Non-Newf - my worse nightmere
- Thread starter bria
- Start date
Lori
New member
I too am sorry you have to go through this. This is why some people do not stop and help others anymore, for fear of what could happen to them (like being sued). You've done so many wonderful things for helpless, innocent creatures that I'm hoping that your time to be repaid will come in them not pursuing this any further.
bria
New member
Thanks Kansas Deb and Lori. Wouldn't it be great if having done what I've done for years actually did pay off? Not that I'm seeking recognition or a pat on the back, I've have never looked for that and am usually very low key about what I do but it would be nice if it didn't come back to bite me in the butt.
I just found out my client/friend won't let me use his basement or at least he made no offer to do so. He heard rabbies and he's scared. I can understand so now I need a Plan C. I don't have one except that maybe I could use my neighbour's recording studio at the back of their yard but they're away right now and I don't know if it's for the long weekend or on business.
My problem is that I have to tell people the truth and once they hear rabbies everyone freaks. My vet gave me an out that I should have taken. He simply said he is recommending that I put the kittens down and that he could do it (free) or I could deal with it. What he was saying was that I could take the kittens and then he has no obligation to report it. I should have taken them and put them back where they were but I just felt I needed to do the responsible thing even though if the kitten does have rabbies it would died very quickly and on one would have known. My vet did suggest that perhaps I would want to know if it did have it.
Susan
I just found out my client/friend won't let me use his basement or at least he made no offer to do so. He heard rabbies and he's scared. I can understand so now I need a Plan C. I don't have one except that maybe I could use my neighbour's recording studio at the back of their yard but they're away right now and I don't know if it's for the long weekend or on business.
My problem is that I have to tell people the truth and once they hear rabbies everyone freaks. My vet gave me an out that I should have taken. He simply said he is recommending that I put the kittens down and that he could do it (free) or I could deal with it. What he was saying was that I could take the kittens and then he has no obligation to report it. I should have taken them and put them back where they were but I just felt I needed to do the responsible thing even though if the kitten does have rabbies it would died very quickly and on one would have known. My vet did suggest that perhaps I would want to know if it did have it.
Susan
Sound Bay Newfs
Active member
Oh boy, Susan, that does sound scary and frustrating. Are your animals up to date on their rabies vaccinations? This might help the authorities to work with you more if there is little chance they could have contacted the disease. I hope the situation is not as dire as you think it is now and that things work out for you.
bria
New member
None of my animals were exposed to these kittens. The kittens were here for only 5 days and were in a bathroom behind a closed door. I always washed my hands and my face before leaving the bathroom (a precaution I have always taken when bringing in new babies) and when I held them it was in a towel not even directly on my clothing.
I was speaking to a client last night who's daughter is in her 4th year vetrinary school and she said it sounds like my vet may have overreacted. If my vet did overreact I'm okay with that as long as this turns out okay in the end. I'll get over the stress of this weekend.
Here are my odds, this kitten would have had to have eaten food after a rabid animal had eaten the same food and left it's saliva on the food. So is this possible, I suppose it could have happened just prior to me taking in the kitten as kittens would only survive a few days with rabbies. The mother cat is fine and I know who she is and she's been in the neighbourhood for years. I read that even the mother would die within 10 days if she had rabbies. It's what they call non-bite rabbies which is almost impossible to contract.
I'm still leaning towards pneumonia or distemper. My client is going to call her daughter today and ask her what the liklihood is. Maybe it can ease my mind a little.
I know I'll get over this but I never want to have a weekend like this one again.
Thanks again guys and keep those fingers crossed. Oh if it turns out that the kitten did get it from saliva of a rabid animal I swear I'm going to the racetrack and I'm going to bet the horse with the longest odds.
Susan
I was speaking to a client last night who's daughter is in her 4th year vetrinary school and she said it sounds like my vet may have overreacted. If my vet did overreact I'm okay with that as long as this turns out okay in the end. I'll get over the stress of this weekend.
Here are my odds, this kitten would have had to have eaten food after a rabid animal had eaten the same food and left it's saliva on the food. So is this possible, I suppose it could have happened just prior to me taking in the kitten as kittens would only survive a few days with rabbies. The mother cat is fine and I know who she is and she's been in the neighbourhood for years. I read that even the mother would die within 10 days if she had rabbies. It's what they call non-bite rabbies which is almost impossible to contract.
