Will it be okay if you catch a dog red?

Author portrait of Sarah Johnson

Sarah Johnson

Healthcare Technology Correspondent

Will it be okay if you catch a dog red?

If you scratch the dog red, it will be fine if there is no bleeding. Rabies is usually spread through saliva, so if you are not bitten by a dog, you will not be infected. And only dogs in the disease stage can be infected with rabies, and there is no disease. Dogs are not contagious. The incubation period of rabies is about 1 to 3 months, and the onset of rabies can occur as quickly as a week, so dogs raised at home generally do not carry rabies.