IMO I would have asked at the time of the bite if the dog was vaccinated, regardless if I thought it broke the skin or not. I also would have asked the peoples names, just to be on the safe side. I think it should be treated just as if you were in a auto accident, make sure you have all info before leaving the scene.

If it were me, in this same situation, I would decline the rabies shot. The chances that a dog, kept as a pet, under the direct control of it's owner, at the time of the bite, has rabies, is pretty much 0. Wisconsin, oft times, goes years without a reported case of rabies in domestic pets. If the dog had been running loose, at the time of the bite, might slightly raise the risk. The cost of the shots and having uneeded medication in my system would be the reasons. Any bite involving a wild animal, that couldn't be located, I would take the shots.

"she’ll have to start painful rabies shots"

Say what? While this was true many years ago, when a large needle was used and shots given to the stomach area, it is not true today. Initial shots are given near the bite area and follow-up shots in the deltoid muscle (shoulder). For most people, the rabies shots are no more painful than tetanus shots. The more, the painful rabies shots "myth" is spread around by the media, the more bite victims hesitate.

My guess would be a bat in the house.

Egalindo, Just curious, but what would your entire family need to get rabies vaccines?

Check to make sure that insurance covers the shot-it is a ridiculously expensive vaccine. It cost me $6000.00 at Mercy for each of 3 family members ($18,000.00 total) who had to be vaccinated in June.

Hannah, off topic?? What else is new?

and if it is thier dog it does have the rabies shots!

there is a guy that works for the sherrif dept can't remmber name is there a descrition on the people they have a tall weim or in that area

temptanny, sorry your experience was worse than mine (my worst symptom was some brief arm muscle weakness). The rabies vaccine is no longer recommended to be administered in the gluteal muscles because of decreased effectiveness. You may have had an earlier type that was still on hand, or your provider may not have had up to date information.
http://www.drugs.com/ppa/rabies-vaccine....
.
In any case the type from the 1980s and earlier with the enormous needle and stomach injection is no longer used. That type was considered one of the nastiest vaccines to administer and many patients feared it.

THEY exchanged words ...

The exchanged words, but neither thought it was a big deal at the time, apparently. The woman told me she wishes she had gotten their names.
-- Gazette reporter Frank Schultz

Ok, I'm thinking out loud here. If these people were out running with their dog, and their dog "bit her in the thigh", wouldn't you as the dog's owners make sure that the person is alright, or if you were the "bitee", wouldn't you yourself check? I know if my dog (when I had one) had nipped someone on their person, I'm pretty sure I would have that person check to make sure the skin wasn't broken. JMO

I had the rabies vaccine two years ago and i wouldn't want to go through it again. One shot is in the buttocks and the rest are in your arms. You have to go back several times for the shots in your arm. They also made me sick but that doesn't mean it makes everyone sick. I hope she doesn't have to endure the series of shots!

I think the dog's owners will come forward. It sounds like neither of them (or the woman whom the dog bit) had any idea the skin was broken. The couple most likely hasn't even seen this story yet. I know that this very moment is the first I've heard of it. Give them a little time.

A couple running with a distinctive dog in a fairly small neighborhood will eventually be found. Come forward now and save this lady some grief.

I've had the post-exposure prophylactic rabies shots. They aren't really any more painful than other shots since they redesigned the vaccine about 15 years ago. (They're no longer in the buttocks or stomach, either.) I just want to say that so that no one is discouraged from getting the PEP vaccine.

good luck getting someone to come forward on that one...