So, a potentially rabid skunk bit my oldest son - ask me anything!

[Kali]

For the middle* part of the story, go here:
https://www.democraticunderground.com/?com=view_post&forum=1038&pid=7330

The fucker got in again (our house is basically an open camp in the summer, plus 4 dogs and 3 cats in and out constantly....) and was hiding in his part of the house while we enjoyed a Father's day bbq in the yard. When he went to go watch television his little dog was fussing with something in the corner and it came out and ran at him and bit him on the foot. He grabbed a baseball bat and was going to kill it but it got away. So I took him to the emergency room in town when the husband calls to say he shot it. So hopefully we can get the test results pretty soon and he might not have to do all the rest of the shots. I'm kind of thinking maybe the rest of the humans in this house ought to get vaccinated.

How's the lounge today?


* the first part of the story: 3 days ago the first skunk incident. That was a young skunk asleep in the alleyway in our barn. Husband left it there returned to the house to lock up another dog and get a gun. When he got back out the skunk was bouncing around in the driveway half chasing half playing with the chickens in daylight. He disposed of that one and since it was kind of small and probably young I had the feeling there might be more.

[BamaRefugee]

1. I had to get rabies shots as a kid back in 1960 or so..14 HUGE shots, one per day, right into my

abdomen below my navel. Shots looked like they were for a horse or something.

[Kali]

3. the rabies series isn't such a big deal anymore

he said the immune globulin they inject in and around the bite was a little rough. but that is just one time. the rabies is 4 shots in the arm over two weeks. oh they also gave him a tetanus and some antibiotics so he felt a bit like a pin cushion.

[BamaRefugee]

8. thank goodness for that, those shots hurt like hell, not to mention all my brothers and cousins (it

was summertime) would gather around to watch me get the shots, all of them creating foam dripping out of their mouths and howling

My grandaddy was a doctor so I he gave me the shots on the couch in their living room!

[Kali]

12. oh man, and audience of sibs and cousins!

worse than the shots!

[BamaRefugee]

13. No kidding. And of course running around in circles in the yard screaming "MAD DOG" at me ;-)

[Wellstone ruled]

4. Oh crap,had the same in 1958

every morning at ten a m at the Doc's office.

[Kali]

7. what bit you?

[BamaRefugee]

9. For me it was the cutest littl black and white dog, irresistible, later found running in circles,etc

[Wellstone ruled]

20. Rabid Fox bit

my Show Dairy Cow and she licked the back of my hand that was ripped open. Btw,the Cow tested positive and had to be destroyed. Got lucky,never developed a full blow case.

A neighbor shot the Fox a couple days latter in his Chicken Coop.

[Kali]

21. yikes!

I have two cows and calves in the corral where the first one was, so I'm a little nervous. if the two skunks were littermates they might both be infected, who knows? we just chucked the first one out for the coyotes (skunks are a constant ongoing pain in the ass around here). no way to vaccinate every bovine here I think.

[Wellstone ruled]

23. Most times

according to our Vet at the time,Dairy Animals usually will not become infected when bit . But,this one did and humans have to be cautious not to let them lick of slobber on any open wounds. Snagged my hand on a barbed wire fence earlier and had not taken care of it.

[Kali]

6. curious, what bit you?

[soothsayer]

2. How old is the kid?

Also shots are not as bad as they were but I hope he can avoid them.

[Kali]

5. he's an adult

yeah I hope he only has to have one more, though not so bad as the old days. labs are a little slow so he will probably have to have one on Thursday but hopefully results by Friday.

[MissB]

10. My neighbor is upset with another neighbor

One neighbor with too much time in her hands Feeds All of the Creatures - deer, raccoons, skunks etc. I don’t hate all of those but I’d prefer some of them not take up residence in my yard. There was one summer where we couldn’t open our windows at night because a skunk family managed to get scared every.single.night. Someone trapped the skunks and shot them, or so the story goes. More extreme than I would generally go but I would make my yard/house more inhospitable if they were coming in.

Anyway, the neighbor across the street from her just figured out they were hosting a large skunk family under their shed. Cute buggers, but this neighbor has a bunch of kids that play right near the shed. Their yard isn’t big enough for everyone so they hired someone to lock the skunks out but not killing them. Basically urging mama and babies to go find new digs.

