Rabies - keeping pets and livestock safe

[Folly's place]

SSS is shorthand for "shoot, shovel, and shut up". Often mentioned when discussing predator attacks, especially by dogs.
I'm not aware of any professions that REQUIRE rabies vaccination of people, but plenty strongly recommend it. Maybe some of the wildlife handlers?
It's a safe as any vaccine, so maybe a sore arm, and concerns with an egg allergy.
Mary

 

[ThracianHorse]

Hard to imagine! And all I want is to be vaccinated so I don't have to worry about it if something ever happens to my cutie hens. But I have a regular desk job where rabies isn't a concern. So I guess I'll just have to be careful and if anything ever happens, I'll have to be an advocate for myself.

Thank you all for the information. I always feel better knowing more ... like what is SSS treatment? And what are the side effects of getting vaccinated? What professions require it?

No profession requires the shot. It's one of those weighing exposure versus expense sorts of things. Anyone working with animals should certainly have it, especially things like veterinarians or wildlife biologists. I'd say it's probably a good idea for zookeepers and anyone working in animal control to have (some animals either can't be vaccinated - particularly exotics - or the vaccine does not work very well, like skunks).

SSS is the shoot, shovel, shut-up treatment. While efficient in removing the problem, it means rabies cases are not reported with the accuracy and the numbers they could be.

I didn't experience any side-effects other than it was a bigass shot. In the event I get bitten, I still need to get seen, and maybe have a titer of the vaccine depending upon what the blood results are. Still a hell of a lot cheaper than the full course of treatment post-bite.

 

[HeyHo]

SSS is shorthand for "shoot, shovel, and shut up". Often mentioned when discussing predator attacks, especially by dogs

Ahhhh. Learn something new every day!

 

[HeyHo]

No profession requires the shot.

Thanks for the info. And I'm really surprised it is not required for ANY profession! I would think farmers, DPW workers, animal control officers -- definitely! Jeez, and I worry about joggers and roadkill. I guess I'm oversensitive!

 

[Folly's place]

Remember that 'required' and 'strongly recommended' are very different. If required, the business would have to pay for the vaccines for their staff, and few want to do that. If a known exposure happens when on the job, workman's comp kicks in instead.
The risk is for the person who handles an animal who's then gone, dies of rabies, and is lost to follow-up. That's the best reason, IMO, for getting vaccinated before exposure.
And, when traveling, not handling ANY animal, no matter how cute or needy.
Mary

 

[HeyHo]

Agreed and understood. I really appreciate your thoughts on this. You clearly know what you are talking about.

 

[ThracianHorse]

Remember that 'required' and 'strongly recommended' are very different. If required, the business would have to pay for the vaccines for their staff, and few want to do that. If a known exposure happens when on the job, workman's comp kicks in instead.
The risk is for the person who handles an animal who's then gone, dies of rabies, and is lost to follow-up. That's the best reason, IMO, for getting vaccinated before exposure.
And, when traveling, not handling ANY animal, no matter how cute or needy.
Mary

It would be interesting to know if there has ever been a wrongful death lawsuit due to rabies exposure. Frankly, the workers comp thing never crossed my mind when getting it for my occupation. I just didn't want to die of a terrible disease. Some of the work I did had a requirement to get the shot, or to show proof you'd gotten it. These kinds of jobs and positions aren't common - I know of only a handful of people who mist-net bats, as an example. The cost came out of your pocket though. Most of the people I worked with had it covered by the state or something, but they also had sweet gigs and health benefits as Federal or State wildlife bios. Not us poor, hungry seasonal techs.

 

[HeyHo]

It would be interesting to know if there has ever been a wrongful death lawsuit due to rabies exposure

There's a law review article for you! Bats are a particular issue, right? I know several people whose families had to get shots because a bat that made it into the house overnight. I'm not sure how widely know that is. Scary!

 

[ThracianHorse]

There's a law review article for you! Bats are a particular issue, right? I know several people whose families had to get shots because a bat that made it into the house overnight. I'm not sure how widely know that is. Scary!

I know a bit about that kind of thing, yes. In the cases where the bat was captured without getting smashed, they could do rabies testing and determine if they needed rabies treatment. In the case where the bat was destroyed (and therefore the necessary brain tissue to test for the disease), it resulted in rabies treatment for all exposed people. Scary, but better safe than sorry, and good on them for having the presence of mind to think about it!

[EDIT] Rescinded this section. It seems I am not as clear about the commonality of rabies in bats as I would like. Supposedly, only around 1% of wild bats vector rabies, however it is sick and ailing bats that are most commonly encountered by people. Supposedly, up to 90% of all US rabies cases per year (That's somewhere in the neighborhood of... oh. Maybe 2) can be attributed to bats. Bats always kind of struck me as being somewhat uncommon, and easier to exclude from human living situations than other vectors given their strong dislike of disturbance, so... maybe it's a numbers skewing thing.

Ignorance is bliss. Knowledge is terrfying... the more you know!

 

[Dona Worry]

On the farm we occassionally encounter rabid animals. Whenever we do, we always shoot first, call our vet later.
Our cow vet will come and get the head, and send it off for testing. We've seen a skunk, multiple raccoons, a cat, and a coyote.
It's always a little alarming.