Do I need to be vaccinated after being bitten by the family dog? The decision for this situation needs to be based on whether the family dog has been vaccinated and the specific circumstances of the bite. If the bite is relatively light, for example, there are only shallow marks on the skin, no bleeding or any breakage, and the dog is regularly vaccinated against rabies and has not eaten any other food outside, the chances of the dog carrying the rabies virus in its body are very low and rabies vaccination is not needed at this time. If the bite area has broken skin, bleeding, redness and swelling, the person who was bitten must go to the local hospital for rabies vaccination within 24 hours after treating and disinfecting the wound.