Have to get rabies shots

[glowworm]

I really doubt you need to worry. But I'm not a Dr.

Verboten has some good questions.

 

[chickenannie]

Quote:
I really know very little about this, but 5 or 6 people (nurses, fox trapper, friends etc.) thought we had put ourselves at risk. Honestly I would rather not get any shots. I'm really trying to make the decision. When I called my doctor he said go straitaway to the ER. When I described in detail the situation, he said he would not advise me other than to go to the ER.

We were not wearing gloves. I am positive we were in contact with fox saliva because we were touching the bitemarks as we cared for the wound, especially as it was stitched. These were several serious wounds where we could see chunks of flesh ripped away with the fox tooth marks going through it and puncture tooth marks as well.

I think the doctor friend was doing me a favor in a strange situation (he was doing me a favor and had never dealt with animals or birds before, just humans) so I don't think rabies risk was ever present in our minds at the time. I was VERY concerned about saving my turkey's life and asked him to help me. Unfortunately the doctor had some cuts on his hand. I do not really, but it was an hour of treatment and as I was helping my turkeys to drink water and such there was plenty of messiness and bits of blood here and there. sorry to be so gross.

I think what it comes down to is that rabies is fatal. If you've been *exposed* to it is when they ask you to get the shots. I can't confirm it because I don't have the fox at hand. Why should I take a risk, even if it's low of contracting a fatal disease? I think better to get the shots. I have insurance luckily. And, no offense, but this is my health, and i"m not going to take the advice of someone online in such a case as this. I was, originally, looking to find out if anyone had had experience with getting the shots. I was not looking for someone to advise me whether or not to get them.

 

[Verboten]

Quote:
I really know very little about this, but 5 or 6 people (nurses, fox trapper, friends etc.) thought we had put ourselves at risk. Honestly I would rather not get any shots. I'm really trying to make the decision. When I called my doctor he said go straitaway to the ER. When I described in detail the situation, he said he would not advise me other than to go to the ER.

We were not wearing gloves. I am positive we were in contact with fox saliva because we were touching the bitemarks as we cared for the wound, especially as it was stitched. These were several serious wounds where we could see chunks of flesh ripped away with the fox tooth marks going through it and puncture tooth marks as well.

I think the doctor friend was doing me a favor in a strange situation (he was doing me a favor and had never dealt with animals or birds before, just humans) so I don't think rabies risk was ever present in our minds at the time. I was VERY concerned about saving my turkey's life and asked him to help me. Unfortunately the doctor had some cuts on his hand. I do not really, but it was an hour of treatment and as I was helping my turkeys to drink water and such there was plenty of messiness and bits of blood here and there. sorry to be so gross.

I think what it comes down to is that rabies is fatal. If you've been *exposed* to it is when they ask you to get the shots. I can't confirm it because I don't have the fox at hand. Why should I take a risk, even if it's low of contracting a fatal disease? I think better to get the shots. I have insurance luckily. And, no offense, but this is my health, and i"m not going to take the advice of someone online in such a case as this. I was, originally, looking to find out if anyone had had experience with getting the shots. I was not looking for someone to advise me whether or not to get them.

I assure you there has been no offense taken.

I do not need to or even mean to tell someone else what to do when their health is concerned. I am however still a bit confused, since you seem to be so resolute as to the proper course of action and it has been around ***30 hours*** since your first post but you have not begun the ***time-sensitive*** treatment that you and your (unqualified IMHO and per your description) friends believe that you so desperately need. I am completely puzzled as to why you do not IMMEDIATELY drive to the ER and get competent advice! - as I had hoped a DAY AGO that you ***already*** had.

I suggested in my post that you get a second opinion! YOU GET ONE FROM A DOCTOR! Not from me, or a forum, or a trapper or …. I however, would change my advice now to get a FIRST OPINION. A DOCTOR will determine if you need the shots or not, not you or your "friends".

I fairly politely pointed out why a DOCTOR (make sure that this one is a MD this time as I doubt that the other is NOW - for several reasons) might not give you the treatment that YOU think that YOU need. I also posted a fairly relevant link (IMHO) to research your exposure - I doubt that you read any of it.

Are you really all that sure that it is me who is dispersing improper information? Your case seems VERY (to say the least) unusual according to the CDC.

By the way, YOUR DOCTOR TOLD YOU TO GO TO THE ***EMERGENCY*** ROOM AND YOU HAVE NOT! That was far before my (apparently) unsolicited advice to do the same.

Best of luck to you, again!

 

[buck-wild-chick]

Well how do you know the fox had rabies? I wouldn't do the shots unless I saw him acting weired. But that's just me.And I hate needles...

 

[Nikki28]

I would get the shots. More than likely the fox did not have rabies but you never know. With passive rabies the animal acts fine then eventually gets weak from the virus. We just had a positive fox in our area. If you have foxes coming around in general and are advised to get one now might as well at least you'll know if there is an issue in the future you are better protected.
It has been a few years since I had mine but they werent that bad and I hate needles.
It stinks that you have to go through this

 

[horsejody]

Get the shots. Better safe than sorry. My BIL had the shots, and he said they weren't bad. He had befriended a little raccoon and put dog food out every night for it (yeah, I know - city people

). One evening he went out in the yard and tripped over the coon. BIL and the bag of dog food went flying. The animal was startled and BIL got bit in the leg.

Also, you do not have to be bit by a rabid animal to get rabies. You just have to have a break in the skin or mucous membrane exposed to blood or saliva. Even a small lesion or scratch you may not even be aware of could let the disease in. You probably will not contract the disease, but you never know. You could have gotten saliva on your hands and rubbed your nose or eyes and been expoesed.

