Rat Bite

[wpcoe]

A friend of mine was bitten by a rat in his home Pattaya yesterday. He is undergoing a series of rabies and tetanus shot treatments. He has the carcass of the now-dead rat. Where can he take it to determine if the rat was, indeed, rabid?

I recall reading that in case of snake bites from unknown species, or a bite from a soi dog, that one should take the animal (or it's carcass) for identification (in the case of the snake) or testing (in the case of a dog). Where does one take a rat carcass for testing?

(Note to moderators: I sasn't sure whether to post this here or in the Pattaya or the Plants, Pets & Vets forum, so if you feel it's more appropriate over there, please feel free to move it.)

[Nongwahyay]

I hope your friend gets the carcass examined very quickly....or has frozen it............... the stench of a a decomposing rat is abominable!!!!!!!

[phaethon]

Contact the Red Cross' Queen Saovabha Memorial Institute on Rama IV at the corner with Hernri Dupont (nearest BTS.MRT - Silom/Sala Daeng), they provide specialist rabies clinics and advice (as well as the famous snake farm and show)

Red Cross Agency Queen Saovabha Memorial Institute

Telephone Number 0-2252-0161-4

Fax Number 0-2254-0212

Email [email protected]

Address 1871 Rama IV Road, Patumwan, Bangkok 10330

Get in touch or get there as a matter of urgency.

K.

Edited August 30, 2008 by phaethon

[Sheryl]

It's done by the Thai Red Cross in Bangkok. If there is a TRC office nearby, try there, or else the Provincial Public Health office 9usually somewhere in the provincial capital town...and will have someone specifically assigned to rabies control).

Don't be surprised if they show little interest, tho. While it is certainly possible for a rat to have rabies I am not aware of any confirmed cases. The vast majority of cases of human rabies in Thailand occurred from a dog bite.

If the local TRC/PH offcies don't seem interested and your friend really wants to pursue it he would need to bring the specimen to the TRC in Bangkok himself.

Be advised that it would likely take longer to get the results back than it will to comp,lete the course of injections.

[wpcoe]

Thanks for the replies. I'll forward them to my friend, who it seems, will just have to continue with the shots.

[bina]

the carcass can only be used up to 24 hrs if refrigerated NOT FROZEN.... frozen defrosted usually means the labs cant do anything with it...

they only need the head ...

like sheryl said and he should also be getting antibiotics since there are other diseases more likely to be gotten from an animal bite, even a large rodent one..not to mention infections.... my sympathies having been bitten by a rock hyrax 10+ yrs ago... cephoral (cephalaxin) was the antibiotic of choice then....

bina

Edited August 30, 2008 by bina