Exposed to sick wild rat! What to do to protect my own kids?

[rhapsody]

So yeah, I was exposed to a sick wild rat - didn't touch it but was definitely sharing its airspace for a while, and I was also handling the cardboard box it was in. Is there any precautions I need to take before I go home at in 5 hours? Don't want to be carrying any nasties home to my kids.

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My co-worker saw this little rat curled up in her parking space on campus, and for some reason she thought it was an escaped lab rat. It let her approach, so she assumed it was tame, and she got bit in the process of catching it. Then she brings it inside the Rare Books Library where we work (NOT COOL), and I get dragged into it since I'm the Crazy Rodent Lady ...

In any case, its a youngster (about 6 inches long not including the tail). I personally think its severely ill - very lethargic, extremely porphy (and I'm fairly sure there was some blood in the mix). I obviously didn't try to examine the poor thing. My co-worker certainly put me in a tough spot - no way was I going to bring that poor rat home with me, and I wasn't going to offload it on my small animal rescue. Wasn't going to risk infecting my own kids and the rescues.

Since my co-worker was bit, I had to hand the rat over to the campus' "animal control" folks - they're going to try to keep the little guy alive until they hear back from the doctor if it needs to be tested for rabies, and if not, hand the rat over to a nearby wildlife rescue.

 

[victoria]

If you wait 5 hours before going home you are probably fine but I would take a shower and put all of your clothes in a sealed bag until you can launder it.

As for the rabies risk, it's almost impossible for rats to transmit rabies. If they get infected they die almost immediately making it very unlikely. My family doctor told me this when I got bit by an unknown domestic rats and a friend had the same experience when she got bit by an injured squirrel she was trying to help. I'm a little surprised anyone in animal control wouldn't know that.

 

[rhapsody]

As for the rabies risk, it's almost impossible for rats to transmit rabies. If they get infected they die almost immediately making it very unlikely. My family doctor told me this when I got bit by an unknown domestic rats and a friend had the same experience when she got bit by an injured squirrel she was trying to help. I'm a little surprised anyone in animal control wouldn't know that.

Yeah, the animal control folks know that, but the doctors usually push for it for any animal bites.

 

[lilspaz68]

Poor little bugger probably got injured by a predator or he has an infection going on. As Vic says, just wait 3-4 hours before handling your rats and have a good hot shower, blow your nose while in there and bag up your clothes and you'll be fine

 

[SQ]

Hope the poor little guy gets vet treatment

 

[rhapsody]

Hope the poor little guy gets vet treatment

Just got news, not a chance. *Curses* The stupid co-worker's stupid doctor is insisting on testing the rat for rabies.

Great, in trying to save the poor thing, my stupid co-worker just signed its death sentence. Apparently, you can only test for rabies postmortem.

 

[lilspaz68]

Hope the poor little guy gets vet treatment

Just got news, not a chance. *Curses* The stupid co-worker's stupid doctor is insisting on testing the rat for rabies.

Great, in trying to save the poor thing, my stupid co-worker just signed its death sentence. Apparently, you can only test for rabies postmortem.

As sad as that is, I don't think the little fellow was going to make it anyways...at least he won't be frightened and sick, and suffering for long.

 

[victoria]

Hope the poor little guy gets vet treatment

Just got news, not a chance. *Curses* The stupid co-worker's stupid doctor is insisting on testing the rat for rabies.

Great, in trying to save the poor thing, my stupid co-worker just signed its death sentence. Apparently, you can only test for rabies postmortem.

As sad as that is, I don't think the little fellow was going to make it anyways...at least he won't be frightened and sick, and suffering for long.

Don't be so sure. They have to keep them alive for a certain amount of time in order to determine if rabies is present. If your co-worker cares, she will offer to have the rabies vaccines (very painful) so the rat can be euthanized now. Sorry to judge, it bugs the hell out of me when stuff like this happens.

 

[lilspaz68]

Hope the poor little guy gets vet treatment

Just got news, not a chance. *Curses* The stupid co-worker's stupid doctor is insisting on testing the rat for rabies.

Great, in trying to save the poor thing, my stupid co-worker just signed its death sentence. Apparently, you can only test for rabies postmortem.

As sad as that is, I don't think the little fellow was going to make it anyways...at least he won't be frightened and sick, and suffering for long.

Don't be so sure. They have to keep them alive for a certain amount of time in order to determine if rabies is present. If your co-worker cares, she will offer to have the rabies vaccines (very painful) so the rat can be euthanized now. Sorry to judge, it bugs the hell out of me when stuff like this happens.

i thought they said they could only determine rabies if the rat is dead? Isn't that what Rhapsody said?

 

[rhapsody]

Just got word that the poor rat had been euthanized last night. The animal control folks actually made an effort to help it, but there was obvious internal damage. I'm glad that it happened because it was suffering terribly, and not just to get the rabies test done. RIP little guy.

 

[rhapsody]

@ victoria:

True, if the rabies virus is present in an animal, it takes a while to manifest itself in the brain which is the only testable area (hence the postmortem bit). But to the best of my limited knowledge, rabies is only contagious after it reaches the brain. I'm assuming there isn't any benefit to keep a suspected rabid animal alive.

So I guess that even if an animal has the virus, as long as the brain exam comes up negative, the bit person doesn't need a rabies shot.

 

[victoria]

@ victoria:

True, if the rabies virus is present in an animal, it takes a while to manifest itself in the brain which is the only testable area (hence the postmortem bit). But to the best of my limited knowledge, rabies is only contagious after it reaches the brain. I'm assuming there isn't any benefit to keep a suspected rabid animal alive.

So I guess that even if an animal has the virus, as long as the brain exam comes up negative, the bit person doesn't need a rabies shot.

Often when a bear or a dog attacks, they are kept in quarantine for some time before they are euthanized to test for rabies. I think it's to make sure that the rabies is visible in the brain. (Perhaps it's not apparent right away when the brain becomes infected?) It always bothers me that people make stupid choices when interacting with wild/unknown animals and it's the animal that suffers.

Edit: I found this http://www.ratbehavior.org/WildRatDisease.htm#Rabies and this http://ezinearticles.com/?Rats-Less-Lik ... id=1089636

Apparently it is possible for rats to spread rabies, but I think it's highly unlikely. I still think the window to transmit it is quite small.