...

[NightHiker]

[TDW586]

Rabies has been pretty bad for a while now, at least where I'm from (NC). Since I don't actually know the legality of it, I won't say that I used to shoot raccoons and possums on sight on my property...but I'm not risking my dogs, even if they are vaccinated.

I wouldn't say this is really a disaster, though it's certainly always a concern.

[bonanacrom]

The largest number of animals I used to be paid to bring in for testing where cats and skunks. Nothing new to worry about with this. What I will worry about is the fact that there rushing the new flu shots and someone from russia with rabies gets a new rushed vaccine and then the blasted walking dead thing gets started !

[shrapnel]

- Also due to financial concerns quit a few pet owners are neglecting to have their pets vaccinated (based on my own highly unscientific research)

I don't vaccinate my pets because I want to protect them from autism.


That was a joke. They're currently a month or so overdue for vaccinations, due to financial strain, but all three cats are strictly indoor cats, and I plan on getting them up to date as as soon as I possibly can.

[Electricity]

- Also due to financial concerns quit a few pet owners are neglecting to have their pets vaccinated (based on my own highly unscientific research)

I don't vaccinate my pets because I want to protect them from autism.


That was a joke. They're currently a month or so overdue for vaccinations, due to financial strain, but all three cats are strictly indoor cats, and I plan on getting them up to date as as soon as I possibly can.

Yeah, all three of my kittys where vaccinated later then they should be due to financial constraints, but all three eventually got the shots. And their all indoor cats anyways.

[raptor]

- Also due to financial concerns quit a few pet owners are neglecting to have their pets vaccinated (based on my own highly unscientific research)

I don't vaccinate my pets because I want to protect them from autism.


That was a joke. They're currently a month or so overdue for vaccinations, due to financial strain, but all three cats are strictly indoor cats, and I plan on getting them up to date as as soon as I possibly can.

Yeah, all three of my kittys where vaccinated later then they should be due to financial constraints, but all three eventually got the shots. And their all indoor cats anyways.

There is actually ample evidence that rabies vaccinations in domestic cats and dogs remain viable for well over 12 months. The annual vaccination requirement was put in place for ease of government regulation and tax collection. That said do not skip vaccinations.

Check around, in many cities there are low cost immunization programs. Frequently Petsmart & Petco have discount vaccination programs.

[shrapnel]

I've got a book called The Hypochondriac's Pocket Guide To Horrible Diseases You Probably Already Have (it's a wonderful book, by the way), and they have a section on rabies. I\Part of it reads:

OF NOTE... To date, there have only been ten reported cases of people surviving infection of the Rhabdoviridae virus once the symptoms presented themselves, and four of those cases were completely fabricated by the author to make the situation seem slightly less dire.

[flyingredgoat]

I don't vaccinate my pets because I want to protect them from autism.

That explains it. My dog walks in to walls. I always thought it was because he would be looking back to see which way I was headed, instead of looking at what was in front of him.

K

[shrapnel]

I don't vaccinate my pets because I want to protect them from autism.

That explains it. My dog walks in to walls. I always thought it was because he would be looking back to see which way I was headed, instead of looking at what was in front of him.

K

Nope, clearly autistic. It's so sad that you unknowingly poisoned your dog, when you were trying to keep him safe, simply because you bought into the lies of the evil Big Vet lobby. THERE ARE CLEARLY UNSPECIFIED TOXINS IN THOSE VACCINES AND SOMEONE MUST PAY FOR THIS ATROCITY.





Seriously, vaccinate pets. Otherwise they'll come home with rabies and you'll be lunch. Ever seen Cujo? Because it'll be exactly like that. Even if you've got a tiny chihuahua, the dog, once infected, will grow and morph into Something Evil. Because that's what rabies does to animals. Cats also turn into giant evil dogs as well.

