Rabies and stray animals

[Wee Mite Miniatures]

Please be careful with stray animals. My granddaughters, who live with me, were visiting their other grandmother.

Four weeks ago she found two stray kittens in the some bushes. She had them in her home for a week until she found them homes. My granddaughters played with the kittens while visiting her.

She found out this week one of the kittens died 2 1/2 weeks after leaving her house, 5 days ago. The other kitten is still healthy. Since they do not know when the dead kitten contracted rabies they are recommending that every one in contact with it over the last month consider rabies shots. My granddaughters got their first three shots today and they are hurting from them.

They are very lucky they did not show signs of rabies before we found out the kitten had rabies. It is possible the kitten contracted it after it left their grandmothers and we do not know that they were scratched or bitten by them but we are not taking an chances.

 

[AppyLover2]

I'm sorry your grand daughters have to have shots - it's never fun. But with something as serious as rabies, I agree, there really isn't any choice.

 

[Minimor]

I can understand they don't want to take any chances with the children, but a rabid animal transmits the rabies virus only in the last 10 days of its life, so anyone handling the kittens over 2 weeks prior to their deaths probably isn't at risk.

It may take weeks or even months for an animal to show signs of illness after being infected with rabies, but up until those last 10 days it's not contagious.

 

[chandab]

I can understand they don't want to take any chances with the children, but a rabid animal transmits the rabies virus only in the last 10 days of its life, so anyone handling the kittens over 2 weeks prior to their deaths probably isn't at risk.
It may take weeks or even months for an animal to show signs of illness after being infected with rabies, but up until those last 10 days it's not contagious.

Wow, that's good to know, and not something I had heard before about rabies.

 

[Boinky]

that's not really exactly completely correct from my experience. I was exposed to a rabid horse and the CDC told me they hadn't seen it in horses enough (and i'm assuming it might be true for small animals too but they just don't want to admit it) to know how it truly ran it's course and it could indeed possibly be transmitted before those 10 days (horse had a nasty respritory infection we had been treating). it was kind of scarey talking to them about what they DIDN'T know about it for certain after always hearing the 10 day thing.

I feel for your granddaughters. those first shots hurt really bad..then the once a week for 4 weeks after (assuming they still doi t tha way) were nasty too. i was quite allergic to the weekly ones and had to premedicate with anithistimines heavily. They also made my joints and stuff hurt really bad. The options were that I really should have the shots even though the negative side effects of being allergic were quite bad. Hope your granddaughters feel better soon as I can totally relate!

 

[Minimor]

It's said to be true of cats, dogs and ferrets--they've done enough research on those 3 species to say for sure. I've been old this also applies to some other animals, but those "other" animals weren't specified.

http://www.cdc.gov/rabies/exposure/types.html

That site says horses are to be considered individually; here in the past (not that I've known many rabid horses!!) horses have been treated that same way--within 10 days of death.

With so many cases of rabies in cats & dogs over the years I guess they are confident of how the disease progresses in those species.

 

[~Lisa~]

I can understand they don't want to take any chances with the children, but a rabid animal transmits the rabies virus only in the last 10 days of its life, so anyone handling the kittens over 2 weeks prior to their deaths probably isn't at risk.
It may take weeks or even months for an animal to show signs of illness after being infected with rabies, but up until those last 10 days it's not contagious.

Wow thanks so much that really does help out and is good to know

 

[txminipinto]

Minimor is correct. Though its best to be safe than sorry!