#Rabies Titer test

[carryeryhare]

Rabies Titer Test For Dogs

[ask-a-vetblr]

Hi I’m starting a book set in Australia (I’m an Aussie!) and it’s about Rabies getting loose in Australia but going to be like a sci/fi and horror novel. I thought I’d ask actual vets if you knew what could happen if rabies got loose in Australia?

gettingvetted here.

Our founder and native Aussie, drferox, is on hiatus, so I will give this a go.

Unfortunately for your book, rabies is one of the easiest diseases to control and eradicate, especially on a small scale and especially if you know the animal of origin. Vaccinations literally have to be upwards of 95% effective (at least in the US) in order to become licensed for use, and the immunity derived from rabies vaccines is long lasting at 1-3 years at minimum; it probably lasts longer but official studies to license vaccines for that long have not been done due to expense. Likewise, the vaccines are usually inexpensive compared to other vaccines like Lyme, as you can vaccinate a cat or dog for 3 years for roughly $25 per vaccine. You typically have plenty of time (weeks to months) after a possible exposure to determine if the biting animal is rabid, and even if you never find that out, rabies vaccination will prevent rabies in an exposed individual as long as they themselves are not showing symptoms (aka, there's a handful of known rabies positive animals in the country and you/your dog just got bitten by a kangaroo? get vaccinated, you're going to be fine even if they can't find the kangaroo again). The symptoms are pretty obvious and pretty classic, making the animal easily identifiable even among its peers, and once the stage of being symptomatic has arrived and thus transmission is possible, the animal will die in a handful of days, thus self-limiting the spread. The only "treatment" is humane euthanasia and as wildlife are the usual reservoir of the virus, there isn't much of an uproar when a select few are euthanized for testing or prevention each year. An interesting factoid is that while the US still has rabies, we *only* have wildlife strains present (not canine rabies). So even if a dog gets rabies from another dog, they will still have acquired skunk, bat, or raccoon strains of rabies. This is due to years of regulating that cats, dogs, and ferrets (domesticated carnivores) be vaccinated for rabies and euthanized for biting if unvaccinated until the canine strain was eradicated. Canine rabies is still an issue in countries with lots of feral dogs.

As a vet in the US, it is a MAJOR headache to ship animals from rabies-endemic areas to non-rabies-endemic areas. Even Hawaii is extremely difficult to pull off. Not only do they have to be vaccinated early (usually within 6 months of travel), they also often have to have rabies titers performed within the same time frame or sometimes even closer to the travel date. An extended quarantine period (I seem to recall that it is 6 months in some cases?) is also required prior to entry for countries such as Australia so that even if the rabies vaccination and titers were incorrect or forged and the animal has rabies, they would still show symptoms prior to entry into the country. Also, while unrelated to rabies, Australia requires veterinarians (not animal owners) to personally administer very specific parasite prevention to animals at very specific intervals to prevent certain parasites from entering the country too, so the amount of prep work required for export itself is often long enough such that if the animal had rabies, you would find out before they left the country. The regulations also differ depending on country of origin - countries with less control over their rabies status are either banned from importing animals or face even stricter import regulations. If any of these steps are performed incorrectly or without pristine official evidence of doing so, the animal gets right back on the plane and goes back to its country of origin, or is held in official government quarantine at customs. So it would be quite difficult to get a rabid animal into the country. Humans are a different story of course, so that may be the best way to bring rabies into Australia in your story. However, humans getting rabies is extremely rare, and considering the excellent healthcare in AUS, a human would probably seek care and be diagnosed before they could become insane enough to start biting wildlife (again, the only real scenario I could think of that could feasibly bring rabies to AUS, because if a rabies positive human bit another human or even a dog, you simply vaccinate that human or dog for rabies and they will be fine).

