Fears about rabies

[lonelygirl91]

I got back from a holiday in Cuba and worry about rabies especially as it's not a rabies free country. There were a lot of stray cats and dogs which I kept my distance from though some tried to come up to me. 

We did a tour in a rural area and this homeless dog followed us around. It was really cute and friendly. I felt bad for it but refused to touch it and would walk away from it when it came near me. The other people on my tour petted it and weren't worried. The dog brushed past me a few times. I'm worried that it accidentally licked my foot where there was an open sore from the rubbing of my shoes. I can't remember if it licked me or not. The shoe was partly covering my sore so I think the dog couldn't have licked it. I don't know if it licked me. 

I don't know if I should go to a doctor in case and get a post exposure vaccination to rabies. I know that it will probably cost a lot of money but my health matters more to me. A rabies vaccine wasn't required before going to Cuba but said it was recommended for veterinarians and people going to work with animals, people spending a lot of time doing activities such as camping and hiking which I didn't do and staying in rural areas (I spent two days doing a tour in a small rural town but there were still many stray cats and dogs in the cities too). 

[snowbear]

Sounds 100% OCD. Get your mind off the ruminative thoughts about rabies risk and onto other things.

[Handy]

Ask your doctor.  Rabies vaccine is extremely painful. 

[snowbear]

11 hours ago, Handy said:

Ask your doctor.  Rabies vaccine is extremely painful. 

   She wasn't bitten and her fears are clearly ruminating rather than actual risk, so how is this helpful?

[lonelygirl91]

But you can get rabies if the saliva of an infected dog gets into a cut. What if the dog licked a cut on my foot? I can't remember if it licked my foot. 

[snowbear]

What if... But... these repetative questions bugging you are signs this is OCD.

If it walks like a duck and quacks like a duck, it's a duck.

Treat it as OCD and stop trying to remember, trying get answers.

[Handy]

On 07/09/2022 at 05:37, snowbear said:

   She wasn't bitten and her fears are clearly ruminating rather than actual risk, so how is this helpful?

I didn't say she was bitten but it's possible to get rabies from an open sore being licked.

We're not doctors. Only a doctor can give a rabies vaccine & they would have to see a doctor first & if course, the doctor is going to ask why they need it & explain it's very painful. snowbear seems to be discouraging this person from seeing a doctor & getting a doctor's decision by just calling it OCD.  If it were a cold virus I'd see your point but this is rabies it's like 100% fatal. 

[lonelygirl91]

Your post is making me feel more anxious Handy. 

[PolarBear]

8 hours ago, Handy said:

I didn't say she was bitten but it's possible to get rabies from an open sore being licked.

We're not doctors. Only a doctor can give a rabies vaccine & they would have to see a doctor first & if course, the doctor is going to ask why they need it & explain it's very painful. snowbear seems to be discouraging this person from seeing a doctor & getting a doctor's decision by just calling it OCD.  If it were a cold virus I'd see your point but this is rabies it's like 100% fatal. 

You are NOT helping the situation. You are making it worse.

The OP is a long time forum user who is known to have OCD. This fear of rabies is just that, a fear. There is nothing real about it. One can tell that by the original post. There is nothing there. No evidence. Just a thought that has now run amok. 

[lonelygirl91]

I have decided not to get a rabies jab after all. Thinking about it, it feels a bit stupid to waste nhs resources and time for hypochondria. They probably wouldn't give me a jab anyway as I wasn't bitten and don't even know if the dog licked me! If the dog had licked me surely I would have felt it and knowing how proactive and cautious I am, I would have seeked medical advise immediately. Also the dog seemed fine and didn't behave in an abnormal way or a way that indicated it was unwell. It hung out in the town with other dogs. I checked about rabies in the town but there was no information about it. There are also volunteers who look after the dogs so if there was rabies they would have mentioned it or made visitors aware.  

[PolarBear]

So now, stop researching. Stop looking up rabies. Turn your attention to other things.

And good on you for not going to a doctor.