Rabies had never really been on my radar until I got bit by a dog in central Bangkok just over 2 years ago. After calling my travel insurance I rushed to a hospital for Rabies post-exposure treatment (although there were no clear signs that the dog was Rabid, I didn't want to take any chances).

I was given a booster shot of anti-tetanus. I was given a Human Rabies Immune Globulin injection straight into the wound on my hand between my finger joints (this was extremely painful). Then I received my first dose of Rabies post-exposure vaccinations (Day 0, Day 3, Day 7, Day 14, and Day 28). The following injections were in my arm. All of the costs were covered by my travel insurance and my home healthcare system.

The entire experience was traumatic. Even though I knew the circumstances were definitely in my favor (I knew the chance of the dog actually being rabid was probably quite low and I had received treatment within a couple of hours) I was still really freaked out for a couple of months.

To make matters worse, just a few days after my incident, there was a Norwegian girl that died from rabies after getting bit by a dog. That definitely didn't help calm my nerves.

Ever since then I am extremely cautious of any animals around me.