As with all patients who present with animal bites and puncture wounds, debridement of the wound and aggressive disinfecting with a solution such as iodine or hydrogen peroxide for up to three minutes will occur (Blackburn).

Because treatment can vary by region, it is important that the provider gets in contact with local and regional health departments as early into patient treatment as possible (Klepack).

For the average human patient with no up-to-date rabies vaccination, providers will use multiple injections to administer a small dosage of human rabies immune globulin (HRIG) into the tissue at and around the site of the bite wound (Klepack). HRIG are antibodies that are already trained to fight the rabies virus, generally taken from another person who has already been vaccinated against the rabies virus. The HRIG defeats the rabies virus until the patient's own immune system is able to develop the antibodies needed to fight the virus on its own.

After the administration of HRIG, specialists from the health department as well as the health care provider will use information gathered from the patient to determine if a full course of rabies vaccinations are necessary (Klepack). If they are, doses of the rabies vaccine are administered on day 0, day 3, day 7, and day 14 of patient care (Hoagstrom). The rabies vaccine, like most other virus vaccines, is an inactive version of the virus that trains the patient's immune system to develop the antibodies necessary to fight the rabies virus on its own.

In literature, 80% of dogs that have received just one dose of the rabies vaccine survived exposure to rabies six years after their single vaccination (Dodds). Most domesticated animals that bite humans bite out of fear or aggression, not due to a rabies infection. Thus, you are likely not at significant risk of contracting the rabies virus if a dog or cat with an expired rabies vaccination bites you.

Go to the emergency room or an urgent care facility regardless of if you are able to catch the animal that bit you. The providers who are treating you and possibly members of the local health department or local animal control will take your statement and make the determination of if you need to receive the HRIG and rabies vaccine after your exposure. Some animals, such as any rodent or previously vaccinated dogs or cats, are not considered high risk vectors for the rabies virus, and thus a post-exposure rabies treatment may not be necessary (Klepack).

The human rabies vaccination is extremely expensive. This is partially because in many regions, such as the United States, domesticated animals who are vaccinated against the rabies virus create an effective barrier (think "herd immunity") that protect humans from exposure, meaning there are few humans needing rabies vaccines every year and a low overall demand for rabies vaccines to be produced. If you are in a line of work that may put you at an increased risk of exposure to wildlife, consider talking to your employer or healthcare provider about work-sponsored rabies vaccinations.

The majority of human deaths caused by the rabies virus occur in impoverished nations where access to healthcare is limited either due to poor finances, a physical lack of health care providers, or due to geographical challenges that prevent families from reaching the health care facilities that do exist (Rajeev). There is a dire need for broader bite prevention education and for access to post-bite healthcare in these regions to bring the staggering number of annual human deaths down.