How I Got Exposed
Getting exposed to rabies while traveling in Laos was the scariest moment of my trip and something I have aimed to be more vocal about for fellow travelers.
Upon scrolling social media, I came across a video that surprised me and portrayed a threat to any traveler in a developing country — dogs.
The video portrayed a girl around my age petting and showing affection to a street dog in what looked like Southeast Asia.
The video’s message was to show affection towards these animals given the difficult life that many of them lead. While I love dogs as much as anyone and found it difficult to not pet everyone I saw in my travels, I would heed extreme caution due to the risk of rabies exposure.
Street dogs are a sight rarely seen in the United States but are prevalent in many of the developing countries I have visited. The biggest cause of this is a mix of neglect and the lack of spaying. The number of street dogs is eye opening, Thailand by itself has ~ 10 million.
It was my first day in Laos, in a small town named Hauyxay, just across the Thai Lao border from Chiang Khong.
Hauyxay is mostly known as the starting point for the slow boat to Luang Prabang, an overnight town at best. This was the first time on my trip that I had a private room to myself, so I had little to complain about.
Around dinner time, I searched for a place along the main street where I could have some dinner before my early departure in the morning.
I spotted a friendly mother-daughter duo sweeping their restaurant and decided on it due to its view of the Mekong.
As I was eating, I recall a puppy appearing from the distance. He was quite cute and I enjoyed his company until he started gnawing on my feet, as teething puppies are known to do.
I thought little of it until I returned to my hostel and noticed an open wound from the animal on my foot.
This is an example of how being in a different area can have drastically different results on next steps. In any country where rabies is not endemic this would have been a simple procedure — antibiotics and ointment.
In Laos however, it was a whole another ordeal. Rabies is endemic in the country and still faces detrimental gaps in vaccines.
Rabies is a serious disease, although virtually nonexistent in countries like the United States, rabies remains 100% fatal without treatment.
Far from the romanticized Instagram posts my interaction with the seemingly harmless puppy was causing a whole heap of trouble. I was two days from the nearest hospital and therefore a vaccine.
What resulted was 5 vaccinations over a month. In a rabies endemic country like Laos, vaccines were not particularly hard to find and cheap, especially with Insurance (~15 USD each).
This Isn’t Anti-Dog. It’s Pro-Honesty.
I love dogs. I’ve met incredible animals while traveling. I respect the people and communities who care for street dogs with limited resources.
But there’s a difference between compassion and romanticization.
Posting photos of yourself cuddling street dogs in developing countries—without mentioning disease risk, vaccination gaps, or local public health realities—creates a dangerously incomplete picture.
Especially when those posts inspire other travelers to imitate the behavior without preparation.
Street dogs aren’t villains.
They also aren’t props.
Why I’m Sharing This
I’m sharing this because someone scrolling late at night might see a smiling photo with a caption about “pure souls” and think that caution equals cruelty.
It doesn’t.
Caution is respect—for yourself, for locals, and for the animals who didn’t ask to be born into these conditions.
If you’re traveling, do your research. Get vaccinated if recommended. Avoid contact when you’re unsure. And if something happens, take it seriously—even if it feels awkward or “dramatic.”
I learned that lesson the hard way in Asia. I was lucky.
Not everyone is.
My Recommended Travel Resources
Check out my Laos Guide Here
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