The dog belongs to my neighbour and seems healthy. Do I still need treatment?

Go and get assessed the same day. If the animal is confirmed vaccinated and can be observed for ten days, the course may be stopped early — but that decision belongs to a clinician, and starting late is the risk that cannot be undone.

How long after a bite can treatment still work?

Sooner is always better and same-day is the goal, but it is worth presenting even if days or weeks have passed, because the incubation period is usually long. It is never too late to ask — only too late once symptoms have begun.

Does a scratch count?

Yes, if it broke the skin and came from an animal whose vaccination status is unknown. Saliva on the claws or a lick on the broken skin is enough of a route to be treated as an exposure.

Health library

Staying safe

Dog bites and rabies – why this is always urgent

Rabies is present in South Africa and is almost always fatal once symptoms begin. It is also completely preventable if treatment starts promptly after a bite.

The one thing to understand

Rabies is effectively one hundred percent fatal once symptoms appear. There is no treatment at that stage anywhere in the world. It is also entirely preventable if the wound is washed and vaccination is started soon after exposure.

That gap between 'completely preventable' and 'completely untreatable' is why a dog bite is not something to watch for a few days. Rabies is present in South Africa, with KwaZulu-Natal and the Eastern Cape historically most affected, and dogs are the main source of human cases here.

What to do immediately

Wash the wound with soap and running water for at least fifteen minutes. This alone substantially reduces the risk and is the single most effective first-aid step there is.
Apply an antiseptic if you have one, once the washing is done.
Do not close the wound with plaster strips or stitches at home, and do not let it be sewn closed without the rabies risk being assessed first.
Go to a clinic or hospital the same day. Take the details of the animal and its owner if there are any.
Say the words 'possible rabies exposure' when you arrive. It changes what happens next and how quickly.

When rabies risk applies

Any bite or scratch from a dog, cat, mongoose, jackal, bat or other mammal whose vaccination status you do not know.
A lick on broken skin, or on the eyes, nose or mouth.
Any contact with a bat, however minor. Bat bites can be too small to notice.
A bite from an unfamiliar animal that behaved strangely — unusually tame wild animals, or a normally friendly pet that attacked without provocation.
It applies to a fully vaccinated pet too if the vaccination is out of date or cannot be confirmed.

Rodents such as rats and mice are not a meaningful rabies risk, though their bites still need cleaning and may need antibiotics or a tetanus booster.

Bites also cause ordinary infections

Even where rabies is not a concern, animal bites become infected far more often than other wounds, because teeth drive bacteria deep. Cat bites are particularly prone to it — small punctures that close over and trap infection underneath.

Commonly used after a bite, on medical advice rather than from a cupboard:

Amoxicillin-Clavulanate (Co-amoxiclav) — Augmentin, Adco-Amoclav, Curam, Clavulin
Complicated skin infections; sinusitis; lower respiratory infections; UTIs with resistant organisms
Tetanus Toxoid / Td Vaccine — TT, Td
Tetanus prevention; wound prophylaxis; booster every 10 years

Preventing it in the first place

Vaccinate your dogs and cats, and keep it up to date. Free or subsidised rabies vaccination campaigns run regularly in affected provinces.
Teach children never to approach a dog that is eating, sleeping, or with puppies, and never to run from a dog.
Do not touch stray or wild animals, however friendly they seem — unusual tameness in a wild animal is itself a warning sign.
Report a suspected rabid animal to your local state veterinarian or municipality rather than dealing with it yourself.

Common questions

The dog belongs to my neighbour and seems healthy. Do I still need treatment?: Go and get assessed the same day. If the animal is confirmed vaccinated and can be observed for ten days, the course may be stopped early — but that decision belongs to a clinician, and starting late is the risk that cannot be undone.
How long after a bite can treatment still work?: Sooner is always better and same-day is the goal, but it is worth presenting even if days or weeks have passed, because the incubation period is usually long. It is never too late to ask — only too late once symptoms have begun.
Does a scratch count?: Yes, if it broke the skin and came from an animal whose vaccination status is unknown. Saliva on the claws or a lick on the broken skin is enough of a route to be treated as an exposure.

Sources

Rabies guidelines and post-exposure prophylaxisNational Institute for Communicable Diseases, South Africa
Primary Healthcare Standard Treatment Guidelines and Essential Medicines ListNational Department of Health, South Africa

Last reviewed 4 August 2026.