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Sambapati85
12-05-17, 22:23
Hello all , I thank you in advanced for taking the time to read this.

My old fear of rabies has been rekindled. I was at a gas station on the autoroute at a place just outside Carcassonne France. My father and I were filling up gas. It was around 8 pm at night, there were quite a few people outside the gas station sittiutnf , drinking , and smoking . Another group of people inside the gas station . Beside us there was a hippie type van with a few people standing outside of it , and they had 2 dogs. At least I think they were both theirs , although not entirely sure. The dogs were playing with each other and running all over. One of them or both jumped in the car after , but I cannot be certain as it is hazy in my memory. I cannot even remember for certain if the one dog had a collar I encountered.

I was loading some stuff and eating some bread from the backseat , standing outside there car. Both of the dogs ran in front of my car , and one of them.looked at me and then came over to investigate . I said go away , when he came fairly close and he ran over to the van area. I am not sure where my hands were , I know I didn't even turn around but just motioned and said go away , and he ran away. I continued I eat my bread , and had a banana . I then started to run through the events and panic set in.

Before I noticed the two dogs coming face to face with each other almost like they were meeting for the first time or from before. There were 4-5 people outside the van talking as one of their dogs or both of them.played. There was also quite a few people outside and inside the gas station going about their day, resting it drinking. And smoking outside.

I thought the one dog had a collar , and pretty sure he did , but i.am.second guessing myself as I didn't fully satisfy my reassurance seeking when there. What if this dog was just some.random stray ? It doesn't make sense that it would be , but now I am.worried that maybe it came to close.to.me. I didn't touch the dog nor did it lick me , but I am questioning the reality of the situation , what if it did and I just had a blackout or.something.

Now I am.worried I had an exposure in southern France , despite it being rabies free in terrestrial animals for some.time now. I am trying not to freak out , but cannot help but worry .

What do you guys think about this situation. I have had a similar encounter a few years ago , where a dog at a park in Canada actually licked me.

This time it just.came.close. I keep blaming myself.for.not.going in the car or continuing to eat, even though there was no direct.contact or was there ?!?!

Help please.

Gary A
12-05-17, 22:43
You can't get rabies by simply standing close to a dog.

File this one under "utterly impossible" and forget it.

Sambapati85
12-05-17, 22:46
Thanks for your quick reply and rationality. I question the series of events though, which provokes increased anxiety. Maybe what I think happened didn't happen, and the dog actually did lick me I just do not recall it happening . Is this common? To question ones experience ? I didn't touch the dog and was largely faced away from it when it came closer. But maybe some spit or something from the dog flew into my hand and or something ?

axolotl
12-05-17, 23:19
1. If you could get rabies from a bit of dog spit being somewhere nearby, and hippies actually kept rabid dogs in their vans, how common do you think it would be as a disease? Wouldn't there be a rabies epidemic?

2. How common exactly is rabies? How many people do you know who have had it?

You don't need us to work out the logic of this for you, surely?

Gary A
12-05-17, 23:33
Thanks for your quick reply and rationality. I question the series of events though, which provokes increased anxiety. Maybe what I think happened didn't happen, and the dog actually did lick me I just do not recall it happening . Is this common? To question ones experience ? I didn't touch the dog and was largely faced away from it when it came closer. But maybe some spit or something from the dog flew into my hand and or something ?

I can't answer this question in any other way. You're being utterly ridiculous. Sorry, but you are.

ScaredLizard
13-05-17, 03:19
France is a rabies free country. You do not have rabies. You are safe

.Poppy.
13-05-17, 13:43
To add to what others have said, it's usually pretty obvious when an animal is rabid. They don't act normal, so the chances these dogs had rabies are so incredibly slim, you might as well buy a lottery ticket.

Additionally, they would have to bite you and/or come into contact with broken skin, which they obviously didn't.

You do not have rabies. You are FINE.

NancyW
13-05-17, 13:48
France is a rabies free country.

That is really awesome. How do they determine that? Has it been for a long time ?

paranoid-viking
13-05-17, 13:56
Rabies is not an air carried virus and is extremely uncommon in humans;virtually non-existing. Just like HIV it dies very fast outside of the source, which in rabies is the saliva of the victim.

---------- Post added at 14:56 ---------- Previous post was at 14:54 ----------


1. If you could get rabies from a bit of dog spit being somewhere nearby, and hippies actually kept rabid dogs in their vans, how common do you think it would be as a disease? Wouldn't there be a rabies epidemic?

2. How common exactly is rabies? How many people do you know who have had it?

You don't need us to work out the logic of this for you, surely?


No one noes anyone who had rabies; come on. It is like; something like 4 people in the enitre United States who gets it annualy; in a population of 300 million?
In my country, the last human to get rabies was in 1815, 202 years ago.

ScaredLizard
13-05-17, 15:12
That is really awesome. How do they determine that? Has it been for a long time ?

