got bitten by Squirrels, went to ER, doctor said no rabies vaccine needed?

[Abathur]

Hey Guys,

I was feeding squirrels in the park, by hand, a big mistake, unfortunately, I got bitten by a squirrel.

went to ER, and waited 11 hours to see a doctor, the doctor gave me a tetanus shot only, and no rabies vaccine was given.

the doctor said it was a low-risk event, a tetanus shot was enough, rabies vaccines(3000$ for the protocols) are expensive and the government cannot cover the expense of low-risk events.

I understand what the doctor said, but I am now overthinking and paranoid, should I visit a private travel vaccine clinique to get the shot? it's 500$ per shot, min 3 shots.

 

[Cap'tain Fantastic]

There's probably no rabies in the squirrel population.

 

[marky1234]

Hey Guys,

I was feeding squirrels in the park, by hand, a big mistake, unfortunately, I got bitten by a squirrel.

went to ER, and waited 11 hours to see a doctor, the doctor gave me a tetanus shot only, and no rabies vaccine was given.

the doctor said it was a low-risk event, a tetanus shot was enough, rabies vaccines(3000$ for the protocols) are expensive and the government cannot cover the expense of low-risk events.

I understand what the doctor said, but I am now overthinking and paranoid, should I visit a private travel vaccine clinique to get the shot? it's 500$ per shot, min 3 shots.

You are good. From the CDC : Small rodents (like squirrels, hamsters, guinea pigs, gerbils, chipmunks, rats, and mice) and lagomorphs (including rabbits and hares) are almost never found to be infected with rabies and have not been known to transmit rabies to humans.

 

[EagerBeaver]

Squirrels are rodents and I don't think rats are rabies carriers either. The big carriers are bats and skunks and raccoons.

It's a good thing for them as well as they probably get bitten by rabies carriers from time to time.

 

[EagerBeaver]

Marky just because you are in the clear on rabies doesn't mean you don't have to worry about other infections. Read this:

Are Squirrel Bites Dangerous?

Visit the post for more.

thecrittersquad.com

 

[Abathur]

thank you guys, I've scheduled an appointment at a private vaccine clinique to get the rabies vaccine, two-dose, 300$ each, I understand it's a low-risk event, but just be safe, and 600$ is nothing compared to rabies 100% kill rates.

I might encounter some side effects from the vaccine, but I can live with the side effects...

 

[Like_It_Hot]

You did the good choice considering you seemed concerned a lot.
I hope you got the lesson, never feed savage animals. Next time a squirrel might try to catch your nuts and save them for winter.
A squirrel is nothing less than a rat with a big tail. If you like to feed animals, adopt a cat or a dog with appropriated vaccination.

 

[EagerBeaver]

Funny but I was playing with my father's dog, a small Shih Tzu, which bit me last week. She meant no harm - I had snatched a doll away from her while she was playing with it. I teased her with it and as she was trying to grab the doll back from me, she accidentally bit me. Fortunately these dogs are very small, and their bites don't do much damage. I play around with the dog all the time and she loves being played around with.

Feeding wild animals, however, is never a good idea. Once you start doing it they lose their natural fear of humans and view you as a food source. Your hands become an extension of that food source. They don't really understand that hands are off limits.