Is Rabies Vaccination Required After Bruising From A Dog And Numb Hand?

Posted on Mon, 20 Jul 2015

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

Mon, 20 Jul 2015 Answered on

Mon, 10 Aug 2015 Last reviewed on

Question : i was playing tug with my dog and he missed the toy and bit my hand
This did not break the skin but bit down hard on my hand, it hurt pretty bad but i shook it off after a couple min and continued playing
next day it was a little achy and bruised a bit on the top of my hand, about 5 days later i woke up in the morning and it was much more sore and i had tingling and numbness on the top of my hand.
it is now about 2 weeks later and symptoms are about the same. no pain with movement

Answered by Dr. Dr. Ivan Romich (2 hours later)

Brief Answer:
I would recommend 5 days antibiotic

Detailed Answer:
Hi and welcome.
It doesnt sound like something serious, but I would recommend to take 5-7 days of amoxiciline antibiotic which would fight against possible infection and you could then see if symptoms will improve. In some cases,even minor bite may be enough to cause bacterial infection. Wish you good health. Regards

Above answer was peer-reviewed by : Dr. Raju A.T