The neighbor who Feeds All is furious that the folks with the little kids evicted the skunk family.

[Kali]

18. I saw a video here on DU the other day about some gentleman who feeds all these racoons on his deck

yeah they are so cute and intelligent...but they fucking bite. and carry rabies! just stupid shit if you ask me, hopefully he is vaccinated, or maybe he catches them and they are...

[hunter]

24. We've had idiot neighbors who keep outdoor food dishes filled 24/7 for their dogs and cats.

The raccoons and rats love it. So do the feral cats.

Our catahoula tangled with a raccoon just a few days ago, got a bit bloodied, but her rabies shots are up to date. The raccoon escaped. If it returns it might not be so fortunate.

Our Catahoula's pack mates don't hate raccoons any less than she does but have the good sense not to get bit. They just make a lot of noise expecting me to come out and chase the intruders off.

[The Velveteen Ocelot]

27. This one keeps turning up on my porch and staring in the window.

I don't know what he wants; he's cute but I'm not feeding him, and the bird seed is secured in a metal pail.

[Kali]

29. not only are they cute and smart

they sort of have HANDS!!!

I would be worried he's trying to figure out how to get in.

[The Velveteen Ocelot]

30. He's back again, right now. Staring at me through the screen window.

What does he want??

[Phentex]

33. Your soul...

don't stare at him.

[LuckyCharms]

11. Gee Kali, so sorry to hear this.

might not be a bad idea for everyone to get vaccinated. I hear the shots are not bad these days. I would see what the doc says about the risk to others.

On the other hand, there is probably a low risk of rabies if the other people in the house did not get bitten. I know that sometimes if there is a bat in your house, rabies shots are sometimes necessary because their bite is so tiny, you may have been bitten in your sleep, but not know it. With a skunk, however, you would know if you received a bite. Again, I would ask the doc for his opinion.

Best wishes and good luck.

[Kali]

15. life on the ranch! LOL

we are in an area that has lots of rabies in wildlife so we probably should get vaccinated - son should be good for a while now.

[hlthe2b]

14. So, will insurance cover the entire post exposure prophylaxis protocol?

I hope so.

On the bright side, if he is in need some time in the future (poor college student?), his rabies antibodies will earn him a considerable bit of pocket money if he donates plasma. It got me through some lean times years ago.

[Kali]

17. oooo thanks for that! he might could do that not just for the money

but to help - good point!

he is on AZ version of medicaid so yeah it was covered, though with the amount of it here it might be a county covered thing anyway, I am not sure.

[saidsimplesimon]

16. As a former farm girl,

I've never experienced a varmint incident. Snakes on the porch, opossums and other critters never
encroached on my space.

If the tests are negative for rabies, reinforce the need to give critters their space would be my first reaction.

[Kali]

19. it was definitely in OUR space!

this house is old and open all summer...I have had rattlesnakes, a Gila monster, all manner of rodents, skunks, scorpions, centipedes (the big ones), tarantulas, you name it, if they exist in this environment they have been inside my house at some point.

[lastlib]

22. Rule #1--Skunks ALWAYS have the right-of-way!

(Rule #1 may be waived IF you have a clean shot.....!)

[Kali]

25. ***UPDATE***

Had a call from Animal Control, they got the test results. it was positive.

[Ptah]

26. That's not good.

What do the Doctors say is the prognosis?

[Kali]

28. nobody seems too concerned

I called the ER and they said no broken skin should be fine. called my doc this morning to get his opinion and so far no call back.

[LisaL]

31. He is going to get all his rabies shots, right?

[Kali]

32. absolutely, the question was should I get them

he gets his second in the morning.

[LisaL]

34. Did you touch the skunk?

[Kali]

36. yeah if you read the link

it walked around my feet like a cat then chased me into the bathroom and tried to bite me on the shin.

[Kali]

35. doc says I should be fine but is doing an order

to get husband and I vaccinated for potential future events. probably should have done that years ago. to paraphrase (I think) Fat Freddy's Cat battling cockroaches: the bastards are like dictators, kill one off and another pops right up.