Bats can Give Cats Rabies?

On Jun 17, 2:44 pm, sheelagh wrote:

snip

I think it might not be a bad idea to think about injecting for
rabies, but only if there was good reason to... or enough worry to
warrant it. Bookie seems to be quite knowledgeable in this one. Have
you any idea why Bookie?

You have a very, very low risk of rabies, and there are risks
associated with vaccines, too. It's not like here in North America,
where we have a much, much higher incidence of rabies in many more
species of wildlife--not just some relatively isolated bat
populations, but raccoons and skunks and other kinds of wildlife that
frequent the cities almost as much as they do the more rural areas.

As long as you don't have rabies in wildlife populations pets are
likely to encounter, I wouldn't be too quick to rush to routine rabies
vaccination. It's different, of course, if you want to travel with
your pets, or if rabies does move into the more common forms of
wildlife.

Lis

On 17 Jun, 21:51, "22brix" wrote:
0"sheelagh" wrote in message

ups.com...





On 17 Jun, 20:02, "22brix" wrote:
"sheelagh" wrote in message

groups.com...

On 17 Jun, 03:52, Lynne wrote:
on Sat, 16 Jun 2007 15:48:52 GMT, sheelagh

wrote:

I had no idea they carried rabies!

If this is the case, I would imagine bats everywhere would carry it,
or is this the wrong assumption to make? The reason I ask is because
we have bats in the UK, but no one has ever warned me that we needed
to be vigilant for this problem.

I have to admit that I know hardly anything about Bats, other than
they are nocturnal, work with sonar & fly. If you have bats with
rabies, then surely with bats in France where there is rabies, could
swim that channel & it would be a threat to us too?

I don't know how far bats will travel, but I do know that rabies was
eradicated in England a long time ago, so I imagine bats don't pop
over
from France. I don't think you have anything to worry about.

Now I suppose a rabid animal could sneak on a ship or onto someone's
yacht
or even onto a plane and land in England, but I imagine the port
authorities are quite vigilent about that possibility. It'd be
interesting
to look into what measures are taken to keep rabies out of England.

--
Lynne

That's what I thought too Lynne, until I read Alison's post regarding
this chap who had been working for some few years with Bats. I can't
say that I am shocked, but I am surprised that we didn't get a lot
more coverage on this story.

That's Big Brother for you!

As Bookie points out, we do have a very strict regime regarding
rabies. However, not everyone is honest enough to do things by the
rules, or prepared to spend thousands of pounds to have their cats
quarantined...

In fact some people just can't be bothered period...!!
This is exactly how we will import Rabies in the future, if we don't
already have it...

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/scotland/2509375.stm

This person would have been at higher risk for rabies due to the fact he
had
prolonged contact with bats and he had actually been bitten by a bat.
It's
really really tragic what happened to this person but it sounds like a
very
unusual occurance. Unless you're handling bats (which most people
shouldn't
be!) you probably don't have to worry too much about it.

This was also a different genotype of rabies (European Bat Lyssavirus 2)
than the rabies found in the US and many other parts of the world and is
fairly specific to certain species of bats. The type of rabies
("classic"
rabies--genotype 1) in the US is not as host specific and can be carried
by
other mammals.

http://www.bmj.com/cgi/content/full/330/7490/491

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lyssavirus

Would I be right in assuming that Rats could carry Rabies too?
If this is the case, I am shocked that we don't already have a
pandemic already. I would love to think that we wouldn't, but that
would be naive of me.

Rodents are considered to be very very low risk for rabies.

Bonnie- Hide quoted text -

- Show quoted text -

Thanks Bonnie, That was really helpful.

I know it is wrong, but, because we don't have to worry about Rabies,
we don't worry at all.....

It is the wrong attitude. I think it would do us all good to learn a
bit more.

I think the big thing about this tragedy is that the man acquired rabies
from "local" bats--in other words this form of rabies is already in Great
Britain. So far it's found only in certain species of bats and it seems to
be present at a very low level. Best advice--don't handle bats, especially
if they seem sick or are flying around during the daytime. If exposed seek
medical attention right away.

