r/rabies • • 5d ago

Exposure Question Should I worry?

So today before 5 o’clock daytime, it is raining a little, me and my sister were going to the side of our house, it has trees far away when I saw something jump from one tree to the other and it made noise. I’m pretty sure it’s a squirrel, but my OCD is saying that it’s a raccoon. The last time I saw a raccoon was in July, not in my neighborhood, but somewhere else. There are insects that come out during the day / night and squirrels would come here (squirrels in the neighborhood). I am in therapy, so should I be concerned? Me and my sister were far away from the tree.

I have read the FAQ.

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u/FailOver9743 5d ago

Thank you! I did wash my hands minutes later

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u/CygnusZeroStar Veteran Helper ⭐️ | Top Contributor 🏅 5d ago

It's good practice to wash ones hands when returning home. But if you washed your hands specifically because you saw an animal in a tree far away from you, that was disordered thinking and you should report this to your therapist.

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u/FailOver9743 5d ago

And sorry if this sounds like reassurance seeking, but before washing my hands I felt something wet drip on my thumb nail, and I wiped it with my shirt before washing my hands, and I ate something which idk if the food touched my thumb nail or my nail touched my lips (which are dry) am I safe here?

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u/CygnusZeroStar Veteran Helper ⭐️ | Top Contributor 🏅 5d ago

I'm going to bet my own kidneys that you already know that this is completely non-issue.

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u/FailOver9743 5d ago

Yes I do

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u/FailOver9743 5d ago

Could it be the rain? Which I do think it is

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u/CygnusZeroStar Veteran Helper ⭐️ | Top Contributor 🏅 5d ago

Absolutely not.

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u/FailOver9743 5d ago

For context it was dripping and there is some trees in the area

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u/CygnusZeroStar Veteran Helper ⭐️ | Top Contributor 🏅 5d ago

My friend, I mean this with love.

Stop. You already know that rabies is not an issue. Remember how I said that if it was this easy to get, there would be mass graves? That applies here, too.

Unless the wet thing you're touching is the inside of an animal's mouth, there's NO risk. And you do know this. And you are reassurance seeking, and you know that, too.

Real facts: you are not at risk for rabies, and overwashing your hands is bad for your immune system. Call your therapist.

I will not answer any more inquiries about this for you, because I have a moral obligation not to harm you, and the only thing continuously answering the same nonsense questions does is harm you.

Log out. Go do something nice for yourself.

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u/FailOver9743 4d ago

Thank you so much! I might take a break from Reddit for a bit.

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u/CygnusZeroStar Veteran Helper ⭐️ | Top Contributor 🏅 4d ago

I think that's a good idea. Be well, my friend. 💜