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+--- Thread: Dang! Trip to doc in near future..... (/thread-13081.html)
- hotwine - 05-05-2005
I didn't dispense cat food fast enough this morning, and Br'er 'Coon decided to speed things along by chomping into my ankle. (My feet are simply handles on their food dispenser, apparently.... pull on one, and cat food rains on their heads.) Booted the little bugger about 10 feet, but he left behind a small puncture wound. #$%$#@! Doc gets to make a mortgage payment.
- Georgie - 05-05-2005
Oh no...did you mean a RACCOON bit you?
- hotwine - 05-05-2005
Yup, that he did. There were two out there when I went out to feed the cat at 5:15, and one hung back while the other came on strong to get first dibs on the food. Grabbed my ankle with its front paws, and when I tried to jerk my foot away, he chomped.
Call to the family doc gets nowhere ("we don't have any rabies vaccine here, you'll need to call your health department"). Call to county health dept. also gets nowhere ("you need to call Vector Control").
Vector Control says "You need to call Animal Control". Animal Control says "Call this number.... XXX-XXXX." Which I did, and got "This is Animal Rescue, how may I help you?"
Screw it! Took off to the local hospital's ER, and they fixed me up. Have now begun the month-long series of rabies vaccinations. Woof.
- wondersofwine - 05-05-2005
My sympathies, HW. At first I thought you meant the cat bit you. My sister's youngest son had to have the rabies series after being bitten by a neighborhood cat on Mother's Day no less. Danny was only 4 at the time. The older brothers who were with him couldn't agree on which cat bit him so the doctor took the safe route and did the whole vaccination series. When he completed the last vaccination, the whole family celebrated with cake and ice cream. Be sure your Deb has the cake and ice cream ready for her big boy.
- hotwine - 05-05-2005
You mean, that's all I'll get out of it? Shucks....
Hate to think of a four-year-old getting that series. I barely felt any of it, except for the doc's multiple injections into the wound itself; those into each arm and hip weren't even noticeable. Guess I'm just a dead-end kid.
Didn't ask about any restrictions on alcohol consumption.... have a bottle of Lincourt PN selected to accompany salmon tonight.
- Thomas - 05-05-2005
Restrictions! Sounds like you'll need to increase your alcohol consumption. Nasty business wild animal bites. Had it happen to me years ago.
- hotwine - 05-05-2005
That's what we get for cavorting with wild critters. At least, the rabies vaccine is now injected into the butt cheeks instead of the navel, as was past practice, they tell me. That might have hurt a tad.
The Lincourt was fine; previous notes apply. We had it with lemon pepper white fish vs salmon (courtesy of Sea Island chain, only they forgot the grilled shrimp, which was part of the order).
- Innkeeper - 05-05-2005
We have only one raccoon bite in Maine in the last fifty years, and it happened last year! One more indication of where this country is headed.
[This message has been edited by Innkeeper (edited 05-05-2005).]
- Innkeeper - 05-05-2005
We have only one raccoon bite in Maine in the last fifty years, and it happened last year! One more indication of where this country is headed.
- Bucko - 05-05-2005
FYI:
Rabies can affect wildlife such as raccoons, skunks, and bats, as well as household pets such as dogs and cats. Vaccination of pets and livestock is the most effective control measure to prevent the disease in these animals and subsequent human exposure. In fact, in the United States, such programs have largely eliminated canine (dog) rabies. In 1998, wild animals accounted for 93 percent of the 7,962 reported animal rabies cases in the United States and Puerto Rico. Rabies in raccoons accounted for 44 percent of cases, skunk rabies for 28.5 percent, bat rabies for 12.5 percent, and fox rabies for 5.5 percent of the cases. Only rarely, rabies is found in rabbits, squirrels, rats, and opossums.
Health officials are particularly concerned about rabies in raccoons because raccoons are often in close contact with household pets, especially dogs and cats. Increasingly, bats are being shown to be important transmitters of rabies to humans.
- hotwine - 05-06-2005
Very impressive stats, Buckster.... thanks. While I was in ER yesterday, an alert arrived by fax from the county health dept. concerning a confirmed rabies infection of a house cat on San Antonio's west side.
Bats are a common rabies vector in this area.... there are millions of Mexican free-tailed bats roosting in the caves of the Hill country, that fly out at night to find food. Quite common for kids to find an injured (or sick) bat on a school playground and wind up being treated with the rabies prevention regimen.
I'm changing my routine a bit... will wear bibs & boots outside before dawn, even to retrieve the newspapers or feed the cat.... no more slippers & robe. Had figured my early morning wildlife encounter would be with a coral snake, copperhead or rattler, or maybe a coyote, not with an aggressive raccoon. Another lesson learned.
[This message has been edited by hotwine (edited 05-06-2005).]
- winoweenie - 05-06-2005
Well HW what a BUMMER!! Sorry to hear that. I was bitten by a pet monkey when I was 6 or 7 back in Okla (my own fault) and went thru the rabies treatment. Wasn't pleasant if memory serves. Hopefully all is well. BPR, WW
- Bucko - 05-06-2005
I think that coon found Hotsie's hairy leg sexy. As Paul Harvey says, the rest of the story ... [img]http://www.wines.com/ubb2/wink.gif[/img]
- hotwine - 05-06-2005
The ER staff was impressive.... they even had a folder containing an SOP for animal bites. Would suspect it was set up by an Army medic, since their school is in SA, at Ft Sam Houston. Bless 'em. They've patched me up a few times before.
No problems. Not howling at the moon... yet.
- Zinner - 05-07-2005
My sympathy for your experience.
Raccoons can be real pests. The woman next door to me feeds them and as a result, I had to buy one of those Hav-a-Heart cages and have relocated at least 25 raccons. And we live in a suburban area with only a small patch of woods, not in the country.
I've avoided bites, but with two of the raccoons, which seemed unusually aggressive, I took to the local animal rescue and basically bribed them to release them, by making donations.
- Bandit - 05-08-2005
http://www.petpics.net/dp/files/1-5.jpg
- stevebody - 05-09-2005
Ouch! Man, I feel ya, dog... I think that would be the last time I let the 'coon get close enough to mistake my ankle for kibbles. My stomach hurts for ya.
- hotwine - 05-09-2005
Thanks, Steve but no problemo. The vaccine is now injected into the arm, rather than the stomach. (The rabies immunoglobulin was injected into each hip the first day, with the vaccine going into one arm and a tetanus booster into the other arm; subsequent doses of vaccine go into an arm.) More vaccinations are scheduled for 12 & 19 May, then the last on 2 June.
Woof-arf.
- Drew - 05-09-2005
Gil, I see your attacker has registered and is mocking you...
Drew
- hotwine - 05-09-2005
Yeah, I saw that. Much healthier-looking critter than the one that tagged me.