It’s just public health policy. By law, they have to report them. One of my daughter’s dogs bit the other daughter’s dog over a toy. It wasn’t much of a bite, but because daughter #2’s dog was a puppy, she was really worried about it and took it to the vet. Daughter #1’s dog was immunized, but not current within the year. ACO had to come out and observe the biter, then he had to be quarantined at home for 10 days and brought up to date on his rabies vaccination.
Wow! Sounds pretty intense! Glad you have friends and family (and horse vets) to rally around you when you’re dealing w so much.
I was bit by a cat that got hit by the car in front of my in it’s dying moments as I was trying to get it into my car to take it to the vet. Couldn’t find an owner for the cat and had to save the body for rabies testing – ick! But better than a battery of post-exposure vaccines.
One of my strictly indoor cats accidentally bit a vet tech after surgery. Cat was previously vaccinated and had been under the care of same vet since I got her. Vet tech went to get antibiotics, etc. armed with a copy of my cat’s rabies certificate and didn’t even tell me the cat had bitten her. No one at the clinic thought it was a big deal…until an overzealous health department employee called me early one morning.
Same thing…cat had to be quarantined. Vet called the health department and told them it was not an issue. When the health department called again and wanted to pop by my house to check the cat, I told them to pound sand. They left one more message for me, then dropped the case.
My vet commented that she wished the health department was as aggressive about following up on dogs without rabies certificates that bit someone.
I felt horrible and offered to pay the tech’s doctor bills, but the clinic said it was covered.
It’s always good to get a rabies vaccination, even if the cat is strictly indoors. Cats do occasionally escape. My strictly house cats did once and one was picked up by animal control. Because I had a current rabies certificate, it was no big deal to pick my cat up and take him home. If he had not had his rabies shot, I would have had to pay for quarantine, fines, etc. since rabies for cats are required in my county. Plus I didn’t have to worry about the others possibly picking up rabies while they were wandering through the woods for a few days.
[QUOTE=Chall;8248732]
Bureaucratic b.s.[/QUOTE]
Cant agree more! At least I know if anything like this happens to me in the future. Too bad my health will need to be at risk or, I “can’t remember what happened”.
[QUOTE=Gainer;8248792]
One of my strictly indoor cats accidentally bit a vet tech after surgery. Cat was previously vaccinated and had been under the care of same vet since I got her. Vet tech went to get antibiotics, etc. armed with a copy of my cat’s rabies certificate and didn’t even tell me the cat had bitten her. No one at the clinic thought it was a big deal…until an overzealous health department employee called me early one morning.
Same thing…cat had to be quarantined. Vet called the health department and told them it was not an issue. When the health department called again and wanted to pop by my house to check the cat, I told them to pound sand. They left one more message for me, then dropped the case.
I felt horrible and offered to pay the tech’s doctor bills, but the clinic [/QUOTE]
Wow, from working at a vet clinic, IT HAPPENS. Rarely, but understandable. No matter how much you tell a cat chopping his balls off is better for him in the long run…they don’t always agree and sit still!
Many local animal shelters offer cheap rabies vaccines for dogs cats and ferrets, or offer free or cheap rabies vaccine clinics. I take all of my dogs and my cat to the local animal control once a year to get everyone vaccinated at $10/animal.
[QUOTE=MoonlightsMom;8248809]
Many local animal shelters offer cheap rabies vaccines for dogs cats and ferrets, or offer free or cheap rabies vaccine clinics. I take all of my dogs and my cat to the local animal control once a year to get everyone vaccinated at $10/animal.[/QUOTE]
Tractor Supply near us does as well…I think $12/animal. No questions asked.
Same thing here in FL. Cheap and actually done by a well known vet practice in the area. Just held outside in a line. Do rabies and heartworm tests/preventative.
There’s a lesson here. Make sure your animals are current on rabies vaccinations.
I was cleaning stalls and backed up, stepping on a barn kitten. Who immediately took offense- out on my leg. Bruises and scratches, I’m not sure if he bit me or not. I didn’t see a doc, good thing, because all the kittens are yellow and I couldn’t have told you WHICH kitten it was!
