Pet Forum / Miscellaneous / Animal Health / November 2006

2 yrs?  Never heard that figure.  6 months max to my knowledge.  I would
think that the risk is quite low, unless you know for a fact that he'd been
exposed to a raccoon or fox or bat or other known rabies reservoir.  And if
he's vaccinated, then reporting the bite is NOT a death sentence.  Standard
protocol for a vaccinated animal calls for a 10 day quarantine (which often
can be done at home).  And as another poster replied, you better see a
doctor for antibiotics, because cat bites to the hand have a nasty way of
getting severely infected.  I've known several people who wound up
hospitalized from cat bites on the hand.

Deborah, DVM

.........While I feel for your situation, I don't know how anyone can answer
your question.  Apparently rabies can take a long time to show up.  How
often that happens I don't know.  And any professional person you ask isn't
going to be willing to tell you not to get a rabies vax.  For you, with your
health problems, it's a risk either way.

.......How long has it been since you got bit?  The CDC site mentions this
is not an emergency situation but an urgent one.

A few links:
http://www.who.int/mediacentre/factsheets/fs099/en/
The most effective mechanism of protection against rabies is to wash and
flush a wound or point of contact with soap and water, detergent or plain
water, followed by the application of ethanol, tincture or aqueous solution
of iodine. Anti-rabies vaccine should be given for Category II and III1
exposures as soon as possible according to WHO recognized regimens.
Anti-rabies immunoglobulin (antibody) should be applied for all Category III
exposures and for Category II exposures in immunosuppressed patients.

In case of human exposure to animals that are suspected of having rabies,
immediate attempts should be made to identify, capture or kill the animal
involved. In case of a Category III exposure, post-exposure treatment should
start immediately and can be stopped if the animal is a dog or cat and
remains healthy after 10 days.

http://www.cdc.gov/mmwr/preview/mmwrhtml/00056176.htm
A currently vaccinated dog, cat, or ferret is unlikely to become infected
with rabies (68-71).

.........This phone number is for professionals, apparently not for victims.
I think you need to sit down with your primary care physician and talk this
through and if he/she has any questions they should call.  If you just get a
knee jerk reaction to kill the cat and find out if it has rabies, or to just
get the shot regardless, you need to find someone else to talk to.
http://www.cdc.gov/ncidod/dvrd/rabies/Professional/professi.htm
Clinician Information Line
Physicians, nurses, pharmacists, veterinarians, and health officers who have
questions about rabies or rabies prophylaxis can now call 877-554-4625 24
hours a day, 7 days a week for immediate answers.

http://www.cdc.gov/mmwr/preview/mmwrhtml/rr5403a1.htm
Within 28 days after primary vaccination, a peak rabies antibody titer is
reached and the animal can be considered immunized. An animal is currently
vaccinated and is considered immunized if the primary vaccination was
administered at least 28 days previously and vaccinations have been
administered in accordance with this compendium.

a. Dogs, Cats, and Ferrets. Rabies virus may be excreted in the saliva of
infected dogs, cats, and ferrets during illness and/or for only a few days
prior to illness or death (19--21). A healthy dog, cat, or ferret that bites
a person should be confined and observed daily for 10 days (22);
administration of rabies vaccine to the animal is not recommended during the
observation period to avoid confusing signs of rabies with possible side
effects of vaccine administration. Such animals should be evaluated by a
veterinarian at the first sign of illness during confinement. Any illness in
the animal should be reported immediately to the local health department. If
signs suggestive of rabies develop, the animal should be euthanized and the
head shipped for testing as described in Part I.A.7. Any stray or unwanted
dog, cat, or ferret that bites a person may be euthanized immediately and
the head submitted for rabies examination.

........Dogs and cats are vaccinated repeatedly for rabies.  However, if the
animal is immunologically competent and not too young, only one vax is
necessary.  The first vax, followed by a booster a year later (in case the
animal did not seroconvert with the first one or if it was a bad batch of
vax) is really all that's necessary to immunize an animal for rabies.  Hence
the *word on the street* is that any healthy animal (at the time of the vax)
with two rabies vaccinations is sufficiently immunized - for life.  The
second shot is just security.  So, can you get talk to the shelter and look
at the records and see if this cat was in fairly good shape when they took
him in?  If so, then the rabies vax probably *took* and the cat is
considered immunized.  There is no way to prove this, but the chances of
this cat having rabies is very very slim.  Note that the saliva of the
animal only carries the rabies virus shortly before frank illness/or death.

............Talk to your vet.  Talk to your doctor.  Keep reading.

buglady
take out the dog before replying

I have misinterpreted my vet. she did not say that it's probably
neurological. We do know for a fact that he is easily overstimulated
and in fact has bit my husband a month or so ago but he had been in the
military in 1965 and may have been vaccinated at that time (will be
checking).  So there are actually two people bitten by poor little
Jack.  I got bit less than two days ago.  Jack has a kind of
schizophrenia around some of my other cats who he believes are
attacking him. We knew when we got him that he had side effects from
the accident and still want to keep him even though he has problems.
The vet said I might get the rabies vaccines if I'm worried.  My
concern now is I'm willing to go for the vaccine if the consensus is
that there is really a risk of rabies which of course cannot be
answered I see now so I shouldn't have posted it because no one is able
to give a definitive answer not knowing the cat, etc who is totally
indoors and won't leave our cellar. That there may be long term side
effects with the vaccine schedule for me and that I'm already on
corticosteroid inhaler for asthma wories me. Based on what I hear I
need to make a decision within a week or two but I'm leaning towards
not getting the prophylaxis. The vaccine is probably not the one they
used in 1999 the semper vaccine with the 1 in 122 people having
terrible long term immune system reactions but I havent read or heard a
real answer yet as to what they use now as vaccine and immuno.  I guess
that is my question now: does anyone know on this group or can offer a
link?  Medscape talks about the vaccine but I don't know what I'm
reading: too complicated for lay people to understand. Could it be the
semper vaccine under a new name with basically the same basis?  Long
term immune disease is not to be taken lightly.  Thank you for offering
your advice because I do appreciate it.  Wasn't sure I made that clear.
Thanks to all.

[I'm in Johnson City, TN; northeast tip.] I suppose that's wonderful,
but how do they manage that? Does each facility have a vet present
during adoption hours? If so, that's fabulous! I really wish the shelter
here could afford that! Are exceptions made for younger puppies, of a
certain age?

I have noticed, in the past three months or so, the shelter staff
informing adopters that "the vet will charge you for a rabies shot, when
you pick up your dog." So, there is some effort to assure rabies
protection, but nothing close to what Nashville has.

___________________
A dog's life is too short; their only fault really.

Ditto in my area of the northeast (at least with pets over 12 weeks of age
which is the minimum age for rabies). Our county shelter has a vet on staff.
The other two humane groups we deal with work closely with all vets in our
area to provide the vaccinations and spaying/neutering.

Of course, today our day was busted by a tiny puppy with parvo bought at a
mall pet store. :-(