[flyingredgoat]

Seriously, vaccinate pets. Otherwise they'll come home with rabies and you'll be lunch. Ever seen Cujo? Because it'll be exactly like that. Even if you've got a tiny chihuahua, the dog, once infected, will grow and morph into Something Evil. Because that's what rabies does to animals. Cats also turn into giant evil dogs as well.

OK. I understand that rabies in anything is a very serious threat. I just can't seem to stop giggling when we talk about rabid chihuhuas.

K

[arrowolf]

Whwn I worked for the Dept. of Public Health in AL, my first priority was rabies enforcement. Most of what we had that came back positive were bats. This was in Lauderdale and Colbert Counties (in the NW corner of the state). We did have a case of rabies in a domestic pet dog in downtown Florence that sent a panic throughout the community. No one ever brought us a raccoon or skunk for testing.

I vaccinate my dog for rabies annually. She's a farm dog and we have an abundance of skunks around.

[Slycat]

Rabies has been pretty bad for a while now, at least where I'm from (NC). Since I don't actually know the legality of it, I won't say that I used to shoot raccoons and possums on sight on my property...but I'm not risking my dogs, even if they are vaccinated.

One very interesting thing about possums is that it is extremely rare that they get rabies, very rare. They have a low body temperature that makes it difficult for the virus to survive. I wouldn't worry too much about possums.

[ironraven]

They only thing I'll shoot on site is fishers, but that is becuase they are an invasive predator and the dumbass who thought it would be good to import them is already dead.

But I've shot several animals that were behaving in an abnormal and unhealthy manor. And fish and game isn't bloody interested unless it is like a rabid bear, so at my folks I've used the burn barrel. *gags* Not screwing around with that shit, I'm just not.

[gardener]

I'll join the paranoia, as I have a concern right now.

SOMETHING (raccoon? possum? we haven't caught it yet) has been tearing the hell out of one of my raised vegetable beds. It has uprooted the parsley and basil (several times), but it does not appear to be interested in the plants themselves (not the herbs, not the pepper and cuke plants). Instead, it has been digging holes (trenches, actually) in certain spots as though it is going after something else - always digging right along the edges of the bed (there is a board on top of the edge all around the bed which allows you to sit or put tools down while working - and it is digging down under that). I'm not sure what it can be going after... Earthworms? Snails and slugs?

In our (suburban) neighborhood we have deer, gophers, racoons, possums, skunks (haven't seen any of those in a few years), moles, rats (Rat Haven), a coyote (saw one twice this spring), apparently bunnies (saw our first one this summer) and cats (don't know if the cats are feral or domestic or what)... The raised beds are in wooden planters underlaid with mesh to keep gophers and moles out, they are in a side yard that is fenced to keep the deer out (also the coyote), so the only possibilities (for diggers) are the racoons, possums, cats (no cat smell or droppings - and I can't imagine they'd like the bark mulch), skunks, and bunnies - and I don't think those last two would be able to climb up on top of the bed (18" off the ground).

I've been gardening in these same beds for about 4 years now, and this is the first time we've had this trouble.

What really worries me is the what if - what if this critter has rabies? Would the virus survive on a plant if the critter had its mouth on it? Should I throw out the herbs? What about the pepper and cuke plants? Is it safe to garden in this bed AT ALL anymore? Does anyone have a clue - or know who to inquire?

(Sorry if I sound silly... I was raised very urban, took up gardening as a hobby in adult life, and am simply not used to dealing with wildlife...)

[TDW586]

Rabies has been pretty bad for a while now, at least where I'm from (NC). Since I don't actually know the legality of it, I won't say that I used to shoot raccoons and possums on sight on my property...but I'm not risking my dogs, even if they are vaccinated.

One very interesting thing about possums is that it is extremely rare that they get rabies, very rare. They have a low body temperature that makes it difficult for the virus to survive. I wouldn't worry too much about possums.

Interesting...I don't feel bad about the ones I've shot, though, they freaked my dogs out and they're horrible little creatures, rabid or not.

