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Help--Am I at Risk for Rabies?



 
 
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  #21  
Old March 15th 09, 11:08 AM posted to rec.pets.cats.anecdotes
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Posts: 672
Default Help--Am I at Risk for Rabies?


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!


2 Questions..

Does Ebony have his rabies shots?
Did you scrub out the wound really thoroughly with something like
betadine or hibiscrub? If yes, you'll probably be absolutely fine.

Just my $0.02, but I'm sending calming purrs and hugs anyway!!

Helen M
  #22  
Old March 15th 09, 02:05 PM posted to rec.pets.cats.anecdotes
MaryL
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Posts: 2,779
Default Help--Am I at Risk for Rabies?


wrote in message
...
On Mar 14, 10:10 pm, "MaryL" -OUT-THE-LITTER
wrote:


Ebony is an outdoor cat as are all the other 10 or so out there. He
can't come inside, he hasn't been tested for FeLv or anything.

Candace,

I doubt if the hamster would be a source of rabies, although it is
theoretically possible. However, you do handle feral cats (not just Ebony),
and you have stated that you have been bitten on several occasions.
Therefore, I think you would be at far greater risk from one of the cats
since they are not vaccinated. People who are "at risk"--such as
veterinarians--do often get rabies shots as a preventative. I suggest that
you check into that, and ask how long the immunization would last if you get
the rabies shots. My understanding is that the rabies shots of today are
pretty painful (but not nearly so much as the ones of years ago when they
were given in the abdomen), and it is a series of shots rather than just
one. I also don't know if it is the same vaccination when given
pre-exposure and post-exposure, but it does sound like you would be a good
candidate to get the shots as a *prevention* even if the incident with the
hamster turns out not to involve rabies (which is what I would exect,
speaking as a non-professional). You cannot tell if one of the feral cats
has come into contact with some other animal as a source of rabies just by
"looking" at them, so it really might be a good idea for you to have a
serious discussion of that possibility with your veterinarian and your own
physician. Incidentally, I greatly admire the work you do with feral cats
and I am *not* trying to throw fear into you about them--just a suggestion
that you might want the same type of preventative rabies innoculation as
vets and their assistants often get.

MaryL

  #23  
Old March 15th 09, 04:02 PM posted to rec.pets.cats.anecdotes
Christine Burel[_2_]
external usenet poster
 
Location: Albuquerque, NM, USA
Posts: 564
Default Help--Am I at Risk for Rabies?

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!


  #24  
Old March 15th 09, 04:35 PM posted to rec.pets.cats.anecdotes
Christine Burel[_2_]
external usenet poster
 
Location: Albuquerque, NM, USA
Posts: 564
Default Help--Am I at Risk for Rabies?

Candace,
I live in Albuquerque as you know and unfortunately, Animal Control here
gets involved everytime there's a cat bite report and the urgent care people
make you fill one out before you can get treated. If Animal Control here
finds out that a cat has bitten you and it is not vaccinated the cat has to
be caught and quarantined for 10 days at one of their approved facilities.
So to be honest, I'd be worried they'd do that to Ebony. It's what happened
to Tucker when I "met" him and got royally bitten; luckily, Animal Control
let me quarantine him at my vets for 10 days.

I can't help but think that your Animal Control people are going to go after
Ebony rather than worry about the hamster as it was Ebony who bit you and if
Ebony is not vaccinated they will consider her bite an exposure - you might
want to check into the incidence of rabies among local cat populations are
in your area by talking to some of the cat rescue groups. Here the
incidence of rabies in cats is almost nonexistent.

Christine


wrote in message
...
On Mar 14, 10:22 pm, "22brix" wrote:
wrote in message

...
On Mar 14, 9:23 pm, "22brix" wrote:





Hi Candace,


Unlurking a bit here. I am a microbiologist and I used to work in a
Public
Health Lab--I used to do Rabies testing all the time. Rodents, including
hamsters, are considered to be a very low threat for Rabies and testing
is
almost never recommended. I can't give you a precise percentage but I
would
say it's much less than 1 percent.


Is Ebony vaccinated? If he is, I don't think you really need to worry.
The
determination to either test for rabies or to get treated is partly
dependent on the circumstances. If this were considered to be an
unprovoked
attack (if he had chased you down and bitten you) I would be a lot more
concerned. As it is, Ebony was protecting his prize and it would be
considered a provoked attack. No one can say that you have a zero risk
of
getting rabies but I think it is extremely low. Rabies is found
primarily
in the brain/nervous tissue and in the saliva, not so much in the blood.
Unfortunately, testing the kitty means the cat would have to be
euthanized
(or possibly quarantined for 10 days or so). Post exposure treatment is
not
as bad as it used to be but still isn't much fun and is very expensive.


