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Dog Bite in Thailand: Rabies Shots, Where to Go, Costs

Wash the bite with soap and water for at least 15 minutes, then see a doctor the same day. Almost all Thai hospitals can treat a bite, and the Thai Travel Clinic in Bangkok takes walk-ins. If you were never vaccinated against rabies, you need immunoglobulin plus four vaccine doses.

On this page
  1. What to do in the first minutes
  2. Do you need shots?
  3. Which schedule you get
  4. Where to go
  5. What it costs
  6. Before you go
  7. Step by step
  8. Common questions

If a dog has just bitten or scratched you, wash the wound with soap and water for at least 15 minutes, then get to a hospital or clinic the same day. Almost any Thai hospital can treat it, and the Thai Travel Clinic in Bangkok takes walk-ins.

What to do in the first minutes

Cleaning the wound right away substantially cuts the risk of rabies when treatment follows promptly. Do these in order.

  1. Flush the wound under a running tap, then wash with soap or detergent and water to remove saliva.
  2. Keep washing until the 15 minutes are up.
  3. Apply povidone-iodine (Betadine) afterwards.
  4. If saliva reached your eyes, nose or mouth, wash your face thoroughly with clean water as soon as possible.
  5. Do not have the wound stitched until post-exposure treatment has started.

At the clinic the doctor will ask about the type of contact, the animal, how it happened and how long ago. Have those answers ready.

Do you need shots?

Table from the WHO rabies fact sheet listing exposure categories I, II and III next to the measures for each: skin washing, wound washing with vaccination, and washing with vaccination and immunoglobulin.
The WHO exposure categories and the measures for each. Source: WHO fact sheet: Rabies (opens in a new tab), captured 17 October 2026

Most likely yes if the skin was broken. Dog bites and scratches cause 99% of human rabies cases, and once symptoms appear rabies is fatal in 100% of cases. WHO sorts exposures into three categories.

Category What happened Measures
I Touching or feeding animals, a lick on intact skin Wash the skin, no vaccine
II Nibbling of uncovered skin, minor scratches without bleeding Wound washing and immediate vaccination
III Bites or scratches through the skin, saliva on a mucous membrane or broken skin, bat exposure Washing, vaccination and immunoglobulin

Categories II and III need human rabies vaccination.

Which schedule you get

Your vaccination history decides it. These are the CDC schedules.

Your history Vaccine doses Immunoglobulin
Never vaccinated 4 doses, days 0, 3, 7 and 14 Yes, 20 IU/kg human or 40 IU/kg equine
Vaccinated before 2 doses, days 0 and 3 None
Which post-bite schedule applies? After an animal bite or scratch in Thailand Only touched or fed the animal, or a lick on intact skin? Category I: wash the skin, no vaccine YES NO Did you have a full rabies vaccine course before? Two vaccine doses, days 0 and 3, no immunoglobulin VACCINATED BEFORE NEVER VACCINATED NEVER VACCINATED VACCINE Days 0, 3, 7, 14 IMMUNOGLOBULIN, CATEGORY III Once, within 7 days of the first dose ThailandBuddy.com · Sources: WHO rabies fact sheet; CDC Yellow Book, rabies chapter Verified 17 Oct 2026 · Re-checked every 6 months Which post-bite schedule applies? After an animal bite or scratch in Thailand Only touched or fed the animal, or a lick on intact skin? YES Category I: wash the skin, no vaccine NO Did you have a full rabies vaccine course before? VACCINATED BEFORE Two vaccine doses, days 0 and 3, no immunoglobulin NEVER VACCINATED NEVER VACCINATED VACCINE Days 0, 3, 7, 14 IMMUNOGLOBULIN, CATEGORY III Once, within 7 days of the first dose ThailandBuddy.com · Sources: WHO rabies fact sheet; CDC Yellow Book, rabies chapter Verified 17 Oct 2026 · Re-checked every 6 months
Post-bite schedules: category I gets washing, a person vaccinated before gets two doses, an unvaccinated person gets immunoglobulin plus four doses. Checked 17 Oct 2026.
Tap to enlarge diagram

If you were never vaccinated, immunoglobulin must not be given more than 7 days after the first vaccine dose. Start the vaccine as soon as possible whether or not immunoglobulin is available. Immunoglobulin is in short supply worldwide, so treatment may mean travelling to a nearby major city.