This is from the CDC website:

Nonbite
Nonbite exposures from terrestrial animals rarely cause rabies. However, occasional reports of rabies transmission by nonbite exposures suggest that such exposures should be evaluated for possible PEP administration.

The contamination of open wounds, abrasions, mucous membranes, or theoretically, scratches (potentially contaminated with infectious material from a rabid animal) also constitutes a nonbite exposure.

Other contact by itself, such as petting a rabid animal and contact with blood, urine, or feces of a rabid animal, does not constitute an exposure and is not an indication for PEP.

(PEP = postexposure prophylaxis)

Years ago, 2 unvaccinated dogs attacked my pet turkey. Because my daughter, a deputy sheriff and I handled the bird, the dogs were quarantined for 10 days. This is pretty standard.

 

[McChix]

I had rabies shots 4 yrs ago - they were not painful (I'm kind of a baby about needles, too). If you can get non- emergency room treatment that will make the bill less painful - ask your dr./ hospital if this is possible - the emergency room charges more per visit than say, outpatient services.

good luck!

 

[chickenannie]

Quote:
I really know very little about this, but 5 or 6 people (nurses, fox trapper, friends etc.) thought we had put ourselves at risk. Honestly I would rather not get any shots. I'm really trying to make the decision. When I called my doctor he said go straitaway to the ER. When I described in detail the situation, he said he would not advise me other than to go to the ER.

We were not wearing gloves. I am positive we were in contact with fox saliva because we were touching the bitemarks as we cared for the wound, especially as it was stitched. These were several serious wounds where we could see chunks of flesh ripped away with the fox tooth marks going through it and puncture tooth marks as well.

I think the doctor friend was doing me a favor in a strange situation (he was doing me a favor and had never dealt with animals or birds before, just humans) so I don't think rabies risk was ever present in our minds at the time. I was VERY concerned about saving my turkey's life and asked him to help me. Unfortunately the doctor had some cuts on his hand. I do not really, but it was an hour of treatment and as I was helping my turkeys to drink water and such there was plenty of messiness and bits of blood here and there. sorry to be so gross.

I think what it comes down to is that rabies is fatal. If you've been *exposed* to it is when they ask you to get the shots. I can't confirm it because I don't have the fox at hand. Why should I take a risk, even if it's low of contracting a fatal disease? I think better to get the shots. I have insurance luckily. And, no offense, but this is my health, and i"m not going to take the advice of someone online in such a case as this. I was, originally, looking to find out if anyone had had experience with getting the shots. I was not looking for someone to advise me whether or not to get them.

I assure you there has been no offense taken.

I do not need to or even mean to tell someone else what to do when their health is concerned. I am however still a bit confused, since you seem to be so resolute as to the proper course of action and it has been around ***30 hours*** since your first post but you have not begun the ***time-sensitive*** treatment that you and your (unqualified IMHO and per your description) friends believe that you so desperately need. I am completely puzzled as to why you do not IMMEDIATELY drive to the ER and get competent advice! - as I had hoped a DAY AGO that you ***already*** had.

I suggested in my post that you get a second opinion! YOU GET ONE FROM A DOCTOR! Not from me, or a forum, or a trapper or …. I however, would change my advice now to get a FIRST OPINION. A DOCTOR will determine if you need the shots or not, not you or your "friends".

I fairly politely pointed out why a DOCTOR (make sure that this one is a MD this time as I doubt that the other is NOW - for several reasons) might not give you the treatment that YOU think that YOU need. I also posted a fairly relevant link (IMHO) to research your exposure - I doubt that you read any of it.

Are you really all that sure that it is me who is dispersing improper information? Your case seems VERY (to say the least) unusual according to the CDC.

By the way, YOUR DOCTOR TOLD YOU TO GO TO THE ***EMERGENCY*** ROOM AND YOU HAVE NOT! That was far before my (apparently) unsolicited advice to do the same.

Best of luck to you, again!

I have certainly done a ton of research in the past several days including talking to the dept of health, my doctor etc. I did not share every detail of my story on this forum, so you may not realize exactly what I'm up to. By the way, there is a 10-day period for getting the rabies shots, hence, my visit to the Emergency Room today. 'Nuf said.

Thanks to all the rest of you for your helpful info.

 

[patandchickens]

(edited to add: chickenannie's last post apparently came up as I was writing this and makes most of it obsolete/irrelevant -- I won't delete it, but it's prolly not worth reading further

)

You need to check more deeply into whether rabies prophylaxis is even recommended.

In researching the rabies article I wrote for a magazine a couple months ago, I spent a lot of time marinating in CDC and state public health department literature, and talking to some people of that sort who primarily work with rabies issues, and NOTHING I encountered would suggest that you need to get shots in your circumstance. In fact I am positive that I read or was told, by someone somewhere and sorry I can't trace it back more specifically, that rabies prophylaxis was definitely *not* recommended for just indirect exposure like that (touching an animal that was slobbered on or wounded by another animal of unknonw but suspicious rabies status). Unless, perhaps, there are other mitigating factors here, like the fox was acting bizarrely or seemed sick and you had open wounds on your hands, I dunno.

Anyhow, I am not telling you not to get the shots, but I'm suggesting you contact your state's public health department (or an actual Doctor, who will do same) and FIND OUT.

I'd go by whatever the public health unit says. Their reccommendations for human rabies prophylaxis are based on both a goodly amount of data AND a strong attitude of erring on the side of caution.

Good luck, I'm sure you'll be fine,

Pat

 

[chickenannie]

FYI - apparently right now there is a worldwide shortage of the rabies vaccine because the company(ies?) who makes it is no longer making it, and it is being doled out very very carefully only in certain situations.
Just thought I would add that bit of info.