Hi,

Thanks for sharing your concern.

I went through the details submitted. You reported that you had a nail scratch by dog 2 month back and dog died due to unknown cause and the small puppy is behaving madly. I can understand your apprehension. In such cases, ideally the puppy should be humanly killed and brain is tested for Negri bodies, if positive it confirms rabies.

As rabies has no cure, we suggest vaccination for any suspicious exposure. Usually it is bite and exposure to saliva which transmits virus. The chances of transmission are very, very rare through scratch wounds. However in your case, I would suggest you to take post exposure vaccination at the earliest - active vaccination with HDCV on day 0.3,7,14 and 28.

Passive immunization with human rabies immune globulin (HRIG) is unlikely to be useful now.

Hope this information helps you and if you have any further query I will be available to answer that.

Regards

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Hi and thanks again,

You may report to the nearest veterinary centre about your suspicious of animal rabies. They should be able to take the further steps to diagnose/confirm the possibility.

However if you were to be my patient, I would suggest the other simplest alternative i.e. taking post exposure prophylaxis with active vaccination. As mentioned in my earlier reply HDCV vaccine on day 0, 3,7,14, and 28 taken intramuscularly should lower the chances of you getting rabies.

I hope this answer clarifies your doubts and allays all your fears. Let me know if you have any other concerns.
If there are no follow-ups, please close this discussion.

Regards

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