Even if you live in an urban area, there can still be animals that are
rabid--I would be much more concerned if you'd been bitten by a bat.
Bats
are notorious for being rabid--almost all of the cases of human deaths
from
rabies in the US are traced to bat rabies.


I am much more concerned about you getting a very very nasty infection
from
Ebony's bite. Cat bites can cause hideous infections and can be very
difficult to treat, especially if it is a deep bite.


If I were you, I would try not too stress too much, call your Public
Health
Department and see what they have to say. And, get that bite treated!!
Maybe the Doc can give you an antibiotic that isn't so hard on your
tummy!!


All the best,


Bonnie


PS Here's a link to CDC. It has some good info.


http://www.cdc.gov/rabies/exposure/types.html


Thank you, Bonnie. Unfortunately, Ebony is not vaccinated. I don't see
why he should have to be quarantined or euthanized and tested when I
have the hamster body. IF Ebony were tested now, he'd be negative,
too. I don't know why I can't just have the shots for peace of mind.
I handle stray cats a lot so it wouldn't be for naught. I'm worried
the hamster might have been bitten by a bat or something.

I guess I just won't have peace of mind unless I can have the shots
and I probably can't get them since no one cares.

Thank you, I'll talk to Public Health Monday.

Candace

I guess I didn't make myself very clear!! I don't think you need to worry
about the hamster carrying rabies.
Even if the hamster did have rabies, it's not likely it would be
transmitted
through the blood (more likely transmitted through nervous tissue and
saliva). I'm not sure how beneficial testing the hamster would be. There
is
a remote chance that Ebony could be rabid from a previous exposure--that
sounds extremely unlikely. The main reason for quarantining him is that HE
bit you (not the hamster) and is considered a higher risk animal than the
hamster is. By quarantining him, his behavior can be observed and if he
continues to act normal during the entire quarantine period he should be
fine (and by extension you would, too). I would rather quarantine than
euthanize!! Again, I think it is highly unlikely that either Ebony or the
hamster is rabid. I don't know what the regulations regarding quarantine
(and/or post exposure) are in Arizona--it might be different than in
California.

You should be able to insist on having the rabies shots--it is the only
way
you will have complete peace of mind. Even if the Public Health department
didn't think it necessary I don't know why they wouldn't give them to you.
I think you might find the Public Health department will care!! That's
their job--to protect the health of the public. It may surprise some
people, but most of the public health people I know do care, a lot!!

I hope this helps!!

Bonnie


Thanks, Bonnie. If Ebony had just bit me for some other reason, no
hamster involved, I wouldn't even be concerned. We have umpteen stray
cats around and I've been bitten before when picking them up. I've
never seen a sick-looking one and I wouldn't even be thinking about
rabies. The hamster is the only reason I'm concerned...because I
don't know where he came from, how long he was out in the wild, what
other animal might have bitten him. We've had roof rats around here
in the past, I see bats at dusk sometimes. What if one of them nipped
the hamster recently?

I know--I sound insane, I tend to obsess once I'm upset about
something. Why wouldn't it be beneficial to test the hamster?

I hope I can get the shots!

Thanks.

  #25  
Old March 15th 09, 06:02 PM posted to rec.pets.cats.anecdotes
William Hamblen
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Posts: 261
Default Help--Am I at Risk for Rabies?

On 2009-03-15, Candace wrote:

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.


The health department should give you the correct advice. I was surprised
to find out that 40,000 people get anti-rabies vaccine annually in the US.

http://www.fda.gov/consumer/updates/...ine102207.html

Bud

  #27  
Old March 16th 09, 01:14 AM posted to rec.pets.cats.anecdotes
22brix
external usenet poster
 
Posts: 506
Default Help--Am I at Risk for Rabies?


wrote in message
...
On Mar 14, 10:22 pm, "22brix" wrote:
wrote in message

...
On Mar 14, 9:23 pm, "22brix" wrote:


Thanks, Bonnie. If Ebony had just bit me for some other reason, no
hamster involved, I wouldn't even be concerned. We have umpteen stray
cats around and I've been bitten before when picking them up. I've
never seen a sick-looking one and I wouldn't even be thinking about
rabies. The hamster is the only reason I'm concerned...because I
don't know where he came from, how long he was out in the wild, what
other animal might have bitten him. We've had roof rats around here
in the past, I see bats at dusk sometimes. What if one of them nipped
the hamster recently?

