Very Ot-rabies Shot?

[LauraR]

Hi, my 11 year old son was riding his bike around the local pond this evening and and a squirrel attacked him. It jumped out of a tree onto his shoulder and then pretty well scratched up his leg. The walk-in clinic we know of had just closed, so my husband took him to the emergency room, which is where they are right now. The scratches don't look like they will require stitches, but we were both freaked out by the squirrel attacking, thinking it might have rabies. I'm just wondering if anyone has had any experience with rabies shots recently. I don't know if they are as painful as they used to be, but I sure hope not. Any info. you could pass along would be greatly appreciated!

 

[MeyersDVM]

Rabies is very rare in squirrels. I don't think there is a documented case of a squirrel bite causing rabies ever in the US.

HTH!

 

[LauraR]

Rabies is very rare in squirrels. I don't think there is a documented case of a squirrel bite causing rabies ever in the US.

HTH!

Thanks, that's good to know!

 

[belle&sebastiansmom]

So sorry about your son.

I was "attacked" by a bat in my classroom in Texas in 2003. Make sure he goes to a hospital that knows how to properly deal with the rabies vaccine. The first ER (a small town one) gave me a tetnus and told me to be gone. I called another doctor and he was freaked out by their lack of response.

From what I was told, you have several days to be administered the initial immune globulin. This has a very short shelf life and 3 hospitals in the downtown Houston medical area did not have it. A smaller clinic closer to my home had to have it flown in from the CDC, because again, you are on a time-line to receive it after the initial bite or scrape.

Anyway, I got the immune globulin a few days after the bite, then another set of shots directly into the bite and scrape (on my hand and arm) and a series in my rear. Then for the next month or so I got another 5 shots (hot pink, looked like something out of Weird Science!)

Yes, the shots were painful, and I was very sick with them. I remember my muscles aching tremendously and having bad headaches and even fever. I missed a day of work after each shot because I ached so bad and couldn't move. It felt like the flu a thousand times over.

I'm sorry that your young son is having to go through this. But know that in the end he'll be fine. I'm sure he's a trooper and he'll have a story to tell his buddies about the day the squirrel attacked!!


Btw, one of the students I taught at the time had gone through the rabies shots a year earlier for being scraped by a squirrel, so it is administered to the "squirrel victims" as well. I'd say better safe than sorry.

 

[Nolcrest]

My son's girlfriend got a series of rabies shots this summer for a ground hog bite. She volunteers for a wildlife rescue and got bit by a rescued ground hog when involved in a scuffle with the resident dog.

She did need a series of shots but she didn't say they were painful. She never missed any work and she never complained about any pain when I saw her. I guess as painful as any shot would be. (Just called my son to ask about the pain. He said she didn't have any unusual pain. He said the tetanus shot hurt more than the rabies shot. No side effects at all from the shots).

I know there was 1 in each shoulder and 1 in lower back. She also needed a tetanus shot. She was given one shot first and then a couple days later another one in a different location. This went on over a 2 week period.

The hospital contacted the Health Department and the Health Department gave the recommendation for rabies shots.

After the initial shot a nurse went to their house to give the others. As far as I know she didn't have any restrictions during this time.

I feel bad for your son. It must have been a very frightening experience. No one expects a squirrel to jump at you from a tree.

 

[Momma2dakidz]

omgoodness, YES he needs the series! squirrells definately carry rabies. see another hospital if they did not start the series yet. and yes they are painfull still.

 

[dakcp2001]

I had a series of rabies shots in 2002, they were pretty awful for me. Sorry for the bAd news, but better safe than sorry! They made me pretty nauseus, and sore.

 

[LauraR]

My husband just called from the hospital and it sounds like they are playing it safe and giving my son the rabies vaccine. They are going to give him 5 shots tonight, then one a month for several months. Poor guy.

 

[fkj2]

My husband just called from the hospital and it sounds like they are playing it safe and giving my son the rabies vaccine. They are going to give him 5 shots tonight, then one a month for several months. Poor guy.

Better to err on the side of caution. It's not usual for a squirrel to attack in that way...maybe if its young were threatened but it's the wrong time of year to be defending a bunch of baby squirrels. I'd have been worried about rabies too.

