Rabies: Home Treatment

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Home Treatment

Home treatment for rabies is limited to preventing contact with the virus, getting immediate and appropriate treatment for an animal bite, and obtaining medical assistance to help find out your rabies exposure risk.

Preventing contact with rabies virus

To avoid contact with the rabies virus:

• Have pet dogs, cats, and domestic ferrets vaccinated against rabies. If your pet was previously owned, ask for certification of rabies vaccination. Veterinarians usually provide a certificate when they give vaccines. If no document exists, confirm with the pet's veterinarian that the pet received the rabies vaccine.
• Avoid all contact with bats. Many cases of human rabies in North America are linked to contact with bats.¹
• Never touch or try to pet or catch wild animals such as raccoons, skunks, foxes, and coyotes. Teach children to avoid these animals.
• Secure garbage and other materials that attract animals.
• Secure open areas of your home, such as pet doors, chimneys, unscreened windows, or any place that wild or stray animals could enter.
• Never handle a dead animal. In particular, avoid any contact with the brain tissue from a dead animal.

Self-care for an animal bite

After an animal bite or other risky contact:

• Immediately clean the wound or area of contact thoroughly with soap and water. Consult a health professional for further wound care instructions.
• If the animal is a dog, cat, or domestic ferret, try to locate and contact the owner. If you can't find the owner, contact the local animal control to safely capture the animal.
• If the animal is wild, do not attempt to capture or destroy it. Identify the species of animal and notice whether its behavior is unusual. If you have already killed the animal, keep the head, but do not touch the brain, which may transmit the virus. The local or state health department can test the brain for the virus.
• Contact the local or state health department to report a bite or serious scratch. That agency will know whether the animal species is likely to be infected with rabies in your area. Officials also may try to capture or destroy a wild animal so that it can be tested.
• Evaluate the need for tetanus immunization. (What is a PDF document?) This immunization protects against tetanus (lockjaw), a bacterial infection that can occur when tetanus bacteria get in a wound. After the initial childhood tetanus immunization schedule has been completed, a tetanus and diphtheria (Td) booster is recommended every 10 years. You should receive a booster when an injury has caused a dirty or contaminated wound and it has been 5 years since your last Td booster (or the date of the last booster is unknown). A tetanus shot is needed within 48 hours of the injury.

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Last updated:	September 19, 2006
Author:	Debby Golonka, MPH
Reviewed By:	Adam Husney, MD - Family Medicine, Christine Hahn, MD - Epidemiology
Editors:	Susan Van Houten, RN, BSN, MBA, Pat Truman