$Unique_ID{BRK01239}
$Pretitle{Infections or Parasites}
$Title{Are Rabies Shots Necessary?}
$Subject{rabies animals bite}
$Volume{A-1}
$Log{}

Copyright (c) 1991   Tribune Media Services, Inc.


Are Rabies Shots Necessary?


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QUESTION:  I was playing around with my neighbor's dog when it got very
excited, started growling and then bit me on the hand.  They weren't deep
cuts, and my neighbor assures me that the dog has all its shots, but my wife
thinks I should visit the doctor for rabies shots.  I don't want to have a
long series of painful injections if its not necessary so need a quick reply
from you.  What is your advice?

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ANSWER:  Rabies is not a disease to fool with, for without proper treatment
when indicated, it is still almost always fatal.  Rabies is a viral infection
of the central nervous system, and its treatment depends upon the fact that it
has a long incubation period, usually from 20 to 90 days, (although it can
develop in a period as short as 4 days or take more than five years to
develop).  The treatment no longer is quite as painful or as difficult as you
may have heard.  The initial treatment requires two injections, one of human
immunoglobulin, the other of rabies vaccine.  Four more rabies injections will
be given over the next 28 days, permitting the patient to acquire a resistance
before the disease itself has had a chance to develop.  The circumstances of
the bite determine whether or not this series of injections is required.  If
the animal is known, as in your case, and when the dog has had all of its
immunizations, it is possible to merely observe its behavior for 10 days, to
see if signs of rabies develops.  You should report the incident to your local
Health Department, who will know if rabies is present in your area, and who
can advise you of your best plan of action.  They will probably want to
examine the animal for signs of the rabies virus.  You're lucky it was a
domestic animal with a clean history.  When the bite is the result of a wild
animal's actions, a raccoon for example, there is a much greater chance that
rabies is present and treatment should begin at once.  Rabies is not a pretty
thing to watch as the first symptoms of fever, nausea, headache, lethargy and
a tingling sensation at the site of the bite, rapidly progress over a ten day
period to hyperactivity, disorientation, hallucination, difficulty in
swallowing, followed by seizures, paralysis and death.  Once symptoms start
there is no cure, so get hopping with your investigations of this animal.
ÿ
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The material contained here is "FOR INFORMATION ONLY" and should not replace 
the counsel and advice of your personal physician.  Promptly consulting your 
doctor is the best path to a quick and successful resolution of any medical 
problem.