So, let's assume that you got rabies into the country and a handful of wild animals of various species are exposed. We'll even assume that it was a dog that somehow brought it in despite all the red tape designed to make it impossible, and that dog is ownerless or escaped so there is nobody to tell officials what type or how many animals it bit before it died of its symptoms. It would probably take a significant amount of time for anyone to figure out what was going on. Vets who are educated in countries that have endemic rabies are taught that any animal with any neurologic symptoms should be treated as if they have rabies unless they recover. I.e., if a neurologic animal dies without a definitive diagnosis of some other neurologic disease (such as EPM, distemper, etc) and especially if that animal is unvaccinated for rabies, you MUST assume they had rabies and send them for postmortem testing so that any human or animal who was exposed to the potentially rabid animal can be vaccinated if necessary. However, vets who are educated in non-endemic countries are of course aware of the disease, but probably wouldn't have it on their radar for a neurologic animal. It would probably take a few wildlife or pet animal cases being sent for necropsy and testing after sudden neurologic death before rabies was diagnosed, which probably wouldn't happen until a few months to a year after the first case arrived in the country, at the earliest. Then a few things would happen.

First, the owners of the pet animals and the organizations dealing with wildlife would be extensively interviewed to determine location and possibly the species of animal that bit the now-dead-and-necropsied rabid animal. These areas would be surveyed extensively and unfortunately a lot of local wildlife mammals would probably be preventively eradicated especially if positive cases were found in a given species. Import/export of ANY animals from the country would be immediately halted and mandatory vaccination of all owned animals in the country would likely be established and enforced. Travel of humans likely wouldn't be stopped, but rabies vaccination would be added to the list of recommended vaccines for travel to AUS, similar to malaria vaccines in endemic countries. Again, the excellent and affordable healthcare system of AUS (at least compared to the US) would probably lead many or most Australians to be vaccinated for rabies prophylactially, which can cost thousands of dollars in the US and is usually not covered by health insurance. There would probably be a huge push for vaccination of wildlife with rabies vaccines dropped from aircraft, which could be done both within the area that suspected exposed or definitively positive animals have been found, as well as a radius around those areas as prevention. Vets would be mandated to report any neurologic or behaviorally abnormal animal even if rabies wasn't the suspected cause, and unfortunately would likely be forced to euthanize many animals that were not rabid. There is a chance that with these measures, rabies could be eradicated, but it wouldn't be certain, probably ever. Longer term, surveillance measures would be taken (and I don't mean surveillance like the FBI, I mean epidemiologic surveillance such as monitoring cases that pop up and physically checking on and sampling the typical populations of wildlife that carry the disease). Regardless, it would be extremely difficult to cause any kind of fatal epidemic using a standard rabies virus. Ounce of prevention/pound of cure and all that, but Australia currently chooses a pound of prevention.

Definitely an interesting concept for a book, but I would go with a carnivore parvovirus or canine distemper virus that mutates quickly enough that it can't be vaccinated for, and is transmissible from animals to humans. Parvovirus, specifically, is extremely hardy in the environment and is far more contagious than rabies. Without effective vaccines, I'm betting that either distemper or parvo would cause more death than the plague, especially among pediatrics. I'm not familiar with hendravirus given that we don't have it in the US, but to my knowledge that is also a horrific and contagious disease that is already present in AUS.

Hope this helps!

[gettingvetted]

re: your last post with the serval and "she wasn't 75% housecat so it wouldn't work" Is it just that the rabies vaccine hasn't been tested and studied on wild animals of the same taxonomic family that it's not accepted? Or has it been tested and does it full out just not work and thus can't be trusted? This is wildly interesting and I'm very invested lol

Most drugs used on animals are used in an off-label manner, meaning that the drug is not approved/studied for either the species it is being used on or the reason for which it is being used. For example, most brands of pentobarbital (the euthanasia drug used by most vets) are only labeled for use in dogs only (you might see it labeled for horses and dogs but this is uncommon). We still use it on cats, cows, rabbits, chickens, zoo animals, etc, and it works just fine. Same with many antibiotics - most do not have animal labels and we use them anyway. One particular anti-vomiting medication for cats and dogs is frequently used to help with coughing and sneezing, joint supplements can be infused into the bladder to help with sterile inflammation, etc. The possibilities are endless and it seems like I learn new options every day on veterinary forums.