I'm not sure how they determine it. Here's a link

https://www.cdc.gov/importation/rabies-free-countries.html

I knew a lot of countries in Europe were rabies free as I belong to pet sites and the folk in Europe don't have to get their cats rabies shots like we have to in the US

MyNameIsTerry
13-05-17, 15:17
I'm not sure how they determine it. Here's a link

https://www.cdc.gov/importation/rabies-free-countries.html

I knew a lot of countries in Europe were rabies free as I belong to pet sites and the folk in Europe don't have to get their cats rabies shots like we have to in the US

The UK is on that list but we still have rabies, it's just only in our bats. The last case we had in humans was donkey's years ago and that was in someone who works with bats.

ScaredLizard
13-05-17, 16:32
The UK is on that list but we still have rabies, it's just only in our bats. The last case we had in humans was donkey's years ago and that was in someone who works with bats.

Yeah this is about ground animals though. You guys are rabies free as far as ground animals and pets don't even need the vaccine. So the OP is perfectly fine :yesyes:

MyNameIsTerry
13-05-17, 16:42
Yeah this is about ground animals though. You guys are rabies free as far as ground animals and pets don't even need the vaccine. So the OP is perfectly fine :yesyes:

Yes, I agree. Don't get me wrong, I was just adding onto your point really, we don't vaccinate our pets despite having it in our bats. That tells me the government know it's just no issue. Our bats are just carriers and since they aren't into biting any of us we are perfectly safe. They much prefer chomping down on moths & fruit. :biggrin:

axolotl
13-05-17, 17:03
No one noes anyone who had rabies; come on. It is like; something like 4 people in the enitre United States who gets it annualy; in a population of 300 million?
In my country, the last human to get rabies was in 1815, 202 years ago.

That was my point and I wanted the OP to think it through themselves. No-one knows a single person who's ever had rabies, though they certainly would if all it took to catch it was some slobbery dogs to be somewhere nearby. The fear is 100% unthinkable both in terms of it being an incredibly rare disease, where you need to be bitten by an obviously foaming at the mouth diseased mammal to catch it.

NancyW
13-05-17, 20:54
I never gave rabies a thought until I started reading health anxiety boards.

Here in my neck of the woods our pets get rabies shots. If anyone were to get scratched or bitten by a raccoon, skunk, opossum, rat.. they would get rabies shots. Drs don't take a chance.

After reading here, I watched youtube videos about rabid animals and humans, they are very obviously sick .. very obviously - wrong. They aren't friendly, and they aren't eating. They are falling over, humped up, foaming, look neurological.

Interesting stuff.

That said .. I like bats, they are fascinating to me. lol

MyNameIsTerry
14-05-17, 01:38
Yeah, Nancy, it's very serious and very obvious something is wrong when you see them.

I know what you mean about NMP. Not being a HAer myself I've been amazed at how many, often obscure, scenarios pop up on here.

We have a bat house in one of our zoo's where they fly all around you. There is a cool tunnel in it and you can feel them flying past your legs & face.

I've also been on a bat walk. Our local RSPBB centre runs them later in the year. They take you out with bat monitors so you can listen to their clicks.

NancyW
14-05-17, 02:01
I would LOVE to see that Terry!!!

MyNameIsTerry
14-05-17, 02:18
I would LOVE to see that Terry!!!

There's some vids on YouTube. It's the Chester Zoo Bat Cave if you Google.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a7to9xKye-c

http://www.chesterzoo.org/explore-the-zoo/attractions-and-exhibits/animal-exhibits/fruit-bat-forest

At a local park you can usually see upwards of 20 of our common bats flying over the lake an diving for moths. We've got a bat wood not far away too which is protected but I've never seen them in there as it's very dark.

NancyW
14-05-17, 03:32
Thank you Terry! They are amazing creatures.

axolotl
14-05-17, 10:23
My understanding of the UK situation is it's been found in a tiny handful of individual migratory bats, which is enough that people qualified to handle wild bats for surveys have to have a rabies shot, but not enough to mean the general public's risk isn't very very close to 0.

Fishmanpa
14-05-17, 13:21
My understanding of the UK situation is it's been found in a tiny handful of individual migratory bats, which is enough that people qualified to handle wild bats for surveys have to have a rabies shot, but not enough to mean the general public's risk isn't very very close to 0.

The real question is: What is the air speed velocity of tiny individual migratory bats?

Positive thoughts

axolotl
14-05-17, 15:52
The real question is: What is the air speed velocity of tiny individual migratory bats?

Positive thoughts

Laden or unladen?

Fishmanpa
14-05-17, 16:04
Laden or unladen?

:yesyes:

Positive thoughts

MyNameIsTerry
14-05-17, 16:43
My understanding of the UK situation is it's been found in a tiny handful of individual migratory bats, which is enough that people qualified to handle wild bats for surveys have to have a rabies shot, but not enough to mean the general public's risk isn't very very close to 0.

But what about...http://yoursmiles.org/hsmile/mystic/h0517.gif (http://yoursmiles.org/h-mystic.php)...?