I know--I sound insane, I tend to obsess once I'm upset about
something. Why wouldn't it be beneficial to test the hamster?

I hope I can get the shots!

Thanks.

Hi Candace,

Don't feel bad about obsessing!! Rabies isn't something to be complacent
about and it's not a pleasant way to die! In your situation however I don't
think it's at all likely that you have to worry about rabies.

In rodents the disease progresses so fast they die before they have a chance
to spread it. To my knowledge, in the US there have been no cases of human
rabies due to rodent bites. Your chance of getting rabies from the hamster
is practically zero. You are more at risk of getting rabies from the feral
cats you take care of (may Bast bless you for your care of them!!). Also,
remember the hamster didn't bite you--the virus is carried in the nerves,
brain tissue and saliva, not really in the blood. Testing the hamster might
give you some peace of mind but rabies (at least from the hamster) is not
much of a risk in this event--getting a bacterial infection IS.

One bit of advice; I shouldn't be saying this but if you report that Ebony
bit you, it is possible that Animal Control would seize him and euthanize
and test him for rabies since he's not vaccinated. Rules are different in
different places, some areas would allow him to be quarantined but some
jurisdictions would probably elect to have him euthanized, even without your
consent. I know you are more concerned about rabies from the hamster, but I
can almost guarantee you that the health department is going to be more
concerned that you were bitten by an unvaccinated cat. I really, really
shouldn't be saying this but to protect him you might want to fib a little
as to the identity of the biting animal so they don't try to get him. From
your description I don't think he is rabid, either, any more than the
hamster would be.

Someone suggested getting the rabies vaccine--I think it's an excellent
idea, specially since you are exposed to a lot of unvaccinated cats. It
would probably be less expensive in the long run than vaccinating every
stray you take care of!! Those of us in the lab working directly with rabies
infected brain tissue received a vaccine, got at least one booster and then
a blood test was taken to determine the level of rabies antibodies in our
blood. If you do get a bite, you would still need some post-exposure
shot(s) but not as many than if you hadn't had the vaccine to begin with.
In my county (I worked at the county level) the only way you could get the
shots was through the health department, not through the hospital or
doctor's offices; it might be different in Arizona.

In this particular instance my main concern for you is a possible bacterial
infection from Ebony's bite. You have a much higher chance of getting a
severe infection than from rabies, either from the hamster or from Ebony. I
would talk to the Health Department and follow their advice--they can assess
your risk better than anyone else can.

Good luck, let us know how things work out!

Bonnie

  #28  
Old March 16th 09, 03:26 AM posted to rec.pets.cats.anecdotes
[email protected]
external usenet poster
 
Posts: 34
Default Help--Am I at Risk for Rabies?

On Mar 15, 5:14*pm, "22brix" wrote:
wrote in message

...
On Mar 14, 10:22 pm, "22brix" wrote:

wrote in message


....
On Mar 14, 9:23 pm, "22brix" wrote:


Thanks, Bonnie. *If Ebony had just bit me for some other reason, no
hamster involved, I wouldn't even be concerned. *We have umpteen stray
cats around and I've been bitten before when picking them up. *I've
never seen a sick-looking one and I wouldn't even be thinking about
rabies. *The hamster is the only reason I'm concerned...because I
don't know where he came from, how long he was out in the wild, what
other animal might have bitten him. *We've had roof rats around here
in the past, I see bats at dusk sometimes. *What if one of them nipped
the hamster recently?

I know--I sound insane, I tend to obsess once I'm upset about
something. *Why wouldn't it be beneficial to test the hamster?

I hope I can get the shots!

Thanks.

Hi Candace,

Don't feel bad about obsessing!! *Rabies isn't something to be complacent
about and it's not a pleasant way to die! *In your situation however I don't
think it's at all likely that you have to worry about rabies.

In rodents the disease progresses so fast they die before they have a chance
to spread it. To my knowledge, in the US there have been no cases of human
rabies due to rodent bites. *Your chance of getting rabies from the hamster
is practically zero. * You are more at risk of getting rabies from the feral
cats you take care of (may Bast bless you for your care of them!!). *Also,
remember the hamster didn't bite you--the virus is carried in the nerves,
brain tissue and saliva, not really in the blood. *Testing the hamster might
give you some peace of mind but rabies (at least from the hamster) is not
much of a risk in this event--getting a bacterial infection IS.

