PDA

View Full Version : So you think you have Rabies.....



venusbluejeans
18-07-18, 18:53
Recently we have had many posts about the fear of contracting rabies from the most unlikely of scenarios.

I thought I would make a post with some facts about Rabies which will hopefully put some peoples minds at rest a little.

Most of the posts we get come from people in the US, so this post is aimed at those in the US


What is Rabies?
Rabies is a viral disease affecting the central nervous system of warm-blooded animals

How rare is Rabies
In this century, the number of human deaths caused by rabies in the United States has drastically declined, from more than 100 cases per year to an average of just two or three cases a year…. This fact was in 2014 and that number is still declining!

So that means that there are 325.7 million people in the United States…….. That is 325700000 and just 2 or 3 of those 325700000 people per year contract rabies, that is a completely miniscule chance of contracting Rabies

Since 2008 there have been 23 cases of human rabies infection, 8 of which were due to exposures outside of the U.S

How is Rabies Transmitted?
Transmission occurs when saliva containing the rabies virus is introduced into an opening in the skin. 90% of animals which are infected with rabies are wild animals, the chances of a pet passing Rabies on to you is very very rare and can not be transmitted by you by walking on or touching something that a rabid animal may or may not have walked on/chewed.

you need to have an open wound on which a rabid animal has got saliva to contract Rabies

Rabies is NOT transmitted by a rabid animals blood..... just saliva

Bats and other animals will not jump out and bite you in your sleep

If an animal bites you you WILL know….. animals are NOT ninjas you will notice if an animal has bitten you. You WILL see the animal.

To make the chances even less (than very very minimal).......
vaccinate your pets and other domestic animals (like cows, goats, sheep, and horses)

Avoid contact with wild animals – do not feed or handle them, even if they seem friendly. If you see a wild animal acting strangely, report it to animal control.

Wash any wound with hot soapy water and keep it clean and covered

2 last things to remember....

1.... How miniscule your chances of contracting rabies actually is in the USA... 3 in 325700000 at most! that is roughly 0.0000000092% chance!!

2.... This is the Rabies virus.... it looks so much friendlier if you add googly eyes and think of it like that :yesyes: :roflmao:




https://i.imgur.com/xJ7qh8C.jpg

Fishmanpa
18-07-18, 18:58
Sticky this... great post!

Positive thoughts

KK77
18-07-18, 20:11
Spiffing post!

Off with its "googly-eyed" virus head :D

paranoid-viking
18-07-18, 20:29
Great post. And very true.

Bit I am sure some people will overlook it and still post "I am convinced I have rabies" posts. There are obviously posters here who does not read or participate in any other threads than there own and there are at least one who has started SEVERAL posts about rabies and "invisible bats". I think that we will keep seing more posts from that poster.

Perhaps there should be a simiar thread about brain eating amoeba aswell as there has been several posts this summer about this virtually non-existing organisam that only a hanfull of people on the entire planet has come across with.

Maybe all those who fear rabies should post in this thread. Maybe that could be a wake up call to see how beyond irrational their fear are?

MRS STRESS ED
18-07-18, 22:15
what a great post lets just hope
all the people on here who have
rabies read this OH THAT WILL NONE THEN :doh:

nomorepanic
18-07-18, 23:32
We can keep copying and pasting the link to it and hope.

textsfromthemoon
19-07-18, 07:12
As someone who has dealt with the "rabies fear" specifically what I like to call "invisible bat syndrome" (this was in Spring 2017 before I joined this site) I just have to say this post is...AWESOME! :D Love the googly eye virus!! I hope that more people who are struggling with the rabies fear can see this thread and hopefully put their mind at ease, as someone who has gone through the fear, I regret giving it so much of my time that spring!

AntsyVee
20-07-18, 05:30
Yes, great post. I would just like to add that there is no invisible bat, ghost bat, Bat Casper or Bat Boy. A bat did not bite you without you knowing or without you thinking. There is no way you could get a bat bite without realizing it. That kind of thinking is classic OCD.

MyNameIsTerry
20-07-18, 08:30
Aw his cute. I want one! :biggrin:

paranoid-viking
20-07-18, 10:57
I think one important thing to remember was not in the original post: if you develop terminal stage symptoms of rabies you would way to sick and even crazy to be able to sit and post on an Internet forum that you think you would have rabies. Which people should think about when they are convinced they have rabies because they have a headache or diarreah(which is the most classical anxiety symptom there is).

