Yesterday, our five-year-old dog bit me again. Not badly. Not the first time. But it brought back something I thought I had already buried.
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| February 13, 2025 Mickey's bite. |
So I got bitten again — by Mickey.
Molly is in heat, and Mickey has become so aggressive; he wouldn’t even stop following her. I intervened and tried to slow him down because Molly was eating her meal. That’s when I got bitten, even though I knew he might catch me — he was just too fast. And that’s when I remembered the incident with the city’s free vaccination program at a health center.
Here’s the story.
I was already bitten several times by Mickey and Molly. It happened countless times, and I didn’t bother checking myself. My brother told me that you only get infected if a suspected rabid dog has already passed the virus from its brain down to its saliva. They would die within 14 days.
Our dogs never went outside to catch any virus, and they were vaccinated — of course, that’s a must. I didn’t die, and I’ve been bitten for over five years already. Mickey is turning five, and Molly is turning three.
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| Old bite of Molly. |
The shocking incident in our lives happened two years ago. It’s memorable for all of us because it was the first time.
When our neighbor was hired to mend and paint our walls, he got bitten — not a full bite, probably just a scratch from the teeth. I failed to grab Molly quickly enough. I thought she was just trying to sniff him, but he got bitten on the lower back when he turned to see who was behind him. Molly noticed the unfamiliar smell and face for two seconds. I was stupid to trust her. I didn't managed to grab her for that two seconds. God.
After that, I told my father that I would accompany him to the city’s free vaccination program because people were convincing me to get a shot after that massive bite, which had happened two months earlier.
We immediately went to the health center that was conducting the program. Unfortunately, it was already closed at 1 p.m. We were advised to come early in the morning to get in the queue. It was far from our home, but it was certain we could get a shot because there was a non-family member who needed it for peace of mind. I only did this for him.
It was a good thing too, because he didn’t have any government ID. Like, seriously?! His National ID was delayed, and he was still waiting to receive it. So he had to go to the Barangay Hall for certification that he was a resident of the city.
On that day, we arrived and had our documents photocopied at a nearby sari-sari store. Luckily, we had a car, the health center was way too far from home and my brother slept in the parking lot because the queue was already long, and it was getting hot by 8 a.m. Like, OMG, I hope you won’t hate us for this inconvenience.
The first queue was for the second or third dose, before people like us who were getting the first dose could be attended to. We patiently waited until we got inside the health center for the second queue just outside the clinic’s door. After several minutes — which still felt like a long wait — our batch finally got in.
There was a short introduction before our batch started receiving the first dose. The doctor introduced theirs and began educating everyone about rabies. Doctor even included its frustrations with patients. There were two of them, and I like to refer to them as “it.” Only one doctor spoke until the end. Most of the talk was about its frustrations. Some patients were throwing hate and foul words at the doctor.
The doctor said that they were doing this because they had good heart and wanted to help people. "May PUSO" — repeated several times. (Kindy funny, was writing this on Valentine's Day. XD) They didn’t receive good money for their mission. They weren’t doing it for a salary or anything. I think it was just to reduce their irritation toward us — venting out. It said those patients had been scolded them badly because of the queue and thought the program was for free anti-tetanus shots.
Some parts of her story I’ve forgotten because all I could feel after that day was the humiliation directed at me. But before that, there was a patient who had just come from San Lazaro Hospital and got denied the vaccine. They were told to just monitor the pet for 14 days due to limited vaccine supply. It wasn’t a bite, just a scratch from a pet, and they were there for peace of mind.
That hospital, already well-known for AFFORDABLE ANTI-RABIES VACCINES that discouraged them and sent them home. I was right all along!!!
And now it was my turn. The doctor asked me where the bite was. I told her confidently: “Dito, dito, eto, tsaka toh.” I responded humbly. Its reaction startled me, like I had done something serious to deserve such an overreaction. Then it asked me when it happened. I answered calmly and curiously, maybe like a child, because I hadn’t cared at all about the other bite. "Last week kaya kelan bayun? I said. I am not sure about the dates.
This started to make me feel uncomfortable. Doctor responded in an irritating tone: “Aba, malay ko sayo…” It was long, loud, and unprofessional. Sounded like mocking me. Its body language was tense — elbow on the table, hands clenched, face turned away from me while gripping its hands. I forced myself to lie immediately because I felt attacked. I was so uncomfortable that I wanted to leave and refuse the free vaccine due to humiliation.
After injecting the first and my sure last dose, it even gave me the worst response of the day: “IKAW HA, AYOS-AYUSIN MO YUNG PANANAW MO SA HEALTH EDUCATION AH!" I calmly said thank you for the dose before leaving, giving a short, long and quiet reply: “Siiigeee.” (exasperated tone.) I had to be honest that wasn't the exact statement but I remembered the words.
You see, I understood why people were throwing hate at them. They probably triggered by the doctors too. I was part of the last batch, and what I received was their collected exasperation from those previous batches. Even our neighbor said, “Ewan ko sa kanya, ang dami pa niyang pinagsasabe.” Take note that he didn't hear our conversation. It was a different doctor who attended him. And now he didn’t want to go back for his second and last dose too.
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I didn’t know what made him feel that way, but if it really weren’t for him, I wouldn’t have been there at all. He felt irritation in that place too. So, we never went back. Both of us misses the 2nd and 3rd dose. I don’t really want to go back. Why would I? To hear about their heroic, self-chosen mission and their anger? May puso daw. How can you even say that to everyone — that it’s an act of a pure heart — while you have the guts to humiliate me? You should perform with full professionalism, especially when educating your patients.
Why? Is it because it’s free and most of the people here are poor? Does your license give you permission to speak like you weren't belong on our level?
And yes, after years from the incident, I got bitten again, and again, and again. Did I die? Then San Lazaro Hospital and our knowledge about rabies were right all along!
I wrote my story about my first charity hospital experience in the Orthopedic Hospital, and they were all nice and humble. But in this health center experience, I didn’t know what to say to them. I didn’t really know what happened. As much as I want not to hate them but let's leave it to the thought that I don't really know what happened. I was shocked too. Can we really expect that this is one of the public’s concerns regarding government services with unapproachable attitudes? How about you people?
As always, all of these events truly happened. I’m not writing to harm anyone or attack anyone personally — this is simply to raise awareness and concern because this is a real issue. This is not professional. This is not the right way to treat people who are paying taxes. This is not public service, and this is not an act of a pure heart fulfilling a mission.
Once again am I overreacting or too sensitive? Energy doesn't lie and I'm not stupid.
BUT WAIT—PLEASE READ THIS! 🚩🚩🚩
Do NOT interpret this as advice. This is only for my story and my personal experience.
You are dealing with the rabies virus. Do NOT take any risks like I did; even my brothers didn't mind their bite wound.
There is no cure once symptoms appear. If symptoms have already started, it is most likely too late for prevention.
Remember: there is NO cure for rabies.
*The pictures of the bites above are only examples taken from multiple bites we received from our two dogs over the years. I also consider the small wound caused by a poke from Molly’s teeth on my upper lip, which happened years ago, to have been dangerous because of its location. Despite all of this, we are all fine for now.
*All identifying details have been intentionally concealed to avoid defaming anyone or any place. The focus here is on the incident itself. This account is based entirely on personal experience.
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