This is about 99.5% legal in cats/dogs/most exotic pets/zoo animals with a rare exception here and there. Animals that produce or become food such as chickens, cattle, goats, etc have stricter rules to make sure none of the drugs end up in the food supply, but a good portion of it is still legal with asterisks.

Vaccines are slightly different. In most cases, the viruses and bacteria that cause diseases are the same between animals. So even if a distemper vaccine is only licensed for dogs, you can pretty well assume that the virus is the same when it crops up in ferrets and raccoons. The variability comes in with how long immunity lasts, how much vaccine to use, and whether immunity will develop at all. For example, horses need double the dose of rabies vaccine of most other species and need to be vaccinated yearly, even if the vaccine's label for dogs and cats states that it lasts for 3 years. It's doubtful that immunity lasts even a year, as horses typically produce very poor immune responses to vaccines. And those are just the species we have data for.

When it comes to the possibility of transmitting a 100% fatal disease to humans from animals, absolutely zero chances are taken. So while it is legal, and encouraged, to vaccinate the majority of captive mammals for rabies, it's impossible to tell what or how much protection exists in each species as a result of vaccines that are only extensively studied in cats/dogs/ferrets. This is why many GP clinics outright refuse to work with hybrids like wolfdogs and high percentage savannah cats, because any bite of a staff member or client requires euthanasia of the animal and the resulting staff medical bills may not be covered under workman's comp and/or practice liability insurance if you don't have a rider for working with wildlife. Even antibody titers to rabies, while measurable, are not considered proof of vaccination or immunity, because we don't know what level of antibody titer correlates to immunity across species. Vet staff who are vaccinated for rabies are theoretically supposed to get titers every 2 years, but this only informs whether boosters are needed. Even a person with a normal titer should receive post-exposure rabies shots if they are bitten by an animal with any possibility of rabies. That's how seriously rabies is taken, for good reason

[zooophagous]

It seems a lot more common these days to get titer testing instead of rabies shots. For SOME reason

I'm not even opposed to that because at least it's something. The shot is probably cheaper but if your pet has a bad reaction to it a titre isn't an awful idea. Its NEVER doing it I have an issue with.

[fellshot]

Even if you have the pre-exposure rabies vaccine series, you still need to do the post exposure shots (you might not have to do as many) and you will be tested for titers afterwards (which you should be doing at normal MD visits anyway).

Swift action and the vaccines are one of medicine’s “cheat the reaper” codes. The odds of surviving symptomatic rabies are vanishingly small.

SHIT.

Please reblog!

[dr-g-mobile-vet1]

Titer Testing: A Smarter Way to Protect Your Pets

Worried about over-vaccinating your dog or cat? Titer testing is a simple blood test that checks their immunity levels against diseases like rabies, distemper, and parvovirus. It helps you decide if your pet needs a vaccine or is already protected, Titer Testing for Dogs and Cats ensuring their health and safety without unnecessary shots. Give your furry friend the care they deserve! Talk to your vet about titer testing today and share this post to inform fellow pet parents!

For More Information Visit Here: https://drgmobilevet.com.au/integrative-medicine/

Email: reception@drgmobilevet.com.au 

Phone: 0423312532

[bednbiscuits]

Things to remember when you pet travel in Bahrain

When waiting for a pet, your feelings can go up and down. Having your furry friend jump into your lap at home can make you very happy but also make you nervous, especially regarding the steps needed for Bahrain pet import. But don’t worry—we’ll help you figure out how to use IATA to travel with your pet in Bahrain.

We shall even get into the details so you remain informed as usual.

Rules and paperwork needed to bring dogs and cats into the country:

Pets that come to Bahrain must go through manifest luggage.

Your pet must have a tag and be up to date on their rabies shot, as well as DHPPL for dogs and rabies plus. Rhinotracheitis in cats, also known as Tricat for cats.

Pets must have a government health certificate or a note from a government vet, based on where they are from.

You can’t ship kitty and puppy puppies until they’ve had their rabies shot. One must give it when they are twelve weeks old and wait at least four weeks afterward. However, when they are chipped, they should all have an ISO 11784/11785 pet microchip with 15 digits that is not encrypted.