If you were vaccinated before, you still need prompt treatment, because further doses are required. Carry your vaccine record.

Where to go

Walk in at the nearest clinic or hospital, since exposure is urgent. The Thai Travel Clinic has no branch outside Bangkok, but almost every hospital in Thailand can treat rabies exposure. For private options in the capital, see Bangkok international hospitals.

The Thai Travel Clinic is on the 3rd floor of the Hospital for Tropical Diseases, Mahidol University, at 420/6 Ratchawithi Road, Ratchathewi District, Bangkok 10400. Phone 02-306-9100 ext. 3034 or 02-3069145 in office hours.

Hours Days
08:00 to 16:00, last walk-in 15:00 Monday to Friday
16:00 to 19:00, last walk-in 18:00 (extended hours) Monday to Friday
09:00 to 16:00, last walk-in 15:00 (extended hours) Saturday

The clinic closes on Sunday and public holidays. The Thai Red Cross Queen Saovabha Memorial Institute, at 1871 Rama IV Road, Pathumwan, Bangkok 10330, runs a rabies clinic Monday to Friday, 08:30 to 16:30.

What it costs

Clinic price table with columns for vaccine, trade name and cost in baht, showing rows for equine and human rabies immunoglobulin and for two rabies vaccine types.
The rabies rows of the Thai Travel Clinic price list. Source: Thai Travel Clinic: vaccine price list (opens in a new tab), captured 17 October 2026

The Thai Travel Clinic prices below are per dose.

Item Price
Rabies vaccine (PCEC), Chirorab THB 353
Rabies vaccine (PVRV), Verorab or Speeda THB 449 or THB 327
Equine immunoglobulin (ERIG) THB 774 for 5 ml, THB 333 for 2 ml
Human immunoglobulin (HRIG) THB 3,022 for 2 ml

In office hours the clinic adds a doctor fee of THB 200, a hospital fee of THB 100, THB 20 per injection and a THB 20 registration fee. In extended hours the doctor fee is THB 400 and the hospital fee THB 200. Prices can change without notice.

All hospitals require a guarantee of payment before treating patients, so call your insurer quickly if you are referred to a facility.

Before you go

If you are heading to Thailand for a long stay, ask a doctor about pre-exposure shots, which simplify later treatment and remove the need for immunoglobulin. For questions on rabies, the Department of Disease Control hotline is 1422. For an ambulance, see Thailand emergency numbers. Travelling with your own dog or cat? Our guide to bringing a pet to Thailand covers the permit.

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Step by step

  1. Wash the wound at onceWash the bite or scratch with soap and water for at least 15 minutes straight away.
  2. Apply antisepticPut on povidone-iodine (Betadine) after washing.
  3. Go to a doctor the same dayWalk in at a hospital or clinic. Every bitten or scratched patient is sent to a doctor to consider rabies vaccine and tetanus cover.
  4. Match the schedule to your historyNever vaccinated: immunoglobulin plus vaccine on days 0, 3, 7 and 14. Vaccinated before: two doses on days 0 and 3.
  5. Keep the recordsKeep photos or written records of the vaccine and immunoglobulin given.

Not confirmed: Queen Saovabha Memorial Institute weekend and holiday opening, and its fees, are not confirmed. Private hospital prices outside the Thai Travel Clinic list are not confirmed.

Next step

Need prices and availability from clinics, but the phone answers are in Thai? Someone who speaks it can call 3 to 5 places and send you a comparison table. Administrative answers only, not medical advice.

Request enquiry calls

Common questions

Do I need shots after a lick from a dog?

A lick on intact skin is category I, which WHO counts as no exposure. A lick on broken skin or on a mucous membrane is category III.

How long should I wash a bite?

Wash for at least 15 minutes with soap and water.

Can I wait until I am home for the shots?

Seek medical attention locally and do not wait until you return home. Post-exposure vaccine should start as soon as possible.

I had rabies shots before the trip. What now?

Previously vaccinated people get two doses of modern cell-culture vaccine on days 0 and 3. Immunoglobulin is not given to them.

How much does the rabies vaccine cost in Thailand?

The Thai Travel Clinic price list shows THB 353 for a Chirorab dose and THB 449 or THB 327 for Verorab or Speeda. Prices are per dose.

Sources and reader comments

Official sources:

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General health information checked against the sources listed above, not medical advice. Rules, vaccine schedules and prices change; see a doctor or the hospital before you act. See how guides are checked.

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