One bit of advice; I shouldn't be saying this but if you report that Ebony
bit you, it is possible that Animal Control would seize him and euthanize
and test him for rabies since he's not vaccinated. *Rules are different in
different places, some areas would allow him to be quarantined but *some
jurisdictions would probably elect to have him euthanized, even without your
consent. *I know you are more concerned about rabies from the hamster, but I
can almost guarantee you that the health department is going to be more
concerned that you were bitten by an unvaccinated cat. I really, really
shouldn't be saying this but to protect him you might want to fib a little
as to the identity of the biting animal so they don't try to get him. *From
your description I don't think he is rabid, either, any more than the
hamster would be.

Someone suggested getting the rabies vaccine--I think it's an excellent
idea, specially since you are exposed to a lot of unvaccinated cats. *It
would probably be less expensive in the long run than vaccinating every
stray you take care of!! Those of us in the lab working directly with rabies
infected brain tissue received a vaccine, got at least one booster and then
a blood test was taken to determine the level of rabies antibodies in our
blood. *If you do get a bite, you would still need some post-exposure
shot(s) *but not as many than if you hadn't had the vaccine to begin with.
In my county (I worked at the county level) the only way you could get the
shots was through the health department, not through the hospital or
doctor's offices; it might be different in Arizona.

In this particular instance *my main concern for you is a possible bacterial
infection from Ebony's bite. *You have a much higher chance of getting a
severe infection than from rabies, either from the hamster or from Ebony. *I
would talk to the Health Department and follow their advice--they can assess
your risk better than anyone else can.

Good luck, let us know how things work out!

Bonnie


Thanks, I was going to fib about Ebony's identity. We have umpteen
stray cats around our neighborhood anyway, they'd have a hard time
getting them all. I was going to say I hadn't seen the cat again
(even though I've certainly seen Ebony and so far, he's fine). If
Ebony is okay in 10 days, does that mean he didn't get infected from
the hamster? One thing I read said the quarantine period is 10 days;
another said 6 months! That's quite a difference.

Rabies vaccines for cats is not the law in AZ. Of course, it's
encouraged but it's not a law as it is for dogs. I would think the
great majority of people here (taking into account low income people)
who have indoor/outdoor cats probably do not keep their rabies
vaccines current, if they get them at all. My own indoor cats have
them, just in case, and the outdoor cats I have had fixed so far have
them but the majority of my strays do not yet. I believe the
incidence of rabies in cats in Maricopa County is either very, very
low or nil. A few years ago, I read that there had not been a case in
cats in 20 some years but that was a few years ago that I read that
and don't know the current situation. Perhaps Public Health can give
me that info tomorrow.

Thanks for your wealth of knowledge in this area.

Candace
  #29  
Old March 16th 09, 03:42 AM posted to rec.pets.cats.anecdotes
[email protected]
external usenet poster
 
Posts: 34
Default Help--Am I at Risk for Rabies?/Bonnie

On Mar 15, 7:26*pm, wrote:

Thanks, I was going to fib about Ebony's identity. *We have umpteen
stray cats around our neighborhood anyway, they'd have a hard time
getting them all. *I was going to say I hadn't seen the cat again
(even though I've certainly seen Ebony and so far, he's fine). *If
Ebony is okay in 10 days, does that mean he didn't get infected from
the hamster? *One thing I read said the quarantine period is 10 days;
another said 6 months! *That's quite a difference.

Rabies vaccines for cats is not the law in AZ. Of course, it's
encouraged but it's not a law as it is for dogs. *I would think the
great majority of people here (taking into account low income people)
who have indoor/outdoor cats probably do not keep their rabies
vaccines current, if they get them at all. *My own indoor cats have
them, just in case, and the outdoor cats I have had fixed so far have
them but the majority of my strays do not yet. *I believe the
incidence of rabies in cats in Maricopa County is either very, very
low or nil. *A few years ago, I read that there had not been a case in
cats in 20 some years but that was a few years ago that I read that
and don't know the current situation. *Perhaps Public Health can give
me that info tomorrow.

Thanks for your wealth of knowledge in this area.