No good ever comes from ignorance, does it..?!!
S)
PS: Hows life treating you all?
Well I hope!

Tortle is fat and sassy--she's gained over 1 1/2 lbs since she came from
the hospital and now weighs about 8 1/2 lbs! I don't have to give her
fluids any more unless she becomes dehydrated. She's periodically
terrorizing Sophie and Clover (two of my other cats), both of whom weigh
about 2 pounds more than she does! She chases them, screaming, down the
hallway. It was more peaceful when she was sick! She's also more
affectionate. She has a funny half meow, half purr "mmrrraghhh" sound she
makes when I pick her up. I'm so pleased with her progress!

Bonnie- Hide quoted text -

- Show quoted text -

So am I bonnie, I am absolutely delighted to hear all of this news. It
is fantastic. She sounds almost back to her naughty little self again,
LOL...
The fact that she is terrorising both Clover &Sophie is her reminding
them of her place in the hierarchy once again, ( all be it @ a few
pounds lighter, which makes her slightly faster & harder to catch her
he he;o)
Screaming is for you of course, just to let you know that she is back
on top of things & requires your assistance less and less each
day...except when it is time for cuddles & leg weaves you
understand....
Perhaps she was quieter before now, but I bet you wouldn't have it any
other way, would you?

This is wonderful news indeed. Please give her a scritch from us all
here if you will?
Many thanks,
Sheelagh
PS: Many thanks for the link. It was ever so interesting to read.

On 17 Jun, 03:56, Lynne wrote:
on Sat, 16 Jun 2007 20:14:52 GMT, "rhino"

wrote:
Actually, I'm pretty sure that hydrophobia is a _symptom_ of rabies
and is not the same thing as the disease itself.

you are correct. I once encountered what appeared to be a rabid dog when I
was alone in the woods. His eyes were bloodshot, he was frothing at the
mouth and he looked like hell, very skinny and scraggly, with his head
lilting to one side. Thankfully I was right on the bank of the Shenandoah
River and hopped in. He wouldn't come near the water, but he wanted to get
to me. I started screaming and screaming (my friends were in a canoe down
the river). They came back and fired a shotgun and the dog took off. Talk
about scary.

--
Lynne

Yikes, I would have been frightened silly!!
You were very lucky that there was the river around to avert him, &
even more lucky to see someone who had a gun to fire the warning shot
too....
It sounds like a terrible disease. Not one that you would allow a poor
creature to endure. I would presume that if animal control come
across them that they would either put them to sleep or shoot them?

In the UK, I think that we are very lucky not to have rabies.
However, I am pessimistic about the outlook, because people here
really don't know how serious rabies is, so they have no concept of
the danger they run by bringing their pets back to the UK after a stay
in Europe where it is entirely possible that their pets can be
affected.

I feel that this is a topic that should be subject to information
awareness campaigns. If more people really understood the risk they
are taking, then they would be far less likely to take risks with
their beloved pets. I say this in the sense of a misguided person
rescuing a dog or a cat abroad, then smuggling them back into this
country. To find out then, would be to find out far too late.

Lynne, you mused on a few ways that people could bend/ignore the rules
regarding bringing infected animals from abroad. You were right to
think of boats simply docking, also bringing them over on a ferry,
from other countries, & hiding them from full view & by going through
nothing to declare.

Another way was brought to my attention yesterday, because I was
talking to someone about this issue, & they told me that one of the
best ways, is to bring them in by private aeroplanes. We have a small
runway around 5 miles away, & most weekends, the owners of those
crafts go to France ect, then fly back @ the end of the weekends,
smuggling contraband, because they are never checked there by
customs.
This made me think how easy it would be to bring animals back too, if
they were offered the right money of course!
A horrifying thought.
S;o)

on Tue, 19 Jun 2007 15:25:16 GMT, sheelagh
wrote:

Yikes, I would have been frightened silly!!
You were very lucky that there was the river around to avert him, &
even more lucky to see someone who had a gun to fire the warning shot
too....
It sounds like a terrible disease. Not one that you would allow a poor
creature to endure. I would presume that if animal control come
across them that they would either put them to sleep or shoot them?