Permit to Import in Bahrain.

Rabies titer test is a requirement. However, it depends on the exporting country.

Note: Currently, the USDA and Bahrain’s Ministry of Agriculture and Animal Welfare agree that US pets with military memos do not need rabies blood test

Red flags to watch out to point at pet scammers

They want to be paid directly by Western Union, MoneyGram, or another service.

They use free email apps like Yahoo and Gmail.

If they do, they will only give you a straight phone number; it will probably be a number in West Africa, and they answer the phone infrequently.

Their email needs better spelling and language. e.

Then, Where do you import your pets from?

Beds-N-Biscuits is your pet’s home away from home. We are proud to be members of IPATA, and Bahrain’s Ministry of Agriculture and Animal Welfare has granted us all the licenses and approvals we need to operate. We proudly provide a complete door-to-door pet moving service that ensures their care during the move.

Our expert staff will make your pet’s vacation easy. We handle everything from sophisticated planning to professional assistance to the small but crucial steps. No job is too small to keep your pets safe and healthy.

Planning your pet’s journey is our passion. We go above and beyond because we know your dogs are family. We have partners and agents worldwide so that we can handle and supply services practically anywhere better than anybody else.

We don’t only ship pets internationally. Bring your pet to us for all its needs—we offer the most excellent equipment and service. Grooming, a well-stocked pet store, expert trainers and handlers, and, most importantly, pet owners’ trust is available. We have everything your pet needs. To know more, visit our website!

[carryeryhare]

What are the Symptoms of Rabies in Pets?

[ask-a-vetblr]

I want to become a veterinarian who specialises in small animals and maybe open up my own practice one day. I know that it is best for vets to get rabies vaccines, but I am worried that mine wont work since I have a history of vaccines just straight up not giving me immunity. I have had some vaccines more than once and titers still showed no immunity. This is also combined with how I sometimes experience awful side effects from vaccines. Would this be something to worry about for a small animals vet? If my doctor decided trying to vaccinate against rabies is too risky, would I be still able to work? Are there laws in any countries that enforce vets to get a rabies vaccine in order to work?

Hi, Sueanoi here.

For where I work, where rabies is endemic and is always a concern, rabies vaccine for vet is only a "recommendation" and not a "rule". I personally joined an experimental research for rabies vaccine in vet, so I have had my titer checked for free. I later get bit like twice a year during my early practice because of how careless I was. Which means I had to get boosters relatively very often compared to other vets who are better at dodging that I am.

The point is: titer test for rabies are available. It's quite costly, but it's there if you need to check. If you truly do not develop titer, anti-rabies serum is still a treatment that works well for a post-exposure patient in case you get bit. but it is much more costly, and more painful, than vaccines. (And I heard there's more risk of allergic reaction than vaccine too, this info needs fact check, however.)

Lastly, I recommend that you check your local laws regarding this issue. and whether or not rabies is endemic in your country is an important factor of your risk.

I don't think this means you can't become a vet. But your best bet is "DO NOT GET BIT" (Or get painful and costly treatment every time), which... is really difficult to count on, because accidents can happen at any time.

[cbk1000]

msstarlight There was a whole argument on our local facebook group a while back between a person who was looking for a vet that wouldn't require her to vaccinate her dogs and everyone else trying to prove to her that, in fact, not vaccinating for rabies is kind of against state law.

The writer of the articles my dad keeps sending is not advocating wholly against vaccination, but against most vaccines except rabies and parvo and I think distemper, and states that instead of revaccinating, you should do titer tests that detect antibodies in the blood. (Btw, googled these, and they can be quite expensive.) He also recommended taking your pets to holistic vets because conventional vets push vaccines because they make Big Money off them and only care about that even though they're harmful to your pet's health. (Btw, the price I pay at my vet for a check-up and vaccines, if they're due, is less than the cost of this test he's advocating for.) So, he's criticizing conventional vets for being financially-motivated, while urging people to bring their pets to people like him instead, where they'll have expensive blood tests and also be given 'detox' medicines after their vaccination. I wish my dad would be a little more skeptical about stuff like this and realise that this person ALSO has a financial incentive for giving that particular advice. Also, yeah, my first thought was, "Dude does know rabies vaccines are required by law to be given regularly, yeah?"