I was aware that it was more common in raccoons; did some research after my Husky/Shepard mix Sasha came home with a slashed along her muzzle. It would seem she "investigated" a raccoon (she was a almost puppy at the time, maybe six months old) and came off the loser.

Despite her urge to hunt and kill any wild animal she sees, she hides and whines as soon as she smells a raccoon.

[NightHiker]

[gardener]

Thank you very much, NightHiker! That is some useful info (will bookmark the link). I feel a bit better about it now.

I still intend to replant some of the herbs, and now I have netting to throw over the whole bed... hope that helps discourage the whatever.

[Angrypirate]

Only slightly relevant, but heres another reason to move to Australia: we dont have rabies here! Hurray for customs and quarantine!

However, I leave for Nepal in about 3 weeks, so I'm getting my 3rd rabies shot tomorrow. Now thats no fun, but its better than going through the full treatment (2 shots of human rabies immunoglobulin, 5 of the vaccine) if you HAVN'T had the shots. Especially in country that is essentially 3rd world and has just come out of a decades long civil war, where hospital services may not be exactly fantastic. In the 3 months I'm there il be keeping well away from monkeys, dogs and generally any animal that isn't dead and thouroughly cooked.

Again only slightly relevant, but as a young child i recall my grandfather having a walking stick he referred to as "the dog-whacker". When i was a little older he unscrewed the head to reveal it was, in fact, a sword stick. He aquired it while serving in Kashmir with the UN (Im presuming in the 60s or 70s) where such sticks were common among officers. The general policy was to whack any dog that came near:if it ran, leave it. If it didnt run away immediately, pull that sword out post-haste and stab the bastard.

[Vicarious_Lee]

I've got a book called The Hypochondriac's Pocket Guide To Horrible Diseases You Probably Already Have (it's a wonderful book, by the way), and they have a section on rabies. I\Part of it reads:

OF NOTE... To date, there have only been ten reported cases of people surviving infection of the Rhabdoviridae virus once the symptoms presented themselves, and four of those cases were completely fabricated by the author to make the situation seem slightly less dire.

Expect that number to shoot up with each new confirmed human case. There's obviously no protocol, and no evidence-based studies, but remember all that money that the government hemorrhaged into a politically-charged and ineffective AIDS program in the 80's and 90's?

Turns out, a whole new category of drugs were invented, and they're pretty sweet and good for lots of stuff that isn't AIDS!.

[wolf_from_wv]

OK. I understand that rabies in anything is a very serious threat. I just can't seem to stop giggling when we talk about rabid chihuhuas. K

Did you see the lower right hand corner of that picture? Imagine a rabid mongoose...

[NorrisUnleashed]

When I was in High school there was a reported case of a rabies infected mountain lion. Everyone was freaked right the fuck out. I even saw a guy in town board his windows. The only thing scarier is a z-mountain lion. Ha ha HA!

[dnvrmn]

Have you guys heard about the Mokola virus? Way more strong than Rabies
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mokola_virus

[rsnurkle]

The thread lives, after three years! Get that sword cane out...

Have you guys heard about the Mokola virus? Way more strong than Rabies
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mokola_virus

Dnvrmn, this thread is probably no longer a "disaster in current events," unless you've heard some notable story about rabies recently.

OT: I read The Hot Zone a few weeks ago--crazy African viruses with unknown hosts, possible insect vectors, and lethal effects now haunt my dreams. Luckily, in the wiki article on Mokola I did not see any mention of reported cases outside of Sub-Saharan Africa, and only two human deaths have occurred. Thus, this is a lyssavirus that I will put on my "Try Not to Contract" list if I visit Africa, or come into contact with animals from there, and otherwise I will continue to think about contingencies for the "classical" rabies strain.

[Winston Smith]

I've wanted to get a rabies vaccine for awhile, a rabid animal bite is a pretty sure bet for a short, agonizing end of life experience. I think their a little pricey, but for outdoors people it's a serious risk.