From:
daneedv
Date: 2001-12-16 15:44:00 UTC
Subject: Re: Bites, rabies, and ER docs..... my 2 cents for what its
worth!
--- In Ferret-Health-list@y..., WhipStaff Ranch
<whipstaff_ranch@y...> wrote:
<snip>
> Everytime it happens, the doc at the ER, if it is bad
> enough to require stitches, tells me the same thing...
>
> The chance of developing rabies from the bite of an
> animal is so minimal that most docs, at least in
> Minnesota, do not consider this as a worry. The worry
> instead is the danger of pastuerella infection. This
> is true with all carnivores, but particularily cats...
>
I guess it depends on where you live. Here in Northern VA we have
major rabies problems. Almost every year, there are several foxes,
skunks, and or raccoons killed in my neighborhood that test positive
for rabies. Any animal bite requires that the animal be quarentined
or killed and tested, or if that is not possible, that the person
receive shots. But, I know that other parts of the country have a
very low incidence of rabies. So, what may be a rule of thumb in one
area may not apply somewhere else.
Danee