My concern here is not so much that he's saying, "Never vaccinate your pets ever" because he isn't, but rather that the article headlines are things like, "Why Vaccinating Your Pets Is More Dangerous Than You Think" and the body of the article tells people they should only use holistic vets who will detox your pet and test them for antibodies instead of just giving them boosters. People who buy into this and don't have access to a holistic vet (and that would be many owners, I'm sure) will very likely not vaccinate at all 'to be on the safe side' since he's saying vaccinations are dangerous and should only be done by a holistic vet who cares about your pet's health, unlike those money-grubbing conventional vets. I was just reading an article the other day on rising vaccine hesitancy in pet owners and how an alarming number of people are not vaccinating their pets, and concerns regarding the possibility for rabies outbreaks.

[son-of-spiders]

The rabies vaccine is also one of the most convenient timeline- and cost-wise? The first dose covers for 1 year, and after that, all subsequent shots cover for 3 years. 3 years! That's pretty damn good for a $20-40 shot!

We have clients who insist on doing rabies titers (which easily cost $120+) instead of vaccinating on the recommended schedule. If your dog bites someone, a rabies titer means nothing in court -- at least in my state, and many others. If their rabies vaccine isn't up to date, the dog can be euthanized for testing. The titer will not protect them.

Further, rabies is ugly and 100% fatal. You are not saving your dog if they contract rabies. They will either be humanely euthanized or suffer a slow, agonizing death. Rabies cannot be treated -- but it can be prevented.

Istg, if I ever get rabies because some dumb ass antivaxxer refused to vaccinate their dog, I’ll probably be doing the rest of my blogging from prison because I promise you, Imma curbstomp the shit out of the owner

[airpetsrelocationservices]

Relocating Pets to Gibraltar

Gibraltar is a British Overseas Territory and headland, on Spain's south coast. Gibraltar is a destination of sunshine and radiation with its Mediterranean climate. It has an amazing history, it is home to Europe's only wild monkeys and duty-free shopping, and it offers some of the most beautiful views of the Mediterranean ocean. 

Gibraltar is also a pet-friendly destination to travel to. While relocating with pets, it is important to keep the following things in mind- 

The first step is to microchip your pet with a 15-digit ISO-compliant pet microchip.

All pets must have proof of the rabies vaccine administered after microchipping.

A rabies titer test is mandatory. All samples must be processed at approved laboratories. Assuming test results within acceptable limits, your pet can enter Gibraltar no sooner than 3 calendar months after the date the blood was drawn and avoid quarantine.

Non-Commercial Transport: the owner or a legal representative of the owner is travelling with or within 05 days of the pet and the transport does not involve purchase, sale or transfer of ownership...Read more

[solutionforpets]

Benefits of Vaccinating Your Pets

Vaccinating your pets has many advantages, such as protection from various illnesses, extending their lives, and avoiding costly treatments.

Vaccines provide critical protection against serious diseases like rabies and canine influenza. These illnesses can result in life-threatening conditions or even death, so having your dog on a vaccination schedule is essential for their overall wellbeing.

A vaccine activates your pet's immune system to produce antibodies that combat disease-causing organisms. This shield of protection, known as immunity, is built up over time through repeated injections.

These shots are safe for your pet and the majority of them have no major side effects. Your veterinarian can give more details on which vaccines your pet requires, as well as suggest a good vaccination schedule that keeps them protected and healthy.

Immunity is built up over time, so it's critical that your pet receives all of their vaccinations in order to be fully protected. The more immunity your pet has, the better equipped they will be to fight off diseases in the future.

Your vet can advise you on which vaccines your pet requires and how often they should get them, depending on their age and lifestyle. They'll also be able to create a convenient schedule that's both easy for you and your furry friend to follow.

