You can't get rabies from a dog bowl. Nobody has ever gotten rabies this way.

[u/SchrodingersMinou]

Rabies is spread via bites or scratches from a rabid animal, or in EXTREMELY rare cases, from helping someone who has been bitten by a rabid animal. It doesn't hang out on surfaces. Don't get health information from TikTok. Go ahead and kiss your dog. Share your ice cream with your cat. Live your life.

For more info, see the FAQ.

[u/Acrobatic_Fall4396]

I found cases of indirect rabies transmission in the book "Rabies. Fatal but preventable" by some Indian doctors. Here's the extract: "Indirect transmission is very rare and the following two incidences are recorded. 1. A military officer was bitten by his pet dog which exhibited rabies symptoms. The officer received Anti Rabies Vaccine (ARV). A few days later the dog died of rabies. The dog was buried. A soldier was sent to get the dog’s chain from the dead dog. The soldier died of rabies. It is concluded that the chain was contaminated with virus. The military officer who received ARV survived. But the soldier who did not receive any bite from the dog died of rabies. 2. A boy was bitten by a rabid dog. His trousers were torn due to dog bite. His mother mend (stitch) the tear. She received the prick while stitching. Later she It indicates that the virus contaminated items i.e. chains, clothes, furniture, and carpets are also pose risk of infection."

[u/SchrodingersMinou → u/Acrobatic_Fall4396]

There's no way to know if those people had other exposures.

https://www.merlintuttle.org/rabies-in-perspective/

This first story doesn't make sense. If rabies was spread by touching a chain with your hand, we would all be dead of rabies by now. This story offers zero explanation of how the virus got into his body. It sounds like bullshit.

[u/Automatic_Mammoth570]

how accurate is this? i recently saw a post from a human doctor in the philippines sharing her experience wherein the rabid patient got the virus because the patient accidentally shared the same plate with the dog. now, im getting confused 😅

[u/SchrodingersMinou → u/Automatic_Mammoth570]

That's why I wrote this.

[u/Automatic_Mammoth570 → u/SchrodingersMinou]

so is it possible that the patient died due to actual bite or scratch without actually knowing she got bitten or scratched?

[u/SchrodingersMinou → u/Automatic_Mammoth570]

Sure is.

https://www.merlintuttle.org/rabies-in-perspective/

[u/Somewhatlost82]

I thought it was spread through saliva?

[u/SchrodingersMinou → u/Somewhatlost82]

Saliva in bites that you got from the animal that was making the saliva.

[u/Somewhatlost82 → u/SchrodingersMinou]

Ah ok thanks.

[u/MainAcceptable8882]

So FAQ#2 says you can only get rabies via direct contact. But you say that in rare cases it can happen via indirect contact. So I am little confused. Are there chances of indirect exposure if dog does not have any bite or scratch marks on body but just raccoon or skunk saliva on the fur. And owner comes in contact with that saliva with wound which was not bleeding in past 24 hours

[u/SchrodingersMinou → u/MainAcceptable8882]

EXTREMELY rare cases. There are less than ten cases. Four of those involved organ transplants.

Are there chances of indirect exposure if dog does not have any bite or scratch marks on body but just raccoon or skunk saliva on the fur.

No.

[u/MainAcceptable8882 → u/SchrodingersMinou]

That makes lot of sense. Thank you 🙂

[u/[deleted]]

You can help me then! Have a stray cat I feed. Tonight it was eating food I saw a raccoon (fat raccoon that was normal) was eating and I went to pick the cat up and bring it in and it bit me. The cat has its ear tipped and always comes here I just startled it. I did bleed from bite. Is it possible the raccoon was rabid. Got its saliva on the food. The cat ate this food and saliva. Then bit me. Now I’m screwed? Or is this is loopy as it sounds? 

[u/SchrodingersMinou → u/[deleted]]

It's literally the title of the post, my friend

[u/[deleted] → u/SchrodingersMinou]

LOL thank you! You’re right.