Exposure to dog, advice needed

I have read the FAQ. I live in rural India, we have very limited facilities and vet services around here. About a month ago, a stray dog fell into our pond and swam for some time before being rescued. The pond water was in routine household use at the time, and some of us used the same water shortly afterward to rinse our mouths (not for drinking).

The dog was able to walk away on its own after being rescued. At that time, it had what appeared to be a small wound on its head, but otherwise it had no obvious aggressive behavior, no excessive salivation.

Within three days the dog was seen again. By then, the wound had worsened significantly, with maggots present, and part of one ear appeared destroyed. The dog seemed weak and unwell, walked with its head down, and then disappeared. We later learned the dog likely died.

We were told that rabies doesn't spread via water and no vaccine is needed but we don't know if dog had rabies and since it's already dead we are not sure what to do. Our cows are acting weird today and that's making me feel anxious. Last year a rabid dog infected neighbour's cows so rabid dogs are not a novelty around here. I have international travel planned in a couple days and I am not sure if I should start on pep even though it's been almost 25 days since the potential exposure. Any advice would be helpful.