Step 01 / 05

Day 0 — first dose

Receive the first intramuscular dose of rabies vaccine in the deltoid muscle of the upper arm. For children, the dose goes into the anterolateral thigh (the front-outer side of the upper leg).

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This is the standard intramuscular Essen regimen — five doses on days 0, 3, 7, 14, and 28 — and is the default in India. Rabies vaccine must be given intramuscularly in the deltoid or thigh — never in the gluteal region (buttocks), as absorption from gluteal fat is unreliable and can lead to vaccine failure.

Watch the wound. Check the wound at least once a day for the first week. Return to the clinic if you see redness spreading outwards from the wound, swelling, pus, increasing pain, or develop a fever above 38°C (100.4°F). Dog-bite wounds become infected often, and infection can develop within 24 hours. Clinicians may prescribe preventive antibiotics for higher-risk bites — Category III wounds, bites to the hands, face, or joints, deep puncture wounds, wounds older than eight hours by the time of presentation, and bites in people who are immunocompromised. Amoxicillin-clavulanate (sold as Augmentin and similar brands) is typically the first choice.

Confirm tetanus protection. Animal bites are considered tetanus-prone wounds. If your last tetanus shot was more than five years ago, or you are not sure, ask the clinician for a tetanus-diphtheria (Td) or tetanus toxoid (TT) booster.

Keep every remaining appointment. Note every remaining vaccine date in your calendar (days 3, 7, 14, and 28). If you cannot make a date, call the clinic to reschedule — do not skip. Adherence to the full schedule is the single biggest determinant of whether post-exposure prophylaxis succeeds in preventing rabies.