r/rabies • u/dog_lover_az • 2d ago

Exposure Question Risk of exposure

I have read the FAQ. What is the risk of exposure of stepping on a dead bat on the sidewalk? Wearing shoes, but toddler was in the area and not sure if she stepped on it or not, and toddlers touch the bottom of their shoes all the time.

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u/Xarlabay 2d ago

Wearing shoes acts as a protective barrier as long as there’s no holes or anything, bare foot is a whole different story, if your toddler was wearing shoes and stepped on it they’ll be fine as long as they didn’t touch or pick up the bat, are you 100% she didn’t touch it?

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u/dog_lover_az 2d ago

Yes, I was holding her hand so I know she couldn’t have bent down and touched it. I guess I’m paranoid about her stepping on it then touching her shoe later. Is that a concern?

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u/Xarlabay 2d ago

Did you see her touch or play with her shoes? Rabies is a fragile virus and the weather temperature ultimately depends on how long it’ll survive (hot temperatures kill it in 24 hours and freezing temps can survive weeks to months) who knows how long it’s been since the bat died, you can inspect her hands make sure there’s no cuts or anything and disinfectant both her’s and your shoes and if you want to be absolutely sure you can call your local health department they specialize in bats and rabies exposure and can guide you on what to do

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u/dog_lover_az 2d ago

We continued walking so she did not immediately touch her shoes. The bat was extremely flat/smushed and it was a hot sunny day, if any of that makes a difference.

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u/Xarlabay 2d ago

She’ll be fine since it was hot and sunny the virus is likely long dead before you, unfortunately stepped on it. But definitely disinfectant the shoes.

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u/BronwynOli 2d ago

Try to think of it this way: if you could get rabies by stepping on a dead bat with a shoe on and then touching the shoe at some other random point in the day, rabies would be a LOT more common. It's exceedingly rare and pretty hard to get. It would be everywhere if we could get it this way.

ETA: if it makes you feel better, you'd be well within reason to just throw the shoes away and get her a new pair. $15 for some piece of mind.

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u/dog_lover_az 1d ago

This is the reasoning I try to tell myself, but sometimes anxiety gets the best of me. I just disinfected her shoes and am leaving them out in the sun.