 

[Susiesnowflake]

What a scary thing to happen to your son. I was bitten by a bat a few years back and had to go through the rabies series. I was given a tetanus shot, immune globulin shots which were based on my weight if I remember correctly, and then the rabies shots, which were adminstered at intervals which I can't quite remember. Tetanus shots usually seems to be uncomfortable, but the immune globulin shots really hurt. That stuff is really, really thick and is administered with thick needles. They were given in my rear, so it wasn't in an area where you could try to work out the discomfort. I just kept giving thanks that I wasn't a large person, because I wouldn't have wanted more than I got. The rabies shots didn't really hurt me. I do remember that I felt really lousy that day and the next. I think I was emotionally stressed after the whole ordeal. Hoping things go easy for your son. Poor guy.

 

[I loveStitchnippyjon]

DH had the rabies series a few years ago after tending to our dog that had killed something in the woods (we never could find a body!) The dog was covered in blood that turned out NOT to be hers. DH thought she was wounded, and got a lot of the blood into fresh scratches on his arms (he was cutting down trees at the time). Anyway, our regular Dr. had no idea what to do, the county health dept. said to ask the State health dept., who said just to see if our insurance would pay for it! Such concern was so touching. Anyhow, after getting the OK from the insur. co. DH had to drive to another hospital to pick up the globulin himself and take it to the Dr. for the shots! End of story...they never made him sick at all!

 

[disney1990]

Better safe than sorry -- I have your son is alright.

 

[Fizzgig]

Here's a link to make you feel better: http://rabies.emedtv.com/rabies/rabies-and-squirrels.html

From another link, there have only been 8 cases of rabies in squirrels since the 1950s in the US.

 

[momof5boys]

Sorry to hear about your son's incident. Yes rabies is rare in squirrels,but since it can't be watched for 10 days to make sure it has no symptoms I guess you have no choice. The shots are all weight based at least the rabies immune globulin. Those he gets on day one, in his behind. He also gets a shot in the arm, either Imovax or Rabivert(both of these meds are very scarce right now and we have to get permission from the health dept in NJ to give it , memo came out last week!) He will go back and get the arm shots at day 3,7,10,14 and 21 if I remember right but sometimes I forget the dates without the paper in front of me. I have given these many times, even to infants and haven't seen much in the way of side effects, just some soreness at the injection site. I'm sure he will be fine, and if he gets bitten again(Oh I hope not but you know boys) he will only need 2 of the shots in his arm. I hope this helps!

 

[autumnsmommy]

DD6 had a squirrel jump onto her from out of a trash can at our local park, she wasn't scratched, however. The squirrels here are very brave when it comes to humans, and the one who jumped onto your son may have just been acting "squirrely" rather than rabid.

 

[zuzu310]

Well just to make you feel better, rabies is transmitted through saliva so if he only was scratched his chances of contracting rabies IF the squirrel even had rabies would be minimal. I worked in a wildlife rehab center for two years and it is very uncommon for a squirrel who carries rabies to even live long enough to pass it on to another animal. Of course I am not saying that him getting the series of rabies shots is a bad idea as a precaution but his chances are pretty low of contracting it from a squirrel. Some squirrels carry distemper (sometime the ones that act a little off have it) but all humans who have been vaccinated against measles should be protected from it. Pixie dust to your son as he gets his shots. I am sure he will do just fine.

 

[LauraR]

Thanks for the feedback everyone (and the good wishes)! The 5 shots last night went well. He didn't cry when he got them, and he was hungry when he got home so he seems to be doing pretty well. He'll be getting one more each on day 3, day 7, day 14 and day 28. Now he has a good story to tell all his friends when he goes back to school on Monday!

 

[cccm]

Sorry he has to deal with the shots. We just went through this at the beginning of the month.

DD10 woke up to a bat in her room, it was on her window fan and she touched it (she was half asleep).

We called DR and they said go to ER. 2 hours in the ER and she had her first set of shots and was not happy. She hates shots and was in tears. The one they did in her arm made her arm numb for a couple of hours.

Eventually found the bat and the CDC in Boston tested it. The results came back about 48 hours after the initial contact. DD was not happy that the bat had to die for the testing.

It was a summer adventure for us......and she has a fun what did you do this summer story.