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Original poster

Rabies

290 replies

HuckleberryBlackcurrant · 23/07/2023 06:46

We found a bat in our spare room today. We live in the US. It is currently triple bagged in our refrigerator waiting to be sent to the health authority for analysis for rabies. We won't know if the bat is rabid until Wednesday. We are terrified. We have no idea when or how it got in. We have 2 kids and I am 37 weeks pregnant.

Apparently rabies vaccinations can cost thousands of dollars which we really can't afford right now .

If you believe in the power of prayer please send one up for us. We are very very scared.

OP posts:
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Winederlust · 23/07/2023 21:56

CoachBeardsJane · 23/07/2023 07:55

THIS!

Can people stop taking the piss out of op. We're incredibly lucky to live in a country where it's incredibly rare to encounter a rabid animal and if you did it is free for the vaccines.

In the us they have rabies in the wild and the vaccine course can cost thousands per person.

If you're ever asleep in a room with a bat you have to act as though you've been bitten because the teeth are so small you might not wake up and you really won't notice the bite marks.

Show quote history

This x 2!

Justcallmebebes · 23/07/2023 21:56

You killed a bat, double bagged it and put it in your freezer?? That's awful, what's wrong with you?

StefanosHill · 23/07/2023 21:51

AxolotlOnions · 23/07/2023 21:01

If you find a dead one you send it in for testing, I've done it myself. You don't deliberately kill them! You had nothing to fear if you'd just stayed away, the bat was clearly in far more danger.

But it’s going to be killed to be tested anyway

Original poster
HuckleberryBlackcurrant · 23/07/2023 21:48

@xPeaceXx
Thanks I will. Hopefully we hear on Tuesday.

OP posts:
xPeaceXx · 23/07/2023 21:45

Omg

@HuckleberryBlackcurrant I wouldn't give a shit about the bat. Hope the tests come back clear. Please update us.

oakleaffy · 23/07/2023 21:43

Isntthisniceandnew · 23/07/2023 17:55

One of the signs of a rabid animal is they approach humans/become uninhibited.

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Like this rabid fox....NY, USA. Tested positive for Rabies.

Rabies-Infected Fox Attacks Woman

A rabid fox attacked a woman outside of her New York home. Sherri Russo was in her front yard when a fox started to viciously attack her. As she tried to bre...

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e-gXkm_WcZM

Original poster
HuckleberryBlackcurrant · 23/07/2023 21:40

@AxolotlOnions

As the bat was in our house for an undisclosed period of time, it was recommended to us to get it tested. So that's what we are doing. If it were outside or I had watched it fly into the house and knew where it had been at all times we would have of course let it be. It's not like we set out to hunt this bat down and kill it. We originally released it. But when we received advice to have it tested that's when my husband quickly killed it. It didn't suffer.

Anyway idk why I'm defending myself to someone who values a bat more than human beings.

OP posts:
AnSolas · 23/07/2023 21:33

AxolotlOnions · 23/07/2023 21:01

If you find a dead one you send it in for testing, I've done it myself. You don't deliberately kill them! You had nothing to fear if you'd just stayed away, the bat was clearly in far more danger.

Moving house and expecting the bat to make the monthly bank and utility payments is a crazy.

oakleaffy · 23/07/2023 21:29

AxolotlOnions · 23/07/2023 21:01

If you find a dead one you send it in for testing, I've done it myself. You don't deliberately kill them! You had nothing to fear if you'd just stayed away, the bat was clearly in far more danger.

Being as the brain has too be dissected, the bat has to be killed for testing anyway.

oakleaffy · 23/07/2023 21:28

AxolotlOnions · 23/07/2023 21:14

Also, I hope if wasn't one of the bats that is critically endangered or you could be looking at a very hefty fine.

No one would fine someone from killing a potentially rabid bat that has entered their home with children.

There would be a national outcry.

Don't be so ridiculous.

Tough luck on the bat- it entered someone's dwelling place- people have died of ''rescuing'' bats, by contracting rabies.

