Sitting in the clinic refrigerator today
is a grim reminder of how dangerous injured and frightened animals can
be.
A neighborhood
feral cat shows up with severely injured back limbs, dehydrated and undoubtedly
suffering from exposure to the prolonged subzero temperatures. Once coaxed into
a travel crate, she is reluctant to leave. When her Good Samaritan tries to remove
her from her crate he is bit numerous times -- through the heavy work gloves he
wears.
Now we have a
horribly injured stray cat with no known history of rabies vaccination and
serious human exposure risk. When the helpful neighbors bring her in to the clinic
for evaluation the situation has changed from one of trying to figure out a way
to fix the kitty to making sure her rescuer doesn't die of rabies infection.
We know the
outcome for this poor kitty is not good the moment we peer into the crate. She
has extensive degloving injuries on her hind legs where the skin is stripped
off the muscle and sags down the limb like loose stockings. The toes on one
foot appear crushed. She is severely dehydrated, sadly debilitated. Even with
heroic efforts at medical and surgical salvage, her prognosis is grave.
In the best of
situations, if a stray kitty bites or scratches a person it needs to be
quarantined in an approved facility (like a veterinary clinic or animal control
shelter) where it is examined three times by a veterinarian over a 10-day
period. If the animal shows symptoms of rabies during this time, it must be
euthanized and its brain must be submitted for rabies testing. THERE IS NO
OTHER TEST FOR RABIES! If the animal does not show signs of rabies, it will be
vaccinated against rabies on day 10 and released.
Knowing what
must be done in this terrible situation, but hoping for an alternative, we call
the Wisconsin State
Lab of Hygiene and local animal control colleagues for confirmation.
The answer is the same from everyone of whom we ask the awful question. The
kitty must be put to sleep and her brain must be sent to the state lab for
testing.
 |
| Shipping a specimen to the state laboratory for testing requires careful attention to very strict packaging instructions. |
The Good
Samaritans quickly grasp the urgency of the situation. In fact, years
ago one of the family members underwent the series of post-exposure
prophylactic injections after receiving an injury from an animal that couldn't
be tested. If this stray cat's test comes back positive for rabies, the person
she bit will undergo the series of post-exposure prophylactic injections as
well.
While we wait
for the results of the rabies test, the bitee will be watching his wounds for
sign of infection. Even a non-rabid cat's bite can create devastating infection
requiring heavy duty antibiotics and sometimes hospitalization! Any bite or
scratch injury should be immediately and thoroughly washed with soap and
water (for 10-15 minutes) to reduce the chance of it becoming
infected.
Some major take
home messages from this recent event include:
1) Do not handle
an unknown injured animal. Even a beloved and gentle pet may viciously bite out
of pain or fear. If you cannot safely approach or handle an injured animal,
call local animal control for assistance.
2) Do not
release or destroy an animal (wild or domestic) which may have bitten a person.
Consult your local animal control or public health department for instructions.
3) Keep your
dogs, cats (even indoor only), ferrets and livestock vaccinated against rabies.
Doing so limits risk to humans but also protects them against exposure through
bats, skunks, foxes, raccoon, etc.
4) Do not handle
or make pets out of wild animals--even cute orphaned babies. In many places
this type of pet is illegal. Species known to carry rabies may not show any
symptoms for a long time, but can put people and pets at risk.
5) Despite the
miraculous recovery of Jeanna Giese and a very few others, rabies is still a fatal
disease if post-exposure prophylaxis is not sought. If you are concerned
about rabies exposure or if a bat is found in a room with a young child or
sleeping or mentally incapacitated adult, contact your physician or public
health department right away.
6) According to
a July 2013 statement by the World Health Organization, more the 55,000 people
die worldwide (primarily Asia and Africa) from rabies, and 40% are children
under the age of 15 who were infected by rabid dogs. Mandatory vaccination of
dogs in the U.S. after World War II has significantly reduced the number of
human deaths from rabies in domestic animals. Post-exposure prophylaxis
prevents rabies disease in hundreds of thousands of people each year!
