Bat Medicine

[Tybee]

We have had a bat come into the house 4 times now in the middle of the night. I think he gets in through the doggie door.

The worst was the night he landed on my knee while I was getting up in the middle of the night.

Yesterday he was back, circling around the kitchen and living room while I was grading papers at midnight.

I have researched this and it is a wonderful totem of deep change and rebirth, but wow, is it scary.

I guess there will be big changes made, according to the bat medicine, anyway.

[iris lilies]

Congratulations, I guess!

[catherine]

It will also reduce your chances of Zika.. they are the natural predator of mosquitos.

[Tybee]

Well that's a nice by product!! The knee was the worst. It kind of felt like a piece of heavy lace, draped over my knee. The dog was nonplussed.

[CathyA]

I love all wildlife, including bats. But please try to figure out how to keep them outside, since they can carry rabies. The chances are very low, but still....
But it's okay to still look forward to deep change and rebirth. :)

[Tybee]

Am shutting the outside storm door to block the doggie door, for sure, plus the kitchen door to the mudroom. That is double layer. I did read up on the rabies but he did not bite me or the dog. Am wondering why people in the country don't get rabies vaccines, like our pets.

[CathyA]

Hmmm.....that's a good question! Maybe because it's so seldom that people get bitten by a rabid animal.....and it's probably just as easy to get the shot afterwards...??? Good question, though!

[Kestra]

Hmmm.....that's a good question! Maybe because it's so seldom that people get bitten by a rabid animal.....and it's probably just as easy to get the shot afterwards...??? Good question, though!

It's fairly rare to get exposed to rabies, and getting shots ahead of time just reduces how many you have to get after the exposure. Ask me how I know!

I'll tell you anyhow: When I worked as a vet tech, we got rabies shots ahead of time of course, being in a high risk field. We had a puppy in the clinic that was exhibiting really strange behaviour. I told the vet I thought it was rabies; he wasn't convinced as it's so rare here. Turns out I was right. Health services immediately went into action, vaccinating everyone who had potential contact. I can't remember if I got one or two post-exposure shots. But those without previous rabies vaccines got 2 or 3 more than that? I can't remember exactly.

This is why rabies is one of those vaccines you might get pre-travel, if you are going to an area with a lot more rabies than N. America.

Oh, and the puppy got it from a skunk.

[iris lilies]

It's fairly rare to get exposed to rabies, and getting shots ahead of time just reduces how many you have to get after the exposure. Ask me how I know!

I'll tell you anyhow: When I worked as a vet tech, we got rabies shots ahead of time of course, being in a high risk field. We had a puppy in the clinic that was exhibiting really strange behaviour. I told the vet I thought it was rabies; he wasn't convinced as it's so rare here. Turns out I was right. Health services immediately went into action, vaccinating everyone who had potential contact. I can't remember if I got one or two post-exposure shots. But those without previous rabies vaccines got 2 or 3 more than that? I can't remember exactly.

This is why rabies is one of those vaccines you might get pre-travel, if you are going to an area with a lot more rabies than N. America.

Oh, and the puppy got it from a skunk.
i know someon who actually came down with rabies. He got it from a wild kitten. He was hospitalized and it was touch and go for a while, but his is a tough old thing. He is in his late 80's now, was about 65 when he contracted rabies.

[CathyA]

Kestra.........do humans need to get the vaccine every year, like dogs do?
I think the older treatment for having gotten possibly bitten by a rabid animal used to be much longer and more painful. I think now it's just a shot or two? And I don't think it's in the abdomen any more.?
IL.....that man was really lucky. Sounds like a really awful thing to get. I think the virus likes the brain, which makes it hard to treat.

[Kestra]

Kestra.........do humans need to get the vaccine every year, like dogs do?
I think the older treatment for having gotten possibly bitten by a rabid animal used to be much longer and more painful. I think now it's just a shot or two? And I don't think it's in the abdomen any more.?
IL.....that man was really lucky. Sounds like a really awful thing to get. I think the virus likes the brain, which makes it hard to treat.

It's recommended to get a blood test every year and only get another vaccine when one's immunity is low, which usually works out to every 5-10 years or so. At least that's what was done where I lived.

[awakenedsoul]

It sounds like the bat likes you. I'd take it as a compliment. I hope you can block his entry. They're fascinating. Very interesting information on this thread about rabies. We've had several rabid bats in our area. Makes me appreciate my health.

[Tybee]

It sounds like the bat likes you. I'd take it as a compliment. I hope you can block his entry. They're fascinating. Very interesting information on this thread about rabies. We've had several rabid bats in our area. Makes me appreciate my health.

I think they (or just this one, maybe) does like me and I am trying to do just that, view him as a messenger and a friendly one, while blocking his entry also, as it is really scary when he flies around--he is really big, for one thing, and it's hard not to think of the old Bela Lugosi movie, as he flies at that pace.