But I notice - not to my surpise - that some posters fearing rabies are ignoring this post and keep posting "invisible rabies bat" posts as we speak. Maybe those posts should be merged with this one.

mn_guy
20-07-18, 13:44
I think one important thing to remember was not in the original post: if you develop terminal stage symptoms of rabies you would way to sick and even crazy to be able to sit and post on an Internet forum that you think you would have rabies. Which people should think about when they are convinced they have rabies because they have a headache or diarreah(which is the most classical anxiety symptom there is).

But I notice - not to my surpise - that some posters fearing rabies are ignoring this post and keep posting "invisible rabies bat" posts as we speak. Maybe those posts should be merged with this one.

One of the big things that people posting about this seem to forget also is that the non-specific "prodromal" phase can only last 2-10 days, with an average of 4 days. Beyond that you'd have definite neurologic symptoms and almost certainly be in the hospital.

paranoid-viking
23-07-18, 16:40
One of the big things that people posting about this seem to forget also is that the non-specific "prodromal" phase can only last 2-10 days, with an average of 4 days. Beyond that you'd have definite neurologic symptoms and almost certainly be in the hospital.

You allready know that. And that is why you should stop this "yes but" on the thread you started. You should keep re-reading the first post in this thread over and over and over. No one here thinks you are dying of rabies. Only yourself.

paranoid-viking
26-07-18, 10:26
3 rabies threads AFTER this one was started. Someone just wont give up. There is always a "yes but no but yes but no but".....

And NO ONE bothers to read this. I understnad now that reassurance seeking is like a drug.

mn_guy
26-07-18, 15:56
3 rabies threads AFTER this one was started. Someone just wont give up. There is always a "yes but no but yes but no but".....

And NO ONE bothers to read this. I understnad now that reassurance seeking is like a drug.

Well, if the concerns were rational then they wouldn't be due to anxiety. :) There has actually been research done that shows reassurance is the exact opposite thing people with anxiety disorders need. In Exposure and Response Therapy, used most commonly for OCD, the treatment would be to tell people "Ok, so there is an extremely miniscule chance you have rabies. You need to deal with that possibility and accept it." This isn't because there is actually a reasonable chance that anyone has this (as the rest of this thread makes clear), but it's because you can never know with 100% certainty that something bad won't happen. Accepting uncertainty is the key to getting over anxiety.

https://www.anxietybc.com/adults/exposure-therapy-ocd-erp

Of course this is a lot easier said than done.

MyNameIsTerry
27-07-18, 08:23
Here's a scenario.

Someone with anxiety goes to a walk in group as they are desperate for help. After intros, rule setting, announcements, etc it comes to the open floor part and the coordinator asks if anyone would like to talk about their fears. The new person says yes and starts to talk about what they are struggling with. It's rabies. The rest of the attendees start rolling their eyes, groaning and displaying signs of frustration. The person feels uncomfortable talking, maybe they stop. The session ends.

Does the person leave thinking what a great group of helpful, understanding, non judgemental people they have met and feel comfortable in returning? Or does the person leave thinking what an intolerant, ignorant group of people and maybe doesn't feel comfortable returning to seek support?

Now interchange rabies with brain tumours, cancers, etc. It's no different when it's about frustration due to repetitive themes across sessions.

That's something I'm seeing on these rabies threads. Plenty of good advice too but the frustration is showing. Anyone new might be put off NMP if this is their first thread.

It's hardly new, it's been the same with other diseases. It feels like someone posts for help but also receives some of the baggage of previous threads.

In the group session you may not feel able to leave if frustrated. Clicking the little x on a screen is easy enough though.

paranoid-viking
27-07-18, 08:54
Here's a scenario.

Someone with anxiety goes to a walk in group as they are desperate for help. After intros, rule setting, announcements, etc it comes to the open floor part and the coordinator asks if anyone would like to talk about their fears. The new person says yes and starts to talk about what they are struggling with. It's rabies. The rest of the attendees start rolling their eyes, groaning and displaying signs of frustration. The person feels uncomfortable talking, maybe they stop. The session ends.

Does the person leave thinking what a great group of helpful, understanding, non judgemental people they have met and feel comfortable in returning? Or does the person leave thinking what an intolerant, ignorant group of people and maybe doesn't feel comfortable returning to seek support?