I'm still leaning towards pneumonia or distemper. My client is going to call her daughter today and ask her what the liklihood is. Maybe it can ease my mind a little.
I know I'll get over this but I never want to have a weekend like this one again.
Thanks again guys and keep those fingers crossed. Oh if it turns out that the kitten did get it from saliva of a rabid animal I swear I'm going to the racetrack and I'm going to bet the horse with the longest odds.
Susan
I wonder if Rabies can be spread through a mother's MILK. If it can be spread in this fashion, I bet that's where your vet's "head's at." In other words, the kittens wouldn't have to be bitten or be exposed to the saliva of an infected animal. They possibly could have been exposed by nursing.
Pipelineozzy
New member
I am also not a fan of vaccinations...but am currently taking everyone here in for their booster :-( for rabies.
Sadly, even totally indoor animals should have current rabies shots. A few years ago in Saskatoon, a cat that had NEVER been outdoors...in fact lived in an apartment so the chance of getting out at all was slim...contracted rabies. Nobody could figure out how..until one of the people remembered there had been a bat in the building a couple weeks before.
Also, if you are doing this type of rescue and taking in strays...you could consider being vaccinated YOURSELF for rabies. It's not a painful shot (first time I had it was a series of two about 3 weeks apart if I remember right) and I did not need a booster for YEARS. The cost of the booster was about 130.00..but was well worth the money when I was working in a vet clinic.
Sadly, even totally indoor animals should have current rabies shots. A few years ago in Saskatoon, a cat that had NEVER been outdoors...in fact lived in an apartment so the chance of getting out at all was slim...contracted rabies. Nobody could figure out how..until one of the people remembered there had been a bat in the building a couple weeks before.
Also, if you are doing this type of rescue and taking in strays...you could consider being vaccinated YOURSELF for rabies. It's not a painful shot (first time I had it was a series of two about 3 weeks apart if I remember right) and I did not need a booster for YEARS. The cost of the booster was about 130.00..but was well worth the money when I was working in a vet clinic.
bria
New member
Yes Brad that couldbe where my vet's head is at. Though the mother appeared fine to me I didn't see her up close beside me.
Cindy my vet told me the very same story about a client of his who lives not far from me and her indoor cat (she lives in a condo) also got a hold of a bat and killed it and the bat had rabbies. The cat was of course quarantined.
If I was exposed then yes I have to get shots but the shots are free. If I ask for shots then I have to pay. Also in my case it would be a non-bite exposure which is rare but the kitten didn't scratch or bite me.
I was also on a Q&A website yesterday where a woman had posted about her 2 8 mos. old cats suddenly salivating constantly. Something they had never done before. One of the responses asked if she had recently given flea meds to the cats. The response said that everytime she uses flea spray on her cat it salivates. I had given these kittens flea meds 2 or 3 days prior. It is also possible that this kitten may have licked the other kitten and ingested some of the flea meds. I only used a couple of drops on each kitten due to their size but even a few drops I suppose could be lethal.
I know I'm grasping at every straw hoping for the best. My vet did tell me about a guy in BC who was bitten by something and he did nothing about it. 9 months later he had rabbies and it was too late.
Well I guess today is the day. It's going to be a very long day.
Susan
Cindy my vet told me the very same story about a client of his who lives not far from me and her indoor cat (she lives in a condo) also got a hold of a bat and killed it and the bat had rabbies. The cat was of course quarantined.
If I was exposed then yes I have to get shots but the shots are free. If I ask for shots then I have to pay. Also in my case it would be a non-bite exposure which is rare but the kitten didn't scratch or bite me.
I was also on a Q&A website yesterday where a woman had posted about her 2 8 mos. old cats suddenly salivating constantly. Something they had never done before. One of the responses asked if she had recently given flea meds to the cats. The response said that everytime she uses flea spray on her cat it salivates. I had given these kittens flea meds 2 or 3 days prior. It is also possible that this kitten may have licked the other kitten and ingested some of the flea meds. I only used a couple of drops on each kitten due to their size but even a few drops I suppose could be lethal.
I know I'm grasping at every straw hoping for the best. My vet did tell me about a guy in BC who was bitten by something and he did nothing about it. 9 months later he had rabbies and it was too late.
