.

Thankyou for asking the follow up query.
Wish you good luck.
Dr. Manisha Gopal

Above answer was peer-reviewed by : Dr. Veerisetty Shyamkumar

Follow up: Dr. Manisha Gopal (1 hour later)

Thank you ma'am. The food was not exactly licked by a dog. Sorry but I found telling that the food was licked by dog much easier to explain and I didn't expect that the rabies can spread like that, so I was taking the worst case scenario into consideration. The truth wasÂ I and my wife were having pani puri at one stall. After completing my pani puri I saw the vendor was cleaning plates only using a plain cloth without washing them properly. Later I saw one person placed one plate on ground and i found one dog was licking it. I am worried that the plate or in which we were eating might have been contaminated. I think that the rabies virus is really short lived and this won't be counted as enough exposure. Can you specify whether we still need to take vaccines? Also I wish to inform you that I had a dog bite in March this year and I took 4 rabipur doses and 1 verorab dose (since rabipur was not available). But I feel they were not given in adequate conditions. So I wish to take all of them again. Also I suffer from gerd, mild leakage in heart, constipation, sinus and a little cough. I have bleeding gum problems as well which I see whenever I eat apple and sometimes while I brush. Keeping all these in mind could you recommend how many doses should I take. My wife are taking vitamin b12 and d supplements.

Answered by Dr. Manisha Gopal (16 minutes later)

Brief Answer:
its ok, rule out anxiety &skip injections

Detailed Answer:
Hello

Its okay, now I got the whole picture..

Now I will say that you are not even sure of the hygine of that place and coz of that you felt insecure. If you havent seen a dog licking the plate from which you ate then it is unlikely that it will be infected.

However, I would certainly give you a piece of advice for having good health-avoid eating uncooked food items from outside home-like dahi/pani poori /salad/fruit juices/shakes or cut fruits. They will have all the chances of contamintaion and can upset stomach. The vendors use very easily availabe tap water and bad Quality ice from local sources; even their hands are not clean enough (just observe them next time!) We live in a tropical country with lots of heat and humidity -which is a very ideal condition for diseases to spread!

So, no more pani poori like things from outsode home. Make at home and eat as many as you feel like.

I dont think you should go for vaccines now. Its fine. Bleeding gums are due to vit C deficinecy and may be unhealthy oral hygine. Just visit a dentist and get examined. Brush twice.

Vit b12 & vit D deficinecy is prevalent in the world now a days. I recommend its testing to all of my patients and supplement them.

I really think that you take lot of stress of even common things of day to day life. If my doubt is correct then please seek an opinion for yourself for ruling out anxiety.
If you know that you have anxiety then taking medicine will help you a lot! It will improve your quality of life leaps and bounds.

Wish you good health.
Dr. Manisha Gopal
MD Neuropsychiatry

Above answer was peer-reviewed by : Dr. Nagamani Ng

Follow up: Dr. Manisha Gopal (28 minutes later)

Yes you are right, I am unable to neglect anything related to my health. I feel bound to take care of anything related to health. And this is keeping me awake at nights and I'm unable to focus on work or anything else.
About our present conditions:
I suffer from gerd, mild leakage in heart, constipation, sinus and a little cough. I have bleeding gum problems as well which I see whenever I eat apple and sometimes while I brush. I have a little high cholestrol (hdl 212 and ldl 137). I am taking famocid 40 mg and odimont LC tablet and fluticone ft nasal spray for excess flem. My wife is taking vitamin b12 and vitamin d supplements . We are also completing our hepatitis vaccine course 2 already taken, third to be taken after around 5-6 months.

Answered by Dr. Manisha Gopal (16 minutes later)

Brief Answer:
anxiety makes you worry about trivial things. take medicine

Detailed Answer:
Thanks for writing back!

Your reply reflcts a typical anxiety disorder. This must have beent here for years together as you have developed many physical ailments due to this. If you can search good on internet you will find that anxiety gives gerd/upsets digestion/increase acidity/sleeplessness and manytimes person takes unneccessary medications and tests due to fear of illness.

If you want, you can start an antianxiety medicine and see how it helps you.

I practice in XXXXXXX (Mohali) and I have many similar cases. In such patients I give sertraline 25mg in morning after breakfast and add a sleeping pill for night. Sleeping pill dosent hamper daytime working at all. For this I like zolpidem (for sleep) as it gives only 5-6 hours of sleep usually & person wakes up fresh and has a dreamless sleep.

I ask the patient to follow up after a week and then review the medicine according to the progress.

These medicines are available on prescription by a doctor.

It is advisable that you stop tea and coffee and oily food for sometimes. Get Vit b 12 & D and folate levels & TSH tested .

Eat small frequent meals, this will help GERD and also take care of raised cholesterol.

Make lifestyle changes in a long run. Lifestyle changes are the key to healthy life!

So, you can discuss the above points with your doctor and start the treatment.

PS-it will be more helpful if you can provide the exact name of your heart ailment.

Wish you good health.
Please ask more questions for any clarification.
Dr. Manisha Gopal
MD Neuropsychiatry

Above answer was peer-reviewed by : Dr. Nagamani Ng

Follow up: Dr. Manisha Gopal (23 minutes later)

I am attaching cholestrol and heart echo report. Will consult my doctor for anxiety medicine as you have recommended. But you are sure right, I don't need to take any rabies vaccine?

Answered by Dr. Manisha Gopal (4 minutes later)

Brief Answer:
no need for rabies vaccine. write for any help in future. good luck

Detailed Answer:
Hello
Thanks for sending the documents.

Yes, I think you should proceed for the treatment. And in case you need any guidance you can always write to me. I will try to help you.
Yes, in the given scenario I think there is no need for taking the vaccine.

Dr. Manisha Gopal
MD Psychiatry

Above answer was peer-reviewed by : Dr. Veerisetty Shyamkumar

Follow up: Dr. Manisha Gopal (30 minutes later)

Thanks maam. Just one more thing, I hope your recommendation for now not to take rabies vaccine is not based on the previous medicine I have taken. Since my wife didn't take it before. And thss time we both were taking. On a side note, previously why I feel the vaccines given were not proper because of the following reasons.:
1. First vaccine was taken 27 hours from the time of bite. Dog was a pet dog and he was given vaccines regularly as per owner. It has nit died since 13th March whn the incidence occured
2. First vaccine was giving after 2.5 hours from buying from the store. Till this time it was not kept in adequate temperature conditions.
3. I took second vaccine after buying it from a local drugstore from my hometown in U.P. which was kept in fridge and given within 15 minutes from the time of taking out of fridge.
4. I took third vaccine in XXXXXXX at a big hospital, it was given by the pharmacy along with ice packet and it was given within 20 minutes from the time of purchase.
5. I was in bali while taking my 4 th vaccine where rabipur was nit available. Therefore I had to take verorab which was available there.
6. 5th and the last vaccine I took in XXXXXXX only at the same hospital where I took my third vaccine.

Answered by Dr. Manisha Gopal (1 hour later)

Brief Answer:
no need for vaccine for this or the last episode now.

Detailed Answer:
Hello
Thanks for replying back!

The episode of March had been resolved now. There is no need to worry about that now.

The current pani poori wala "pseudo epispde"- no need to take the vaccine as you have never seen what happened to the plate you took! Please dont feel afraid like this.. vaccine is not needed.
Start the other medicine as I had suggested previously for anxiety.

Wish you good health!
Dr. Manisha Gopal

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Above answer was peer-reviewed by : Dr. Yogesh D