Candace


Bonnie, I just found this info online from the AZ Dept. of Health
Services Rabies Manual. I think Public Health is a different agency
so will still call them tomorrow:

Rodents and rabbits in Arizona are at extremely low risk for rabies
infection. There has never been a rodent in the state of Arizona that
has tested positive for rabies. Rodents/rabbits should not be
submitted for rabies testing unless there was human exposure and the
rodent was exhibiting neurological signs. (See page 17 for guidelines
on submission of wild rodents/rabbits.)1) Domesticated rodents (i.e.
guinea pigs, hamsters, gerbils, mice, and white rats) purchased from
pet shops, raised in controlled captive breeding situations, and never
exposed to carnivorous animals or bats do not pose risk of rabies
infection. 2) Wild rodents in Arizona are at very low risk of rabies
infection. 3) Quarantining rodents for rabies observation is
unwarranted and rabies testing of wild rodents is offered only in
limited circumstances. Call your local animal control agency or the
Arizona Department of Health Services (602) 364-4562 with questions.
4) Bites to humans inflicted by rabbits, squirrels, chipmunks, rats,
and mice, seldom if ever, call for rabies prophylaxis. All animal
bites should be thoroughly cleaned and watched for infection. As with
other puncture wounds, tetanus immunization may be warranted.

Doesn't sound like they'll probably test the hamster...

Candace
  #30  
Old March 16th 09, 04:30 AM posted to rec.pets.cats.anecdotes
22brix
external usenet poster
 
Posts: 506
Default Help--Am I at Risk for Rabies?


wrote in message
...
On Mar 15, 5:14 pm, "22brix" wrote:
wrote in message

...
On Mar 14, 10:22 pm, "22brix" wrote:

wrote in message


...
On Mar 14, 9:23 pm, "22brix" wrote:


Thanks, I was going to fib about Ebony's identity. We have umpteen
stray cats around our neighborhood anyway, they'd have a hard time
getting them all. I was going to say I hadn't seen the cat again
(even though I've certainly seen Ebony and so far, he's fine). If
Ebony is okay in 10 days, does that mean he didn't get infected from
the hamster? One thing I read said the quarantine period is 10 days;
another said 6 months! That's quite a difference.


Rabies vaccines for cats is not the law in AZ. Of course, it's
encouraged but it's not a law as it is for dogs. I would think the
great majority of people here (taking into account low income people)
who have indoor/outdoor cats probably do not keep their rabies
vaccines current, if they get them at all. My own indoor cats have
them, just in case, and the outdoor cats I have had fixed so far have
them but the majority of my strays do not yet. I believe the
incidence of rabies in cats in Maricopa County is either very, very
low or nil. A few years ago, I read that there had not been a case in
cats in 20 some years but that was a few years ago that I read that
and don't know the current situation. Perhaps Public Health can give
me that info tomorrow.

Thanks for your wealth of knowledge in this area.

Candace

For a vaccinated cat it's a shorter quarantine--about 10 days and depending
on the regulations for the area sometimes they will let you quarantine the
animal at home. In an unvaccinated cat it is about 6 months. Unfortunately
for unvaccinated cats, the choice, if there is one, is a 6 month incubation
or more often, euthanasia so the animal can be tested for rabies.
Quarantine would be in a secure facility and is very expensive so many
people opt for euthanasia. If Ebony had symptoms or abnormal behavior,
believe me, my advice would be completely different; as hard as it would be
I would then recommend testing.

I wish there were someway to test these animals without killing them--we saw
many animals being euthanized for trivial reasons (to us in the lab) and
being an animal lover it was very difficult. It wasn't the lab's decision;
one of the most upsetting cases I remember was a St. Bernard that slobbered
on a child--St. Bernards drool and it just was so awful. That's why I would
recommend quarantine if there is no behavioral basis for testing.

As far as Ebony getting rabies from the hamster you really don't need to
worry about it. If it helps your peace of mind, ask them to test it. We
wouldn't refuse to test low risk animals if someone really wanted
it--sometimes that's what it takes to make someone feel better about the
whole thing. There are protocols that each health department follows--based
on the recommendations from the CDC. People were not charged (in our
jurisdiction) if it fit the protocol (unprovoked attack, high risk animal,
type of exposure. etc) Testing would be done on other animals that didn't
meet the definition but the person requesting testing would have to pay. My
concern for Ebony is that not being vaccinated, the Health Department would
probably want to euthanize and test him. Their responsibility is first and
foremost the well-being of humans. They have certain protocols that they
have to follow. And since he is unvaccinated he is at greater risk for
getting rabies. I'm sure you have bats flying around and even in an urban
area you will find bats and cats are fascinated with them!

Well, I've been babbling long enough. Hope all goes well! I still think
it's a good idea to get vaccinated since you work with so many cats.

Bonnie

 




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