But it has happened four times now, so I do think it's good to wonder what message he is bringing, as he is insistent!

[Ultralight]

Do not have contact with bats. They carry rabies.

[19Sandy]

Only about 5 people (children) worldwide have survived rabies and they have serious brain damage.

A bat can transmit rabies from its mouth, wings, feet and other body parts.

If a drop of its contaminated saliva enters your body through a current cut, then you must have emergency treatment to save your life.

Ditto for a bite or scratch (could occur in your sleep).

Bats are valuable animals because they keep down the insect population.

If a bat keeps returning to your home, then this is not normal, and I would be even more suspicious that it is infected.

But you do not want to go near any bats - ever!

Technically, there is NO Cure from rabies, the tiniest puncture wound can lead to death.

You can't tell if a bat has rabies by looking at it either.

Animal Planet used to have a show about people who died from animal bites and such, and most people neglected to do anything about getting treatment after a bat entered their home.

Rabies is a terrible way to go too.

A rabid bat can also infect a family pet (ever watch Cujo?)

Stay away from bats!

[iris lilies]

There was an NPR show about a young woman who contracted rabies. She had the disease for quite a while before anyone figured out what it was. She survived with a new knd of medical treatment that put her into a coma for a while.

http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=4186205


My friend's father, the senior citizen who contracted rabies from the bite of a wild kitten, knew pretty fast what was going on, so that is one reason Why he survived,they caught it early. And there are great medical institutions here. i am sure every nurse, intern, resident and researcher in the place visited his room to observe the patient with rabies.

[Ultralight]

There was an NPR show about a young woman who contracted rabies. She had the disease for quite a while before anyone figured out what it was. She survived.

My friend's father, the senior citizen who contracted rabies feom the bite of a wild kitten, knew pretty fast what was going on, so that is one reaso. Why he survived,mthey caught it early. And there are great medical institutions here. i am sure every nurse, intern, resident i. The place cisited his room to observe the patient with rabies.

I am dubious that old man had rabies. Perhaps he had cat scratch fever? I had that from a sick kitten biting me when I was a little kid. I almost died from it. My parents told me they were planning for my death.

They are just now developing methods than sometimes save the patient who has rabies, though they can be really messed up bad even if they do survive.

[iris lilies]

I am dubious that old man had rabies. Perhaps he had cat scratch fever? I had that from a sick kitten biting me when I was a little kid. I almost died from it. My parents told me they were planning for my death.

They are just now developing methods than sometimes save the patient who has rabies, though they can be really messed up bad even if they do survive.
Ok, Ill get my friend to tell me about it again to verify. Certainly he may have had cat scratch fever, that is common. My brother was hospitalized with that.

[Ultralight]

I mean, crazy stuff happens and everyone's immune system is different. So maybe he did have it.

Worth looking into though.

[19Sandy]

There might be cases of natural immunity but it wouldn't be a good idea to determine if you are one of the lucky ones.

I have a relative who has natural immunity to polio. You know us older folks (lol) got the shot on an upper arm and have tiny scar (no oral vaccine). So, he got 3 injections and never scarred - a very rare occurrence that meant he had natural immunity. Now if there was no vaccine, he would not get polio or be affected by the illness. However, fast forward for a few years when it is time to sign up for the draft, - and he has NO SCAR - he had to track down the physician (and old dude now) and get documentation that he had 3 shots and had natural immunity. Yes, the doctors wanted to study him! And, he rarely gets sick with anything.

Anyway, On the most recent episode of Fear the Walking Dead - a guy revealed a deep healed over bite from an infected - and he didn't die. So, natural selection would permit a very small portion of the population to survive an epidemic.

[CathyA]

There might be cases of natural immunity but it wouldn't be a good idea to determine if you are one of the lucky ones.

I have a relative who has natural immunity to polio. You know us older folks (lol) got the shot on an upper arm and have tiny scar (no oral vaccine). So, he got 3 injections and never scarred - a very rare occurrence that meant he had natural immunity. Now if there was no vaccine, he would not get polio or be affected by the illness. However, fast forward for a few years when it is time to sign up for the draft, - and he has NO SCAR - he had to track down the physician (and old dude now) and get documentation that he had 3 shots and had natural immunity. Yes, the doctors wanted to study him! And, he rarely gets sick with anything.

Anyway, On the most recent episode of Fear the Walking Dead - a guy revealed a deep healed over bite from an infected - and he didn't die. So, natural selection would permit a very small portion of the population to survive an epidemic.

Hmmm.....are you sure you got a scar from the polio shots? I had several of them and no scar.......but the small pox vaccine always left a scar. I've never heard of a polio shot scar.

[19Sandy]

My bad - it was the smallpox vaccine, - I am NOT have a very good day!

[iris lilies]

My mother insisted they give the smallpox vaccine on my butt or thigh so that I wouldnt have a scar.