Dog or Cat Bite in Children: Rabies, the Vaccine and First Aid

Your child was playing in front of the building, a dog came up, and now they are back in tears with teeth marks on their calf. Or the neighbour's cat has scratched them until they bled. A dog bite or cat bite in a child calls for two reflexes: wash the wound well, then see a doctor the same day. In Morocco, the reason is simple: rabies still circulates here.

That is no reason to panic. Rabies is almost 100% preventable when treatment starts in time. Here is how to react, why a scratch matters as much as a bite, and how to teach your children to avoid bites.

The first step: wash for a long time with soap and water

This is the most useful step, and it is done in the first minutes. The WHO recommends washing the wound with soap and water for at least 15 minutes, then seeing a doctor immediately.

1. Rinse generously under running water, soaping the whole area, even if the wound looks tiny.
2. Let the water run for a long time: 15 minutes is long with a crying child, but this wash removes a large part of the virus and bacteria.
3. Then apply an antiseptic from your kit and cover with a clean gauze pad, without pressing tightly.
4. If the wound bleeds heavily, press with a clean gauze pad for several minutes, then get urgent care.

Do not stitch anything yourself, and do not apply powder, plants or henna. Keep basic supplies within reach in your baby's medicine kit.

Should you see a doctor for a small bite?

Yes, the same day, as soon as teeth or claws have broken the skin. The Quebec guide Mieux vivre recommends seeing a doctor in these situations:

• the teeth went through the skin, with bleeding or a wound;
• redness appears around the bite over the following days;
• the animal was acting unusually (aggressive, fearless) or was a wild animal;
• your child may have been in contact with a bat.

In Morocco, add to this list any bite or scratch from a stray dog or cat, or from an animal whose vaccination status you do not know.

The doctor checks the wound, which gets infected easily, especially on the hands and face. They also review tetanus vaccination, which is part of the Moroccan vaccination schedule (bring the health record), and decide whether rabies treatment is needed.

Rabies in Morocco: a fatal but preventable disease

Rabies is a viral infection of the nervous system. According to the WHO, once symptoms have appeared, it is fatal in 100% of cases. Dogs are responsible for 99% of human cases worldwide, and about 40% of the people who die of it are children under 15.

In Morocco, the Interior Minister reported, for 2024, more than 100,000 bites and scratches and 33 deaths from rabies, figures reported by Le360 in December 2025. TelQuel mentions an average of nearly 28 human deaths a year. That is a lot for a disease we know how to prevent.

The problem comes mainly from stray dogs, which the authorities are trying to neuter, vaccinate and identify under an agreement between ministries, the ONSSA (the national food safety office) and the national order of veterinarians.

The vaccine after a bite: how does it work?

Treatment after exposure, called post-exposure prophylaxis, stops the virus from reaching the nervous system. According to the WHO, it has three parts:

1. careful washing of the wound;
2. a series of rabies vaccine injections;
3. in the most serious exposures, immunoglobulins or monoclonal antibodies.

The WHO sorts situations into three categories:

In Morocco, the Ministry of Health supplies rabies vaccines at 565 health centres, mostly in rural areas, according to Le360. To find out where to go, ask your neighbourhood health centre, the emergency room or your local municipal hygiene office. The number of injections and the schedule are set by the doctor: follow them through to the end, even if your child is doing well.

Incubation usually lasts 2 to 3 months, and sometimes from a week to a year according to the WHO. An old, untreated bite is therefore a reason to see a doctor.

Cat bite, scratch: no less serious

We tend to downplay the scratch from the family cat. Yet the WHO puts scratches that break the skin in the same categories as bites. Cats can transmit rabies just like dogs, and their fine teeth make deep wounds that readily get infected. So the same approach applies: 15 minutes of washing and a doctor the same day.

How do you teach children to avoid bites?

The WHO stresses teaching children how to prevent bites. For a toddler, the face is at an animal's mouth level, and a familiar pet can bite too. A few rules to repeat from age 2 or 3:

• never approach an unknown dog or cat, especially a stray;
• do not disturb an animal that is eating, sleeping or looking after its young;
• ask the owner's permission before petting a dog, and offer the back of your hand first;
• do not run or shout in front of a dog, and do not stare at it: stand still, "like a tree", arms by your sides;
• never pull an animal's tail, ears or fur;
• tell an adult if an animal has bitten, scratched or licked a wound, even a little.

And for parents: never leave a baby or young child alone with a dog, even a gentle one. If you have a pet at home, have it vaccinated: in September 2026, the ONSSA and the veterinarians' order ran a free vaccination campaign for dogs and cats in the city, so ask your vet about the next editions. Day-to-day life together is covered in our article on dogs, cats and your baby at home.