Things to be careful about when traveling.
Safety, scams, pickpockets.
Of course, all of these are important.
But that’s not all.
There is something very close to our daily lives—dogs.
There are many countries with a large number of stray dogs.
I’ve always liked dogs, so even while traveling I would often pet them or take photos near them.
Of course, I never provoked them unnecessarily.
I had been chased a few times, but I had never actually been bitten or experienced any serious trouble.
So I wasn’t particularly cautious.
Not until this happened.
A Sudden Misfortune
It happened while I was walking through the streets of Santiago, Chile.
I was about 20 meters away from my hostel.
As usual, there were many stray dogs around, and I was walking without paying much attention.
At the edge of the sidewalk, one dog was sleeping.
People were casually walking past it.
I followed their lead and tried to pass by the dog as well.
That moment was when it happened.
A dog from a nearby house suddenly started barking violently from inside a fenced yard.
The sleeping dog woke up in shock and panicked.
Then, reacting instinctively, it turned to the closest thing nearby—me—and bit me.
It all happened in an instant.
There was no way to predict it.
My mind went completely blank.
The first thought that came to me was:
“I might have rabies. It’s over.”
Since I was wearing a short-sleeved shirt, my arm was bitten hard and started to bleed.
Emergency First Aid and Going to the Hospital
In a panic, I returned to the hostel.
Based on information I found online, I immediately started washing the wound under running water and disinfecting it for about 15 minutes.
The skin had peeled and it was painful, but I kept scrubbing to wash out any viruses or bacteria.
Meanwhile, my partner asked the hostel staff for advice, but their response was vague and not very helpful.
We looked up the nearest hospital and called an Uber. However, of course, at a time like this, no car was available.
Time felt painfully slow.
“What if it is rabies?”
Rabies has a nearly 100% fatality rate once symptoms appear.
That fact kept repeating in my mind.
I had received three preventive rabies vaccinations in Japan, but I still couldn’t feel reassured.
It was hard to hold back tears.
At the Hospital
After about 30 minutes, we finally got an Uber and headed to the hospital.
The first place we arrived at was a small, old public hospital.
It was crowded with local people, and I didn’t even know who to speak to.
While I was confused, a staff member noticed me and approached.
In broken Spanish, I explained that I had been bitten by a stray dog, and I was immediately taken to the back.
After an examination, they told me the situation was not immediately life-threatening, but I needed to receive post-exposure vaccination at another hospital.
I was then transferred to the recommended hospital.
Post-Exposure Vaccination
At the next hospital, I was quickly taken into a treatment room.
I lay down on a bed and waited again.
Those few minutes felt extremely long.
After a while, a nurse came in.
“I know it was scary. But you’re going to be okay. We’ll give you the vaccine now, so don’t worry.”
Hearing that, I was finally able to breathe a little easier.
They explained that even if you have had preventive rabies vaccination before, post-exposure treatment is still required, and multiple doses of the vaccine are necessary depending on the situation.
That day, I received my first dose and was also prescribed antibiotics.
I had to take them every 8 hours for a week, but knowing that I was not in immediate danger helped me feel much calmer.
Aftermath
Until I completed all the vaccine doses, I would occasionally feel anxious and think, “What if I develop symptoms?”
But one month later, when everything passed without any issues, I finally felt deep relief.
Cost and Reality
Fortunately, the rabies vaccine itself was covered by public healthcare and free of charge.
However, the wound treatment had to be done at a different hospital and was not free.
I needed to go for check-ups every three days, and the total cost came to around 200 USD.
Epilogue
Looking back, it was a completely unexpected event.
A sleeping dog panicked after being startled by another dog barking and, by pure misfortune, bit me as I happened to be there. Honestly, I don’t think it was something I could have prevented.
Sometimes, unlucky things just happen.
But one thing I know for sure is that getting vaccinated in advance saved me.
If you travel, please don’t treat vaccinations as something “extra” or unnecessary.
Going to the hospital costs time and money, and more importantly, it can interrupt your entire journey.
And these kinds of things often happen exactly when you think, “It’ll be fine.”
It can leave long-term consequences, and in the worst case, it can even be life-threatening.
To travel safely, I strongly recommend taking preventive measures seriously.