[QUOTE=Alex and Bodie’s Mom;8248577]
Wow. If I did this, someone from the Health Department would be a permanent fixture at my house! Luckily I’ve never had a bite that I thought was bad enough to go to the emergency room for, and the Dalek Cat (aka Angel) is quite good at the biting/scratching thing. I usually just peroxide the heck out of it and keep it bandaged for a few days, and they heal on their own.[/QUOTE]
That’s what I do. Soap and hot water, then hydrogen peroxide and a bandaid, then leave it to heal on its own.
I am so sorry this happened to you, OP. I’m glad your friends are coming through for you and helping you out! I am also really glad you didn’t do what a woman I knew did when her cat bit her – she took him to the pound to have him destroyed. Yes, it was a bad bite. But good grief. I’m glad your concern was for your shy kitty’s well-being.
That is sort of an aside to the whole rabies vaccination topic but the only reason you have been able to treat a cat bite on your own is it didn’t get infected. If it had you would not have been able to treat it yourself an often times even hospitals can’t save the limb. Cat bites are something you have to keep a close eye on and if there is any hint it could be a problem, do not delay treatment.
Wow, with my beloved Desmond, who was a piece of work in the biting department, I made several trips to urgent care/emergency room. The most wonderful cat in the world except for his tendency to bite first, ask questions later. I was never given any sort of form, nor did any of the other steps mentioned here ensue. I just got the antibiotics and sympathy. I know I did not keep up with his rabies vaccinations in his later years – the biggest trigger for a biting frenzy was a trip to the vet. In fact the first bad bite occurred in a vet office, when I intervened thinking he loooooved me. Well he may have, but in the throes of vet stress I was just another target. Vets ushered him into his carrier and me to urgent care, with most of their concern centered on me.
Must be different state laws and such.
OP, I’m sorry this was so stressful. As you’ve learned the rabies vaccine policy in most states is pretty unforgiving. And with good cause since there is no cure for rabies and it is zoonotic.
With regards to the rest, it sounds like maybe you’re a bit overwhelmed and unable to care for everything on your own. I can imagine that it would be scary to have someone come to your home if you felt that it wasn’t necessarily on the up side of things. Is there anyone who can help you long term to keep it up so you don’t have that concern?
I feel so badly for my mom who is trying to keep up her place. It seems like whenever my brothers or I visit, we’re constantly hauling things to the dump, mowing, doing repairs, etc. She just can’t do it herself and can’t afford to hire it done. I know there are options for help out there if it’s an income or disability thing. Maybe that resonates with you? Wish you the best.
Yes, JoZ, different states have different laws regarding bite reporting because it revolves around the number of rabies cases. They are pretty lax about it here (a little too lax I think) for the simple reason that at this point the rabies incidence is low.
Cat bites can be extremely bad and rabies is making a come back. It is a very serious matter. Lesson learned, keep your cats vaccinated.
Huh. I was once bitten by the elderly cat I was catsitting - he had taken exception to the antibiotics I was trying to get into him for a mild gum inspection. Needless to say my finger swelled nicely… the Doc at the urgent care clinic turned out to be a cat rescuer and was mostly just impressed at the dental health of a cat in his 20s to inflict a good strong bite, and that was the end of it. :lol:
Rabies is not endemic here however…
OP I think you’re being really reasonable (and now understand the legitimate reason why this had to be reported and vaccinations are necessary) and I hope things turn around soon!
By the way, in some states you can give rabies vaccination (mid-west stock farms for instance). Smart farmers vaccinate their cattle and horses, I certainly would. In Virginia I could give rabies also, but, if the animal bit anyone or was bitten by a rabid animal, I would have to produce a rabies certificate signed by a licensed veterinarian, otherwise, if it was bitten by a rabid animal, it would have to be euthanized. If it bit someone, it would have to be quarantined for at least 30 days (Virginia). This also varies by type of incident and state. I also always vaccinated my horses against rabies, when I moved to Washington, every vet I asked said it was not a core vaccine, I did it anyway.
Yeah, it’s required here for physicians and ER staff to report animal bites to the health department, no matter what the circumstances of the bite. 10 day quarantine, whether the animal is vaccinated for rabies or not. Animal Control usually allows a vaccinated pet to be quarantined at home, but an unvaccinated animal has to be quarantined at the pound or a veterinarian’s…and you get a bill for it! I never sought medical care for minor, superficial, bites from our own, or the neighbors, known vaccinated dogs, for that reason. As long as we’d had a tetanus shot in the last five years. I would, however, seek care for a cat bite, even if it were my own cat and vaccinated. Cat bites can cause really nasty infections.