Well I guess today is the day. It's going to be a very long day.
Susan
KodysGrandma
New member
Prayers and good thoughts Susan, lots of them. Update as soon as you can.
bria
New member
Me too Sharon me too. The board of health just called for a history on the kittens. The first thing they asked me is was I bitten or scratched and I said no. They asked if my animals were exposed to the kittens and I said no. They have to decide what to do as the guy said the test is very expensive. They will only contact me if they test the kitten and it tests positive as they will want to get the mother and see where the kittens were found. The fact that the kitten didn't have wounds and no human was bitten or scratched makes a difference apparently.
Fingers still crossed.
Susan
Fingers still crossed.
Susan
bria
New member
Further update. Yes I thought everything seemed okay but still had a strange feeling in my gut (I always pay attention to those things) and sure enough Animal Control was at my door at 4:30 this afternoon. When I answered the guy said you called us and I said no I didn't. I asked if he wanted to see where I got them from and he had no idea what I was talking about so I stepped outside and asked why he was here. He called his office and they said to him that someone was scratched by a kitten. I swear dealing with City of Toronto agencies is scary. They never get it right. I said no one was scratched and told him I had found kittens that I brought to the vet and the vet was concerned about possible rabbies. I also told him I spoke to The Board of Health this am and made it very clear that I was neither bitten nor scratched. He repeated this to his office on his two-way radio and they gave him a number to call. It was the number to the Board of Health who then told him that someone was scratched. I held out my arms and showed him and asked him if he could see any scratches or bites on me and he said no. I also told him that I thought he was there because he wanted to see where I got the kittens from.
So then the guy asks me if I want to trap the mother. I said why would I want to trap the mother unless you have tested the kittens and they are positive for rabbies why would you need the mother? So he said it was my responsibility to trap the mother and I told him that the Board of Health specifically told me not to attempt this and to contact Toronto Animal Services if I ever see a sick or injurred animal as they are trained to do it properly. I then asked him if the kitten tested positive for rabbies should I really be the one trapping the mother? He said to me so you don't want to trap the mother and I said no. He then said okay I"m going to cancel this call.
I can't even fathom this way of dealing with this. I believe that The Board of Health may have wanted to cover their butts and the only way they could have the kitten tested was to tell Animal Control that a human was either scratched or bitten. Talk about politics.
I have just had the worse weekend of my life and somehow I feel as though this isn't even being properly dealt with. I don't know that it's over as I have no idea if they are testing the kitten.
I happened to have had an appt. with my GP today and told him the story and that I was neither bitten nor scratched and he literally waved his hand and showed absolutely no concern whatsoever.
This begs the question though, should the kitten be tested and is anyone really that concerned about this? From where I sit it doesn't appear as though they are and though I know I'm not at risk it is a little scary that Animal Control was somewhat blase about this.
Susan
So then the guy asks me if I want to trap the mother. I said why would I want to trap the mother unless you have tested the kittens and they are positive for rabbies why would you need the mother? So he said it was my responsibility to trap the mother and I told him that the Board of Health specifically told me not to attempt this and to contact Toronto Animal Services if I ever see a sick or injurred animal as they are trained to do it properly. I then asked him if the kitten tested positive for rabbies should I really be the one trapping the mother? He said to me so you don't want to trap the mother and I said no. He then said okay I"m going to cancel this call.
I can't even fathom this way of dealing with this. I believe that The Board of Health may have wanted to cover their butts and the only way they could have the kitten tested was to tell Animal Control that a human was either scratched or bitten. Talk about politics.
I have just had the worse weekend of my life and somehow I feel as though this isn't even being properly dealt with. I don't know that it's over as I have no idea if they are testing the kitten.
I happened to have had an appt. with my GP today and told him the story and that I was neither bitten nor scratched and he literally waved his hand and showed absolutely no concern whatsoever.
This begs the question though, should the kitten be tested and is anyone really that concerned about this? From where I sit it doesn't appear as though they are and though I know I'm not at risk it is a little scary that Animal Control was somewhat blase about this.
Susan
HeidiPeterson
New member
I am so sorry you are having to go through this. (((Hugs))) and good thoughts coming your way.
RiverTheNewf
New member
WTH? Do they even know what they're doing? It sure sounds like they were on a fishing trip.