AxolotlOnions · 23/07/2023 21:14

Also, I hope if wasn't one of the bats that is critically endangered or you could be looking at a very hefty fine.

AxolotlOnions · 23/07/2023 21:01

If you find a dead one you send it in for testing, I've done it myself. You don't deliberately kill them! You had nothing to fear if you'd just stayed away, the bat was clearly in far more danger.

Doingtheboxerbeat · 23/07/2023 20:39

After reading the ignorance of the first page, I am relieved that this page has finally caught up. Rabies has to be the most horrendous way to go and I'm am flabbergasted at the lightness people were taking it.

Original poster
HuckleberryBlackcurrant · 23/07/2023 20:33

@AxolotlOnions
I don't see how it's a 'misplaced fear' when they are the main carrier of rabies here. We were advised to send it for testing by the health department so we are following that guidance.

OP posts:
Vinvertebrate · 23/07/2023 20:32

It’s informed me too. Dcat has brought home bats several times - they’ve always been dead, but I hadn’t realised the risk.

StefanosHill · 23/07/2023 20:24

This thread has informed me a fair bit. I looked up wiki and saw a video of hydrophobia and the rest

It all sounds horrendous

Vetoncall · 23/07/2023 20:20

You would not necessarily know you'd been bitten by a bat. This 21 year old from Vancouver Island didn't realise he'd been bitten and unfortunately contracted rabies in 2019.
https://www.google.com/amp/s/www.cbc.ca/amp/1.5213460

Very much hoping that the tests come back negative @HuckleberryBlackcurrant - I completely understand your worry.

Infected bat 'ran into' hand of B.C. man who later died from rabies: health officer | CBC News

A 21-year-old man who died from rabies after coming into contact with an infected bat on Vancouver Island this spring had a brush with the nocturnal mammal in an "unusual" daytime encounter, health officials said Tuesday.

https://www.google.com/amp/s/www.cbc.ca/amp/1.5213460

xyz111 · 23/07/2023 20:16

I'd be more concerned with not being able to afford a vaccination. People in the uk moan about the nhs and want the American model of healthcare. This proves we totally don't!

Hope everything tests negative for you Op

bellocchild · 23/07/2023 20:06

A quick note to say we in the UK have 18 species of resident bat, and that they are a protected species.

SeaToSki · 23/07/2023 20:06

Try calling your local pharmacy, I know that Walgreens round us have rabies vaccinations, so maybe one near you will and can let you know if its suitable for use in this case and specifically for you and the dc as well as your DH.

Ohhelpicantthinkofaname · 23/07/2023 20:04

Tillyteacup · 23/07/2023 15:11

You are being hysterical and your husband shouldn’t have killed the poor thing.

🤦‍♀️

AxolotlOnions · 23/07/2023 19:54

I'm not going to pray for you after you needlessly killed an innocent animal for no reason other than your own misplaced fear. Next time leave the poor little creature alone! Bat Got Into Your House? Here's What to Do - The New York Times (nytimes.com)

ForestGoblin · 23/07/2023 19:52

Bats in the UK carry rabies. A woman died of it a few years back after (iirc) ringing wild bats.

You'd know if you or family had been bitten, op, try not to worry. A bat wouldn't attack you, it would only bite if you were handling it.

FragrantBumFluff · 23/07/2023 19:47

I think personally I'd get the vaccine if I had no idea how long it had been in the house for especially if bedroom doors were open etc.

Surely your health insurance should cover it, especially for the kids?

Sending positive thoughts, remember the chances are still so slim Flowers

mindutopia · 23/07/2023 19:07

😂 I grew up in the US and we always had lots of bats (plus everything else that might have rabies, have you ever seen a raccoon? More than a bit terrifying, I got chased by a pack of them once!). Nothing to worry about. The first person I ever knew who’d ever had a rabies vaccine was my British Dh when we met living abroad and that was because we were so far from a major hospital in a developing country.

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