Internet Shocked As Wild Rat and Dachshund Go Head to Head in the Street

More than 17 million TikTok viewers have watched the moment a dachshund attempts to take on a wild rat before the showdown take a surprising turn.

During the video shared by @_marquitosmercado, the sausage dog can be seen chasing the rat down the street. Within seconds, the rodent turns around and they both jump at each other at the same time. It becomes apparent that the dog has met his match and the pooch seems to have second thoughts about the intended attack.

The unlikely pair have a short stand off before the rat pounces again and the dog flees in the opposite direction.

The hilarious video has racked up 2.4 million likes since it was shared on September 22.

What To Do if a Rat Bites Your Dog

Fortunately, no animals were harmed in the clip but Newsweek reached out to Nebraska veterinarian Grant Little, an animal health expert on the JustAnswer platform, to find out what an owner should do if a rat manages to bite their pet.

Little explained: "Bites by rats can cause several issues. They can cause a patient to develop rabies if the rat was rabid. If your pet is vaccinated against rabies, it has much better protection against it.

"They can develop bacterial infections at the bite site as well. Prompt treatment to have it cleaned and evaluated is important.

"If the site gets infected, sometimes surgical debridement is needed to cure the site of the infection [although] most rat bites only cause localized small infections or irritation."

Bites aren't the only thing pet owners need to worry about, according to Little, as rats can cause leptospirosis, a bacterial infection that can be contracted through contact with rat urine.

"Rats can also carry other types of diseases such as plague, tularemia, rat bite fever, and others as well," Little explains. "The Black Death in the Middle Ages is thought to originate from rats that were contagious. This is not a common disease anymore, but it does come up from time to time. Other diseases are possible as well, but most dogs don't get these infections.

"If you think your dog was fighting with a rat or was bit by one, prompt evaluation by a veterinarian is vital to get [a wound] cleaned and possibly start on treatment."

The video of the dueling dachsund and rat has amassed more than 9,000 comments and many have compared the synchronized movements on show to ballet.

One user said: "So this is the NY Ballet."

"Full on street fighter," said another.

Newsweek reached out to @_marquitosmercado for comment via TikTok. We could not verify the details of the case.

Do you have funny and adorable videos or pictures of your pet you want to share? We want to see the best ones! Send them in to life@newsweek.com and they could appear on our site.