First Aid
Dog, monkey or animal bite: first aid
What to do in the first minutes after a dog, monkey, cat or other animal bite, and why the anti-rabies vaccine cannot wait.
Call 108Ambulance
Because rabies is preventable now and untreatable once symptoms start.
Do this now
- 01Wash the wound under running water with soap for a full 15 minutes. This single step removes most of the virus and matters more than anything else on this page.
- 02Keep washing while somebody else arranges transport.
- 03Apply povidone-iodine or any antiseptic you have after washing.
- 04Go for the anti-rabies vaccine today — not tomorrow. Ask for it by name.
- 05If the wound bled, ask specifically for rabies immunoglobulin as well. It is a separate injection from the vaccine and many centres do not stock it.
Do not
- Do not pack chilli powder, turmeric, lime, oil, ash or herbal paste into the wound. These do not kill the virus, they cause infection, and they make the wound harder for a doctor to clean.
- Do not have the wound stitched immediately unless a doctor decides it is unavoidable.
- Do not wait to see whether the animal falls ill. Post-exposure treatment cannot wait for that answer.
- Do not skip treatment because the animal was a pet or looked healthy. A vaccinated pet still needs the wound assessed.
- Do not stop the course after feeling fine. Every dose on the schedule is needed.
What to tell the operator
- What animal, and whether it was a pet or a stray
- Where on the body, and whether the skin broke or bled
- Whether you have had anti-rabies vaccine before
- Your exact location
Find help near you
See the nearest places with distance, whether they are open, a phone number and directions.
What this page cannot tell you
- Whether the animal carried rabies
- How deep the puncture goes — these close over and look small
- Whether the wound needs immunoglobulin as well as vaccine