Oh, geez, Candace - I'm so sorry about your bite - I wouldn't be worrying
about the hamster as I think that it's having rabies is highly unlikely;
however, you really need to take those antibiotics for your cat bite asap -
(I've unfortunately had to go in for cat bites, too, and they can go bad
really quickly. There were a couple of times I also had to get a shot of
Rocephin (another potent antibiotic) in the derrierre in addition to the
Augmentin!)

You want to soak that thumb a lot! My doctor told me to use Epsom salt in
hot water but be sure to add some liquid soap like Dawn in the soaking pot
so the wound will stay open and drain. You don't want it to close up - I
found that Nexcare "Comfort" brand bandaids are the best for protecting the
wound but keeping it from closing up. Nexcare makes a lot of different
types of bandaids but that brand is the the one I recommend from my
experience.

Hope this helps -- purrs for your hand!
Christine
"Candace" wrote in message
...
This morning, I noticed Ebony, one of the sweet outdoor cats playing
with something in the yard. I went out and he had some sort of rodent
(I'm not a rodent expert) that he was batting around that wasn't
dead. My natural instinct was to get him away from it so I grabbed
him and tossed him into a small room briefly--big mistake as his
formerly feral ways returned and he bit the beejesus out of my thumb.

Okay, I'm a psycho worrier. I called one of my vet practices (one was
distinctly unhelpful and it's the one I've been using the most lately,
makes me reconsider). I got the wounded but living rodent into a
coffee can without touching it at all. They identified it as a
hamster that seemed neglected--either by having been out in the wild
for awhile for just a bad home--as it's claws were long.

I got myself into a tizzy worrying that this critter might have been
exposed to rabies, Ebony chewed on the hamster, and then a few minutes
later Ebony passed it onto me. I went to an Urgent Care place and got
a tetanus shot and some abx, whihc I'm not going to take as nothing
appears infected at this time. The doctor really didn't have answers
to any of my questions. He thought I had maybe a 1 percent chance of
contracting rabies. I asked--wouldn't there be an incubation period
in Ebony before he could pass it to me and the doctor said--well, what
if he had hamster blood on his teeth when he bit you (he also
scratched me several places).

So I've been reading up, of course. Hamsters rarely get rabies but
who knows how long this hamster has been outside.

The hamster, btw, was euthanized and its body is in the freezer at the
vet's. The doctor told me to call the Dept. of Public Health on
Monday and ask them what they think and since the body is available it
cold be tested if they would do that.

So, I know none of you probably know the answer either but do you
think I need the shots and I wonder if they would give them to me or
if they're just going to say--oh, no big deal, don't worry--and refuse
to administer them to me. Rabies sounds like a horrible way to go and
it's always fatal if you get it.

Keep in mind, I have absolutely *no* concerns about Ebony having
rabies prior to this event. He took off horrified. I'm sure he'll
come back to eat at some point but he was traumatized. I should have
just let him eat and kill the thing, at least I wouldn't be worrying
about myself now.

I don't know if rabies is around in wild animals here. I live in a
very urban area of Phoenix. There are no large wild animals--no
coyotes, foxes around here--but I've seen bats flying around
sometimes, we have gophers, moles, and roof rats are in the area. How
do I know the hamster didn't have a run-in with one of those animals?
And no one is going to know for sure, I suppose. Maybe the Public
Health Dept. will know if there has been any rabies in my neighborhood
among wild animals or maybe they'll be totally unhelpful, as most
govt. agencies are.

Tony is out of town, I had planned on a nice, quiet weekend, but now
I'm all stressed! Any words of wisdom?

Candace

p.s. I do feel sorry for the poor hamster, too, but I'm mostly
concerned about ME!