Do I Need a Rabies Shot?

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!

"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.


Candace



I think the suggestion to call the Department of Public Health is the best
one. You have the body of the hamster, so it should be tested. If they
won't do that for you, the local animal shelter or your veterinarian
(probably not the one you don't trust) should be able to send the body off
for testing. The only was to test definitively for rabies is to test the
brain. My *guess* is that the chance of rabies is extremely remote, but you
really don't want to take *any* chance with rabies. I certainly wouldn't,
so make sure the hamster gets to an organization that will have it tested.

MaryL

"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.

Take them. Cat bites are notoriously infectious.

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).

Is Ebony vaccinated? If so, he won't get rabies. If the doctor didn't seem
worried and offer treatment, you are probably ok.


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.

I'm surprised they didn't contact the DOH themselves. Here, vets and
physicians are required to contact the county DOH when someone (human or
animal) is bitten by a suspect (wild or unvaccinated) animal. I guess laws
vary though.



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.

You are probably OK. I guess if you wanted to pay for them yourself you
oculd get them.

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.

Is Ebony your cat? If so, you need to keep him inside. Foxes and coyotes
would come out at night, you might not ever see them, but they are there,
and are a danger to cats. They are not the only dangers to outside cats.


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.

I had some recent communication with our local Public Health department. One
of our cats bit another of our cats, and the bitee got an abcess that
required treatment. The biters rabies vaccine was one month past due, and
the bitee was a year past due (bitee was one of two cats we took in from a
friend who had to rehome them due to a family trauma, and it took him a
while to find her vet records, biter had a one-year vaccine and we were lax
in getting him a checkup due to another of our cats getting seriously ill
and sucking up all our resources in the last 9 months. The vet had to report
this to the county health department, which required forms to be filled out,
cats re-examined after ten days, yadda yadda...moral of this story is do not
neglect vaccinations!
The DOH was not unhelpful, quite the opposite. These agencies take their
jobs seriously.



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

http://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpag...C0A9679C8B 63

"The most common wild reservoirs of rabies are raccoons, skunks, bats, foxes
and coyotes, according to C.D.C. statistics.

Domestic mammals, including cats, cattle and dogs, can also get rabies. But
small rodents like squirrels, mice, rats, hamsters, guinea pigs, gerbils and
chipmunks, and lagomorphs, like rabbits, are almost never found to be
infected with rabies and have not been known to cause rabies among humans in
the United States."

http://www.vetmed.wsu.edu/ClientEd/rabies.aspx
http://www.umm.edu/non_trauma/bites.htm

"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!

On Mar 14, 9:49*pm, Candace wrote:

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

why are you foaming at the corners of your mouth

nah, seriously, you have to have bodily fluid contact
blood to blood
spit to spit
spit to blood
blood to spit
and so on

On Mar 14, 9:49*pm, Candace wrote:

*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.

we have a hamster called hammie
and, hamsters can carry, salmonilla

hwvr its spelled