My brothers six month old puppy got bitten by a "stray-house dog". The dog that bit our puppy is sort of a house dog, that has access outside, meaning the dog can go outside anytime it pleases. My concern is about the rabies, though my brothers puppy just got it's recent shots about a month and half ago, don't know about the stray dog. In your experience; should the puppy get another shot for rabbies, or the puppy's ok? No punctured wounds though.

Need your expertise on this; thank you very much in advance.



God Bless,



Phil Aperoch

If the puppy who was bitten had its rabies vaccine 6 weeks ago, he is probably fine. The owned dog who was allowed to stray should be monitored. In my area, a quarantine at home or in pound is advised to monitor him. It sounds more like a territorial dispute than a rabid dog biting from what little information given here.


Can't the owners of the house(and dog) who let the dog roam provide a certificate of vaccination? If not, the town should know if he is licensed or not.

Get a good night's sleep, then check with the vet AND maybe the animal control officer in the morning. In my state, if you feed it for a number of days, you OWN the "stray" and are responsible for getting a rabies vaccine and license. In what state and county is the puppy? Someone here might have specifics for your locale. Hope that the pup is fine otherwise.

No need to do anything. The puppy will be ok if he got a rabies shot 1 1/2 month ago.

I'm here in the Philippines visiting, I actually know the owner of the dog; there childhood friends, I'll be asking them about it's vacination. Acording to my other brother, this dog already have a history of fighting with other dogs and chasing people, that's why I'm concern about our puppy that got bit. Thank you very much for your reply guys I really appreciate it.



God Bless,



Phil Aperocho

Best not to expose a puppy to a stray dog with a history of aggression in a foreign country where there might be rabies. Lesson learned, not worth the price! You must have more control over a puppy's environment...You are probably okay, no need to get a second rabies, in fact it is not recommended in the continental U.S., but you may want to contact a veterinarian in the Phillippines to determine the recommended course of action for that area.

I sent a puppy to Hawaii this year. The puppy was required to have a titer 24 days after her first rabies vaccination. The titer was good. That means that the puppy's body had developed antibodies to rabies in that time. Since that is the timeline required by Hawaii, you brother's puppy should definitely be safe.

Thank you much for your help; I really appreciate it.



God Bless you all,



Phil Aperocho