oh MY gawd

[featherB 1]

Ya, in the past, if you suspected a bat bite, you had to get shots in the STOMACH!

They guys at the house told him last night that they don't do that anymore.. just 5 shots to the arm..

and the other thing about bat bites thru research at 3 am last night and animal control at SO's house) is that you often never know you've been bitten.. they're almost impossible to see cuz their teeth are like little pins.. and you'd essentially be looking for a little pin ####### on your skin which is most times impossible to see....

He should get the phone call about the bat's rabies status this evening or tomorrow morning..

(ps, the reason they're beheading the bat is b/c it's the only real way to tell if it has rabies)

And I was trying to tell my fiance to go into his bedroom and get the camera just to take a picture of the bat last night and he was like "HELL NO!!! YOU THINK I'M GOING IN THERE AGAIN WITH THAT THING STILL THERE?!$%"

(the response to that: 'oh go onnnnnn!!! You *have* to take a photo, I want to post it on Veeee-Jay!!' )

[Mags 112]

It's weird reading this, my reaction is 'oh my god, they're not allowed to hurt the bat!!' - in the UK, bats are protected by law and if you have bats roosting in your house, tough luck, you're not allowed to evict them! Things are obviously a bit different here!!

Yeah, I can't get my head around killing bats. But the UK is rabies free, so we don't have those worries if bitten.

[bgreed 0]

Had bats in my apartment a couple of different times when I was in college (apartement was upstairs in an older home) First on a lacrosse stick did the trick second time tennis racket deffinately more effective! If you have them most times it is because they are living in the attic and there is a small opening in the ceiling usually near a pipe that penetrates the ceiling.

They are a little scary first time out. My first time I was sleeping and I could feel the air on my face when he would fly by thought it was just a big bug until I turned on the light!!!

[JoeMama 0]

It's weird reading this, my reaction is 'oh my god, they're not allowed to hurt the bat!!' - in the UK, bats are protected by law and if you have bats roosting in your house, tough luck, you're not allowed to evict them! Things are obviously a bit different here!!

Yeah, I can't get my head around killing bats. But the UK is rabies free, so we don't have those worries if bitten.

Say that now. Next thing you know, there will be a rabies epidemic

[Kathryn41 3,205]

Just want to suggest that the rabies post-exposure shots are not like any other shots you get - they are definitely more painful. I had to undergo a series a few years ago when I was bitten by a stray cat. The hand became very infected quickly, and then the first of the 5 series had to go in exactly the same spot as the bite. That was incredibly painful! The next four had to alternate sites as they could not go in the same location as a previous shot. They are directly into the muscle and injected slowly. You feel them, believe me. I am not a baby about shots - I take multiple insulin shots every day - but I do not want to undergo those rabies ones again. And, I understand that they are better than they used to be when the series were into the abdomen.

[Mags 112]

It's weird reading this, my reaction is 'oh my god, they're not allowed to hurt the bat!!' - in the UK, bats are protected by law and if you have bats roosting in your house, tough luck, you're not allowed to evict them! Things are obviously a bit different here!!

Yeah, I can't get my head around killing bats. But the UK is rabies free, so we don't have those worries if bitten.

Say that now. Next thing you know, there will be a rabies epidemic

Nope, that's why they have quarantine!

[deemabrouk 0]

aw..poor bat

and wait.. Not to pee in anyone's cheerios ?????? huh?

[JVKn'CVO 11]

NNooo!!! I'd freak out if I ever saw a bat in my house!! have you seen those things walking?? they walk using their folded wings for support. I saw one in the street once...just yuck!!!

the other day I saw a roach in my apartment and I didn't have any pesticide...my roomate and me ran around like dumb and dumber not knowing what to do...because neither of us could build up the courage to step on it.

we ended up boiling water and throwing it at the roach from a safe distance untill it died

Caro

[Kym 0]

That poor lil' bat was just celebrating...just got approved for his K-bat visa. And now beheaded?

This was the funniest post. I know you were really freaked out Liz...but it was certainly entertaining.

[L_n_O 3]

Oh, I know it was entertaining as well.. Why do you think I was typing upto 3am in the morning yesterday as it was all happening! =)

That poor lil' bat was just celebrating...just got approved for his K-bat visa. And now beheaded?

This was the funniest post. I know you were really freaked out Liz...but it was certainly entertaining.

[Rings 10]

OMG so did it touch him or something???

[maya62 7]

aw..poor bat

and wait.. Not to pee in anyone's cheerios ?????? huh?

I wrote that because the thread up until that point had been mostly joking around and I was kinda putting a damper on the fun with my post urging a more serious attitude.

Kathryn,

Sorry to hear your rabies shots were painful... get injections into an infected bite wound sounds like no fun at all! I'm sure everyone's experience is different, and mine were pre-exposure (but the same protocol and vaccine as post-exposure, minus the bite wound part).

My husband, on the other hand, had the series in the abdomen when he was a child, living in India at the time, and was bitten by a stray dog. Sounded awful.

If this thread raises one person's awareness about the potential danger of bats and rabies, I'll be happy. If it does so without creating a phobia about bats (just respect and appropriate caution), I'll be even happier.

Cheers,

Maya

[L_n_O 3]

well, we're not sure if he's been bitten or not..

Animal control just said, once we get the bat's results back, we'll let you know..

[L_n_O 3]

The bat got a clean bill of health!

My fiance doesn't have to get any shots!

(Animal Control told him that most insurance companies don't cover the shot and it's bloody expensive! They told him it's about $1000 PER shot!)

AND HE'D HAVE TO GET 5!

but now we get to not spend that money and use it for the aos/ead/ap/moving/and me not working for the first three months when i move there!!! =)

[Mary Lou 681]

The bat got a clean bill of health!

My fiance doesn't have to get any shots!

(Animal Control told him that most insurance companies don't cover the shot and it's bloody expensive! They told him it's about $1000 PER shot!)

AND HE'D HAVE TO GET 5!

but now we get to not spend that money and use it for the aos/ead/ap/moving/and me not working for the first three months when i move there!!! =)

Thank goodness

Edited July 11, 2007 by garyandmarylou