Vaccination is the most economical and efficient way to care for your pet, as it helps prevent costly illness and treatment. Furthermore, vaccination can help spare you the heartache of losing a beloved pet due to disease that could have been avoided with just a few shots.

Vaccinations are also an excellent way to save money on insurance and avoid hospitalization for chronic illness or severe injuries. Furthermore, vaccinations help guard against cancer, diabetes, and other chronic diseases that could otherwise develop later in your pet's lifetime.

Most common pet diseases are caused by an impaired immune system, so vaccination is an important way to help strengthen your pet's defenses. This is especially important for puppies and kittens.

It's especially essential for them to receive these vaccinations as they are still developing their immune systems and more susceptible to serious illness. The vaccines contain a weak or partial version of the pathogen which triggers an immune response in your pet.

Your veterinarian can assist in selecting the appropriate vaccines for your pet and explaining their effects. Understanding these facts is essential in making an informed decision regarding your pet's healthcare.

A critical element of any vaccine program is the antibody titer test, a blood test to measure how much immunity your pet has gained from vaccination. This test helps ensure that they have a robust enough immune system to respond appropriately to the vaccine and should be done annually to guarantee adequate protection.

[doberbutts]

I did address this in the reblogs but at 26k it's a little buried.

Human dosing vs other animal dosing can vary wildly. For a non-vaccine example, two otc benadryl at 25mg each (50mg total) twice per day (100mg daily total) knocks me on my ass. I'm roughly 200lbs. My 100lb dog takes 4 (100mg total) three times per day (300mg daily total) during an allergic reaction and is kinda tired.

In a different example, I can take tylenol and alieve and my dogs cannot or they could die.

We're different types of animals, so different reactions to drugs are to be expected. After all, we also can eat grapes, onions, garlic, chocolate, and artificial sweetners and those things are all potentially deadly to our canine pals depending on how much they eat vs their size. Meanwhile dogs are perfectly capable of digesting raw meats, bones, organs, blood, poop, even in semi-decomposed states due to their scavenging nature (even though personally I wouldn't recommend letting your pet eat rotten meat or literal actual feces, street dogs eat whatever they pull out of the garbage).

There are negative side effects to the rabies vaccine in our pets. Animals are frequently stoic, and obviously can't talk, so things are a little more subtle for the most part. Depression, lethargy, and irritability (all common signs of pain in our pets), vaccine-site redness/soreness/swelling, occasionally in rare cases diarrhea, vomiting, facial swelling, and difficulty breathing (usually signs of an allergic reaction). These side effects are often cited as the reason not to want to vaccinate for rabies. In most cases these are resolved within 24 hours and the longest I've seen a side effect last (vaccine-site swelling) was about a week. Personally I think 1 to 7 days of feeling crummy are worth the protection offered.

Very old and very sick pets as well as pets with extreme life-threatening reactions are more likely to be granted legal exemption from mandated rabies vaccines, but that does not spare them from the ultimate fate of getting their heads cut off if ever rabies risk comes into question. When we do this at work for clients, we explain to them the legal risk- even though their ancient 16 year old dog with stage 4 cancer probably isn't going to fight a raccoon or bite the mailman, if those things happen and there is no valid rabies vaccination, they will still be required to at minimum quarantine and at worst be destroyed so their brain can be biopsied.

Rabies vaccinations for humans are pretty expensive to make, but I don't know what makes them so pricey. I also don't know the re-vaccination timeline but I do know there is one. Certain vaccinations inject a weakened version of the virus so your body can fight it off, other vaccinations use a dead or mostly-destroyed version of the virus, and others use only a piece of the virus. Depending on which version and which virus, you may only need one jab in your entire life or you may need to booster as often as every 6 months. This is also the case for pets. The rabies vaccination uses the dead virus- it can't give you rabies, but it can teach your body how to fight it.

