Rabies Shots - After Exposure

[pomtzu]

If I may ask - how did the kitten get rabies? And do they know for a fact that it was rabies? Did you and your family have to take anti rabies shots, since rabies could be transmitted thru something as simple as a scratch?
In Delaware if an animal is ONE DAY past due on a rabies shot, it will be quarantined, and if it hasn't had the vaccine at all and rabies is even remotely suspected, then it will be cage quarantined for 6 months! Believe me - I just went thru this less than 6 months ago.

[Jessika]

If they are vaccinated against it, they should be ok; HOWEVER, some vets like to play it safe and suggest revaccinating if they've been exposed to it.

The reason why we have to get rabies shots is because we aren't vaccinated against rabies yearly/tri-yearly like our pets are

Also, yes are you for certain that the kitten indeed had rabies? Rabies DOES NOT take a long time to develop in animals, its around 10 days give or take before you'll start seeing severe clinical signs, its a pretty quick onset. If its been a few weeks and none of your pets are showing signs, you're probably in the clear. I've been taught that rabies clinical signs are typically fairly quick; 10 weeks since possible exposure seems like a VERY long time, clinical signs of the disease should certainly have developed by then.

There is NO way to test for rabies except euthanization, decapitation, and sending tissue samples off to a lab.

[Catlady711]

From the CDC website:

http://www.cdc.gov/RABIES/qanda/general.html


What happens if my pet (cat, dog, ferret) is bitten by a wild animal?
Any animal bitten or scratched by either a wild, carnivorous mammal or a bat that is not available for testing should be regarded as having been exposed to rabies. Unvaccinated dogs, cats, and ferrets exposed to a rabid animal should be euthanized immediately. If the owner is unwilling to have this done, the animal should be placed in strict isolation for 6 months and vaccinated 1 month before being released. Animals with expired vaccinations need to be evaluated on a case-by-case basis. Dogs and cats that are currently vaccinated are kept under observation for 45 days.


Can I get rabies in any way other than an animal bite?

Non-bite exposures to rabies are very rare. Scratches, abrasions, open wounds, or mucous membranes contaminated with saliva or other potentially infectious material (such as brain tissue) from a rabid animal constitute non-bite exposures. Occasionally reports of non-bite exposure are such that postexposure prophylaxis is given.

Inhalation of aerosolized rabies virus is also a potential non-bite route of exposure, but other than laboratory workers, most people are unlikely to encounter an aerosol of rabies virus.

Other contact, such as petting a rabid animal or contact with the blood, urine or feces (e.g., guano) of a rabid animal, does not constitute an exposure and is not an indication for prophylaxis.

[shepgirl]

I got the final rabies shots on my last dog at 16 mos. I don't intend to get another shot for life. I follow this protocol for all my dogs and did the same for my horses. The side effects are just too risky . Our vets work with us on this since it's been proven that rabies shots can last a lifetime in a dog - we can get titer shots instead.