So now should I vax my baby against rabies????

[yukookoo]

Wrote earlier with a question about wether DH should get rabies series after being bit by a raccoon.

He did go to the hospital and he is going to get the series.

One of our dogs got scratched by the raccoon. It was not acting weird at all, neighbors say there are whole families of raccoons living in our block. There has never been any cases of rabies in raccoons in our state.

Our dogs were both not up to date on their rabies shot. I wont go into making excuses and explaining this I feel completely horrible. They are our family they are like our children. I cant even begin to explain to myself how I let this happen.

Animal control came and took the dogs. They need to be quarantined for 6 months. We are fighting for that quarantine to be in our home. If that does not work we will need to now pay over 10,000$ over the next 6 montsh for them to be boarded somewhere.

If we succeed to have them quarantined at home. I can not see DD not having ANY contact with them, they may accidentally etc lick her or lick her hands which go in her mouth. Should I have my unvaxed to this day 14 month old get the rabies series?

I have been told that the minimal contact she has had with the dogs in the past 2 days does not require her to get the series. But what about the quarantine? Should I get it as well?

I have been told several times by state/ county officials that there really is 0% chance of the dogs or the raccoon and even less chance of DD and I getting rabies without being bitten or scratched....

[paquerette]

I don't know if even a mainstream, pro-vax med. provider would recommend you do the series for that low of a chance of transmission. I wonder what the statistics are on it being given to a child that young? It's dangerous enough for an adult.

[laralee16]

Did the raccoon attack your hubby and the dog? Or did the dog attack the raccoon and it was defending its self?

If the raccoon randomly attacked, then you need to keep your dog AWAY from the baby. If not, then I think you are fine.

[MissRubyandKen]

Did you contact your state rabies consultation contact? I would thnk if the authorities are telling you it is a 0% chance they have good reason. Like a poster said in your other thread there is a shortage and certain requirements must be met to be approved for the shots. Is your husband being given the shots? Have they even offered your baby the shots?

Under your circumstances, I would not get my baby the shots, but the dogs would not come into contact with her at all. Please make sure you research rabies and symptoms in dogs and be very careful if you do care for the dogs during the quarantine time.

My mom went through similar. Only the animal was proven rabid and nobody was bitten. Her story was like something out of a horror story, really. I can't remember how many bullets the poor creature took before it died, but it was alot and unreal, from more than one person, a neighbor and sherrif I believe. Her three dogs were attacked and they needed to be quarantined for six months. My stepdad set it up on their property. There were specific guidelines to follow and it had to be checked on by authorities. Each dog had a separate pen with a gate housed inside a larger outer pen with a gate, so that there was always a gate shut to the outside as someone was caring for them. A certain type of fencing had to be used. And they had to be vaccinated before they were released from quarantine. I admit I was worried for my mom for a little bit just because of the contact and she couldn't say for sure saliva didn't get on her and rabies is so awful. But as she wasn't bitten or scratched I wouldn't recommend her to get the shots. And the dogs are free now and all is well.

[BaBaBa]

How terrible! Your family must be in turmoil!

It sounds like a lot of fear mongering if there is really zero chance that anyone got it.

Any update?

[boheime]

So your dogs have had the rabies vaccine at some point? Depsite legal requirements, they probably are fine. Studies ahve shown that the rabies vaccine does not need to have boosters (either yearly or every three years) in dogs. Ask for titers and be done with the issue. If they show immunity based on previous vaccines, you should be able to nix the quarantine.


mandy - who will never vax her kids after researching vaxes because of vax reactions in a dog

[angie7]

Originally Posted by boheime

So your dogs have had the rabies vaccine at some point? Depsite legal requirements, they probably are fine. Studies ahve shown that the rabies vaccine does not need to have boosters (either yearly or every three years) in dogs. Ask for titers and be done with the issue. If they show immunity based on previous vaccines, you should be able to nix the quarantine.

: The rabies shot has been shown to last 7 years. Definately demand a titers to be run. If the dogs still show immunity for rabies, they *could* be let out or at least quarantined with you. I doubt you would be able to keep them inside your house though so your baby should be safe. But please ask for a titers!

[yukookoo]

Thanks for the responses

Dogs are back home. They are in quarantine for 6 months. I couldn't get titers on them because as soon as they were picked up and back to the shelter they got rabies shots. I didnt get to researching the whole thing until later that day.

They did much better than I, haha they were in the shelter 5 days. It was the longest time they ahve been away from us and the only time they have been away from us not at home. We went to arizona to visit relatives int he hospital and couldnt take them so they stayed home 4 days but my mom came daily to care for them.

they came home acting like they were on vacation! The shelter was brand new, clean and the people working there were very nice. Much better than I expected. They were in doors in a large cage the size of our bathroom haha. These dogs weight under 6 lbs each and they were also in a cage together. So the conditions were good. They are very cute so i think they got a lot of attention.

When they got home the first thing they did is run to the back yard right were the animal thing happened and barked and peed.

The quarantine hasn't been so bad because they are allowed in the backyard and anywhere in the house just not out the front door. We have scheduled monthly visits from animal services.

The only downside is that we cant go anywhere for the holidays

The whole thing cost us 610$

We are just so grateful and happy to have them back home. We learned a lot from it.

I try to keep DD away from them which i think is just good practice for her anyway.

[momofmine]

Why is your DH getting the series if they are saying there is a 0% chance, and there have never been any cases of rabies in raccoons in your state?
Did they catch the animal?

[DQMama]

Oh my, that is scary.

Rabies shots are so dangerous. My nephew and my mom got them two years ago after a rabid bat was found in their home. My nephew developed a high fever after his third shot and was rushed to the ER because he could not be awoken. He stopped speaking shortly after that and was diagnosed with autism about two months after the shots. My mother is now being tested for an auto-immune disorder because she has been sick constantly for two years (one infection after another including pneumonia). We recently found out, from a letter to the vaccine manufacturer from the FDA, that some lots of the rabies vaccine during that time period were contaminated, and that in some lots, the virus was not properly inactivated. They refuse to give my sister the lot numbers so we're not sure what we're going to do. My sister has also been emailing a woman whose baby received rabies shots and was diagnosed with autism shortly thereafter.

I would think in a 14-month-old, the chance of serious complications or even death would be higher than the risk of rabies transmission. I am so glad your daughter did not get the shots!