Cat Died After Bite

[photojourn]

The local neighbourhood cats abandoned a weak and distressed kitten in my front yard. After cleaning it up and attempting to get it to eat, the animal died, however not before throwing a fit and repaying my kindness with a bite to the thumb.

I remembered reading an article in City Life where the head of veterinary hygiene suggested lopping the heads off dogs that bite people and forwarding the head for analysis for rabies. No mention of cats (or bats, rats, etc. for that matter in the article)

After more than a little effort I managed to locate a service in Chiang Mai that will analyse dead animals that may have bitten you for rabies ... for free.

The facility is located near the top of Huey-Kaew road in a compound on the right side of the road heading away from the canal and directly opposite a sign proclaiming the Huey-Kaew Fitness Park.

Immediately before the entrance on the same side of the road as the entrance is a sign proclaiming Products from the Royally Initiated Project and Support Foundation: Sales Building.

Enter the compound and follow the road around to the left to a two story red and white building.

Testing takes about six days, well inside the safety period for commencing the rabies shots if the dead animal should test positive, and as mentioned is free.

The facility prefers you to pack the dead animal, or its head, in ice prior to transportation.

If there's no need to take the vaccine then why do it?

[Ulysses G.]

If there's no need to take the vaccine then why do it?

I'm not even close to being an expert, but, if I remember correctly, I think that the vaccine will prevent you from dying in case you are exposed to rabies, but get no further treatment. However, you might get very ill unless you do get another shot/shots to negate futher complications.

That is what someone told me, anyway.

[sceadugenga]

Certainly one of the boards leading experts on pussy bites I'd have thought.

[mobs00]

You should at the very least go to the hospital and get a tetanus shot. One shot in the butt could possibly prevent a lot of misery in the future.

[Rasseru]

If there's no need to take the vaccine then why do it?

Yes. Important 'if', though.

[Priceless]

From the doctor's instructions when I had my first bleeding cat bite (the bite was bleeding, not the cat I would suggest you get yourself to a hospital or clinic ASAP. Apart from tetanus, which has already been mentioned, you should also have a rather massive shot of antibiotics. The bacteria that naturally occur in the mouth of even the sweetest indoor cat can give some really astounding blood-poisoning! In my case about four hours passed between the bite and my arriving in the ER, and the doctor really got at me for dithering so long. (Two days after the bite, and in spite of the antibiotics, my arm was a bright blood red from the hand, where the bite was, to the elbow!)

Apart from that, I think it would be a good idea to consult a doctor, rather than a web board, about how to handle any possible rabies infection. Definitely one of the things I would not want to be subjected to

/ Priceless

[jingjoke]

My feral cat, Little Lady, adopted from a temple about 6 months prior, was being chased by a dog one evening. I reached under a cement lawn bench to rescue it only to have it grab onto my arm with all four paws and sink its teeth into me. I had to a hard time extracting my hand as the cat refused to shake off for about a minute; I was reluctant to use my other hand for fear of it too being chomped on. Expecting the worse, I had 2 tetanus shots at the hospital, the second a week or two after the first: the shots worked. Little Lady stayed around for three years fetching mice and ceremoniously dropping them off at my keyboard. She left last Valentine's Day, to find a safe place to have her litter, never to return again. I shall attempt to adopt another hopefully from Wat Pa Pao within the year.

[Ajarn]

Why worry? I would take the anti-rabies shots. I had to take them a few years ago, after getting bitten by a soi dog. No sweat at all. A few jabs over a period.. can't remember how long, but not too long

[photojourn]

Well the Thai government service is better than expected.

Results back today - about 12-hours after dropping the dead cat off at the office and the results were negative.

No point in filling your body with vaccines if not necessary is the maxim - especially seeing Thailand don't use the vaccine regime recommended by the CDC either.

Acknowledging the service from the institute is the other.

If anyone needs them their telephone number is: 053.892.515 - just take them the dead animal.

Edited June 11, 2008 by photojourn

[Rasseru]

Results back today - about 12-hours after dropping the dead cat off at the office and the results were negative.

Excellent. Have you researched whether false negatives are possible, and if so, what the risk of one is?

[Ubon9]

Hi

Since the cat died you sholud go and have the full course of vaccine (5 in total) if the cat was still alive 3 vaccine would have been ok. For your own good go to the hospital and tell them that the cat is dead,dont wait any longer.

[helitool]

Rabies 100% fatal tetanus might as well be 100% fatal

Do the math and get the shots!

http://content.nejm.org/cgi/content/short/352/24/2508

http://www.wrongdiagnosis.com/t/tetanus/treatments.htm

[el jefe]

Rabies 100% fatal tetanus might as well be 100% fatal

Do the math and get the shots!

http://content.nejm.org/cgi/content/short/352/24/2508

http://www.wrongdiagnosis.com/t/tetanus/treatments.htm

I'm not a doctor, but having been potentially exposed to rabies on several occasions, I can google as well as anyone.

If the animal is tested and the test comes back negative, why would anyone go through with the rabies shots??? According to these links there has only been one false negative using the Fluorescent Antibody Test:

http://www.journals.uchicago.edu/doi/pdf/10.1086/516151

http://www.cdc.gov/MMWR/preview/mmwrhtml/mm4842a5.htm

http://www.psmid.org.ph/vol21/vol21num2topic7.pdf

[Rasseru]

If the animal is tested and the test comes back negative, why would anyone go through with the rabies shots??? According to these links there has only been one false negative using the Fluorescent Antibody Test . . .

One might choose to go through the rabies shots to avoid the risk, small though it might be, that the test had produced a false negative. Who after all would want one's case to be cited as the second false negative?

[photojourn]

Thanks el jefe.

My point exactly. To much hysteria and not a lot of rationality. I would be extremely surprised if a laboratory specializing in this type of test made such a blunder. My tetanus is up to date so all is good in this instance.

I posted this so other people in CM who might find themselves in a similar situation would know where to take the animal for testing before rushing out and having their body pumped full of antigens unnecessarily.

It took a little bit of effort to locate this facility ... as with many Thai government websites the Veterinarian Bureau of Animal Hygiene, Chiang Mai had useless contact information on its website.