Rabies

[HuckleberryBlackcurrant]

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.

Rabies is something everyone needs to be aware of. Yes our chances of catching it in the UK are slim but not nil, plus many Brits travel abroad to countries where rabies is endemic. I'm pleased this thread has helped more people understand about the disease, yes it's uncommon but it is devastating and a horrendous way to die.

Thanks for your understanding. I must have assumed UK when you clearly stated US in your op. My fault for skim reading.

”I am an accountant, I would not dream of posting about how I cannot believe how many people are uninformed about double entry book keeping”

Yeah but there are no public health campaigns and posters in vets/airports/docks about double entry book keeping, is there?

Literally 2nd sentence of the OP says We live in the US. Rabies is something that I learned about as a child, my children learned and it is common in many countries. Again people just want to live in their little bubble and never learn or educated themselves about anything that does not directly affect them. That is all very well but if you don't know about something don't come on to a thread with misinformation or just to be a dick.

I suspect quite a lot of people think it’s something you only catch from dogs.

If you are an accountant, try reading more carefully. OP’s posts told you everything you needed to know.

Because they spend too much time watching love island to know stuff. Or if you you don’t know, just stay quiet. Rather than make yourself look like a moron, like all the bat lovers on this thread have done.

@rainbowunicorn

I wasn't seeking help. I was seeking support and sympathy. I literally mention in the second sentence of my original post that we are in the US.

What is disingenuous is people criticizing me as if they are knowledgeable about the subject but clearly haven't done a 30 second Google search.

I wasn't expecting people to be rabies experts. But I also think people can just keep quiet if they don't know much about a topic, rather than trying to rip someone to shreds.

I am British, and I like to post here as I can relate to a lot of you better than the American boards.

There are many posts on here describing situations I have never experienced. If I don't understand a particular topic, I either stay out of it or educate myself.

There's no need to gatekeep and imply I shouldn't be able to post on here if everything isn't taking place in the UK. We are all human beings.

@rainbowunicorn

And yes, I probably intended to be condescending to be honest. Towards those people who made us out to be some kind of hysterical animal abusers when they clearly have no idea of the situation. Which I described very clearly. And which if they didn't understand, they could simply move on from, or do 5 minutes of research if they were interested to learn.

@HuckleberryBlackcurrant Maybe check who you are quoting. I was supporting you and had quoted someone who was not. If you look at my posts younwill see thus.

@rainbowunicorn so sorry! That is my bad. I'm not sure how to edit it.

@Aprilx

Those 2 posts were intended to be directed towards you.

@HuckleberryBlackcurrant You will find that the person Gatekeeping as you put it was Aprilx

@rainbowunicorn

I am sorry! I made a mistake and didn't read the username properly

@HuckleberryBlackcurrant No problem. I hope you get the results soon and that you can stop worrying. Must be very stressful.

Have a think about what the OP is going through right now. Really think how it might feel if you think you might have rabies, and your kids too. The stress and mental anguish she is experiencing. And maybe be a little less harsh?

Sigh. What’s wrong with people.

That's crazy of so! Cats , ferrets, horses {Yes, horses} and a myriad more creatures.
This Coyote is frightening.. it is likely in the latter stages of rabies - no fear of humans.

No results so far. I think they close in 2 hrs. I'm 7 hrs behind GMT here.

Fingers hugely crossed for you and your Family, Huckleberry...Been thinking of you. 🤞

The lab called! The bat is negative! We are so relieved. Now can focus on baby arriving in 2.5 weeks!

Oh good!

So happy for you Huckleberry!

Thank goodness OP! I've been following this thread too and so glad it was negative. Phew! Best of luck with the rest of the pregnancy OP x

Phew. What a relief for you all.

Thanks everyone. I never knew I'd be so excited to get news about a bat haha. Breathing a huge sigh of relief. We have had such a shitty couple of months and so many things have gone wrong. I'm glad this wasn't the icing on the cake.

Fantastic news! thank you for updating. good luck with everything else for you and your family in the future.