Rabies, like other viruses, evolves and has multiple variants. Luckily, the vaccination seems to be effective for all known variants at this time. But re-vaccination also helps "remind" your immune system of how to defend against it in case it begins to "forget" and lose antibodies, which it can over time. In some states, after the first course (yearly), you can switch to every three years with dogs and cats because it typically only starts to lose effectiveness after more than 3-5 years. We can test this with titers, but titers are very expensive and have no legal standing to protect your pet from decapitation if exposure happens. This is because we've seen animals with positive titers (meaning there are at least some antibodies against rabies present in the blood) still become symptomatic and contagious after exposure (see oft-mentioned study with mice and bats and aerosolized rabies) so it's important to stay on schedule.

Lastly, rabies shots aren't treated like chicken pox or measles despite imo being a far more deadly disease, for the simple reason that the risk is entirely avoidable. Don't touch any non-human mammal you can't verify vaccine status of. If you HAVE to touch, use proper PPE- bite gloves, muzzles, rabies poles, etc. Doing a good deed and saving a confused and disoriented possum* from the dogs in your yard is a nice thought, but maybe usher it along with something other than your hands and then sanitize the fuck out of everything you saw it touch on its way out. Go to the hospital immediately if you disregarded those rules or if an unknown mammal charged at you and attacked you while you were minding your own business. Any bat you find in your house should be treated like it bit you unless you personally watched it come in and know for a 100% fact that it didn't bite you- bat bites frequently don't leave marks or draw blood, so randomly finding a bat should be treated like it bit you regardless of any evidence to say yes or no.

*American possums do not frequently have rabies but contrary to popular belief can, in theory, still have it and so should still be treated with caution. Their body temperatures are very low and it's difficult for the virus to survive in that state, but not impossible. ANY AND ALL visibly disoriented and neurological mammals should be treated as though they have rabies as that is a major symptom in both "dumb rabies" and "furious rabies" stages. This possum was in a friend's yard and I scooped it up with a shovel and brought it out to the woods, and then bleached the fuck out of the shovel and everything else it touched. It was walking like it was drunk and having a hard time climbing her fence. More likely it was either hit by a car with brain damage or had EPM, but you can never be too careful.

Man but the notes on that post really are just tumblr showing they have no idea how anything works.

"report to your local animal abuse people not to cops" local animal abuse people would be animal control. Animal control officers are cops.

"rabies is treatable if you go to the doctor right after the bite" rabies is PREVENTABLE, not treatable. There is no cure for rabies. If you suspect you came into contact with a rabid animal, you need to get a series of rabies vaccinations to prevent the virus from taking over your body. This is not a treatment and it only works if you go right away. If you show any symptoms of rabies it is too late.

"rabies is fatal in animals but treatable in humans" rabies has a 100% fatality rate and is not considered a survivable disease at this point in time. If you contract rabies YOU WILL DIE. The "treatment" in humans is called the Milwaukee Protocol, only 14% of people survive it, and it leaves you with massive brain damage and effectively turns you into a vegetable. You do not return to a normal life afterwards. Very few people who have undergone this process are capable of doing more than laying in a hospital bed and eating and breathing through tubes. To my knowledge only one person was able to live a semi-normal life after years and years of ongoing therapy and was not expected to have made it even through her first year after treatment.

I cannot stress enough how rabies is unlike any other disease you may be thinking of. It's required on a federal level in this country to vaccinate pretty much any domestic animal that comes into contact with wildlife for one reason and one reason only: it is not considered possible to cure rabies and the spread of disease would threaten all mammalian life including our own if allowed to continue to propagate.

[dr-g-mobile-vet1]

Protect Your Pets with Vaccines and Titer Testing

Keeping your pets healthy starts with the right care! Vaccines safeguard Dogs and cats Vaccines and Titer Testing against serious diseases like rabies and distemper. Titer testing is a great alternative to check immunity levels, ensuring your furry friends stay protected without over-vaccination. Tailor their healthcare to meet their unique needs. Speak to your vet today about vaccines and titer testing to give your pets the best life possible! Share this to spread awareness among pet parents!

For More Information Visit Here: https://drgmobilevet.com.au/integrative-medicine/

Email: reception@drgmobilevet.com.au 

Phone: 0423312532

[vet-student]

If you're escaping Ukraine with your pet to the EU, it currently DOES NOT HAVE TO BE serologically tested for anti-rabies antibody titers!!