That dog was near the end of his life, no doubt. Had we been more than
just kids (I was 16 at the time) we probably would have ended his misery
for him. We did hear several shots about an hour later from the
direction the dog ran off to, so maybe a farmer or fisherman dispatched
him. I hope so... that poor creature was insane at that point. I was
very lucky that I was between him and the River. My friends found my
screaming quite amusing for some damn reason and even made up a song for
me, LOL.

In the UK, I think that we are very lucky not to have rabies.
However, I am pessimistic about the outlook, because people here
really don't know how serious rabies is, so they have no concept of
the danger they run by bringing their pets back to the UK after a stay
in Europe where it is entirely possible that their pets can be
affected.

I don't hear of very many cases of domestic animals being infected with
rabies here in the US because pets in responsible homes are always
vaccinated. If rabies is a problem in Europe, I would expect they take
the same precautions (but don't know). It is illegal in every state in
the US to NOT have your pets vaccinated for rabies, though of course
there are people who do not take their animals to the vet. Those animals
are at risk of both catching and spreading rabies, but the risk has a lot
to do with location. Some states have a much worse rabies problem than
others, but I still mostly hear about rabies in wildlife. In most
states, if not all, if a dog or cat bites someone and the owner cannot
show proof of a current rabies vaccination, they risk having their pet
killed so its head can be sent to the CDC to test for rabies. Some
states will quarantine and observe the offending animal for signs of
rabies, which has a very predictable pattern. No responsible pet owner
is going to risk the former.

I debated about getting Levi vaccinated for rabies due to his FHV status
and the fact that he's an indoor kitty, but the above sobering thought
crossed my mind and I rushed him to the vet for his shot. Also, there is
a small but real risk of bats getting into the house through the chimney
or attic and I would hate for any of my animals to not be protected.

Another way was brought to my attention yesterday, because I was
talking to someone about this issue, & they told me that one of the
best ways, is to bring them in by private aeroplanes. We have a small
runway around 5 miles away, & most weekends, the owners of those
crafts go to France ect, then fly back @ the end of the weekends,
smuggling contraband, because they are never checked there by
customs.
This made me think how easy it would be to bring animals back too, if
they were offered the right money of course!
A horrifying thought.

I wouldn't worry too much. These people love their pets and don't want
them to be in quarentine. They are dumbasses for breaking the law, but
it's doubtful their pets have rabies.

--
Lynne

On 5 Jul, 20:47, Aleks A.-Lessmann XaXlXeXk...@lessmann-
consulting.com wrote:
On Sat, 16 Jun 2007 22:44:24 -0700, Sherry wrote:
Not really. You'd just vaccinate them. Really, it's nothing to worry
excessively about, people just

And there are vaccination-by-bait programs all over the zones in Europe
were there is still rabies. We were on the brink of eradicating rabies
in Europe a couple of years ago, but overoptimistic people thought they
could stop taking precautions against rabies, therefore it's spreading
slightly.

Regards
Aleks

And there are vaccination-by-bait programs all over the zones in Europe
were there is still rabies. We were on the brink of eradicating rabies
in Europe a couple of years ago, but overoptimistic people thought they
could stop taking precautions against rabies, therefore it's spreading
slightly.

That is just a terrible shame. Which countries ( if you know) are
using these methods of bait & treating programs?
The reason I would like to know is because I have decided that this is
something I would like to try & follow up with. I am more than
surprised that we don't have it in the UK
(other than a few isolated incidents such as the one I cited in this
post to start with)
some people really do believe that their cat/dog/pet would never be
infected, therefore they think nothing of flouting the law regarding
the import of live animals without quarantine. We have pet passports
now, so there really is no excuse, yet people still take that chance.
I simply don't understand why?
Sheelagh