Who Gets Rabies?
Rabies is fascinating to me. Every time I revisit the subject I learn something new. This time around I went down an alley I had never explored. And it was a good trip. So I decided to share a bit of it with the class. Enjoy!
Comments (14)
Wow! Crazy! Who knew?!
Opossums are marsupials
And, also mammals.
Mmmm, Biggs orcas eat animals that spend parts of their time on land (otters, seals, sea lions, moose) so it's not hard to see how they could pick it up
I could bare-knuckle box a rabid animal… a sentence I never wanted to be able to say. I, and the owner, took care of her horse who was suspected of dying of rabies. All testing was done and "no testable material was found". So we went to get the rabies exposure treatment (6 shots over two weeks, not the horror it once was). Her dog died (same symptoms: seizures) while we were mid-treatment and it was tested- No Rabies, but also no answers. A month later another horse has what appears to be a severe allergic reaction: swelling of the face, ataxic movements, "not acting like himself". We knew that he did have allergies (mold), a vet thought he was colicky (severe stomach upset). We took him to a university vet. He died there, his symptoms had continued and progressed to seizures. He was tested for rabies and botulism- negative, And For Black Mold-Positive. His forebrain had already begun to liquify (why the first horse that died did not "have testable material"). So because of black mold toxicity (and lack of curiosity), I can now bare-knuckle box the rabid.
I have donated my plasma after receiving the vaccine to make the rabies shots to send to third world countries. I will not get rabies if bitten. I try to stay away from anything that would have rabies. :)
I don't think people know that this is part of how rabies vaccines are made. Thank you for being part of the cure! I was cursed with poor safety awareness because I love bats and racoons. Never had a close encounter tho, always keep my distance. But if I ever need the vaccine I know who to thank.
That is a fascinating topic. Now I want someone to test beaching whales.
Can you get rabies by eating an animal?
So long as the meat is cooked the risk is incredibly low (risk is never zero). If it were raw you would want to avoid the mouth parts and nervous system.
or marsupial right?
The risk is lower, but it is possible for marsupials to carry and spread rabies. People often throw out the claim that opossums are immune and that is untrue.
This one may become a deep dive at some point. Rabies is one of my favorite pathologies. The only thing scarier is prions. And maybe Ebola.
The OG SARS is pretty terrifying too, if any of it still exists.