Now interchange rabies with brain tumours, cancers, etc. It's no different when it's about frustration due to repetitive themes across sessions.

That's something I'm seeing on these rabies threads. Plenty of good advice too but the frustration is showing. Anyone new might be put off NMP if this is their first thread.

It's hardly new, it's been the same with other diseases. It feels like someone posts for help but also receives some of the baggage of previous threads.

In the group session you may not feel able to leave if frustrated. Clicking the little x on a screen is easy enough though.

Well, we are just human after all. One thing is when there are a single poster, like there was two years ago someone fearing rabies; but as we are just human it gets tiresome when people keep posting rabies threads every second day and you have to explain over and over why they dont have rabies. And then there are the same people posting new rabies threads over and over. The people have been told hundreds of time why they dont have rabies and why it is impossible, but it does not stuck. They come back and demand more reassurance they dont have rabies. Yes, even after THIS thread where the opening post explain in plain and simple language why these rabies fearers post impossible scenarios it does not work. They ignore it and keep posting rabies threads. Over and over. And when it is THE SAME PEOPLE over and over, then well....we get tired. And there is nothing we can offer cause they wont believe it anyway. Then the only thing to do is to tell them that they must seek help. What else to do?
Most of the rabies threads are not necomers - not anymore. Someone keep getting new rabies fears all the time despite owerwhelming reassurance over and over and explanation they dont have it. At this point we are really talking about a serious anxiety disorder that people posting here whose not therapist are not able to handle.

MyNameIsTerry
27-07-18, 09:12
Well, we are just human after all. One thing is when there are a single poster, like there was two years ago someone fearing rabies; but as we are just human it gets tiresome when people keep posting rabies threads every second day and you have to explain over and over why they dont have rabies. And then there are the same people posting new rabies threads over and over. The people have been told hundreds of time why they dont have rabies and why it is impossible, but it does not stuck. They come back and demand more reassurance they dont have rabies. Yes, even after THIS thread where the opening post explain in plain and simple language why these rabies fearers post impossible scenarios it does not work. They ignore it and keep posting rabies threads. Over and over. And when it is THE SAME PEOPLE over and over, then well....we get tired. And there is nothing we can offer cause they wont believe it anyway. Then the only thing to do is to tell them that they must seek help. What else to do?
Most of the rabies threads are not necomers - not anymore. Someone keep getting new rabies fears all the time despite owerwhelming reassurance over and over and explanation they dont have it. At this point we are really talking about a serious anxiety disorder that people posting here whose not therapist are not able to handle.

No one is forced to read them. Simple. When you choose to read & reply, that's a decision you have made.

As for the serious anxiety disorder, there is no real evidence of that (although some could be it depends on the impact to their lives but certainly no more than any other theme) and it's not just about the inability to resolve a theme as some people focus on one unlike others who jump from one to another and both may be the same underneath. We have people in here so severe they are in & out of hospital so I don't buy an argument those with repeating rabies themes are too severe for NMP. And if they were, that's up to Nic solely.

It's often repetitive themes on the OCD board so I understand how repeating yourself can be frustrating but it just means skipping over some if you don't feel like it. I've often thought of recording scripts to post but never get around to it. These days I just let others reply otherwise you end spending a lot if time on here.

mn_guy
27-07-18, 19:33
Here's a scenario.

Someone with anxiety goes to a walk in group as they are desperate for help. After intros, rule setting, announcements, etc it comes to the open floor part and the coordinator asks if anyone would like to talk about their fears. The new person says yes and starts to talk about what they are struggling with. It's rabies. The rest of the attendees start rolling their eyes, groaning and displaying signs of frustration. The person feels uncomfortable talking, maybe they stop. The session ends.

Does the person leave thinking what a great group of helpful, understanding, non judgemental people they have met and feel comfortable in returning? Or does the person leave thinking what an intolerant, ignorant group of people and maybe doesn't feel comfortable returning to seek support?

Now interchange rabies with brain tumours, cancers, etc. It's no different when it's about frustration due to repetitive themes across sessions.

That's something I'm seeing on these rabies threads. Plenty of good advice too but the frustration is showing. Anyone new might be put off NMP if this is their first thread.

It's hardly new, it's been the same with other diseases. It feels like someone posts for help but also receives some of the baggage of previous threads.

In the group session you may not feel able to leave if frustrated. Clicking the little x on a screen is easy enough though.

As someone getting over a rabies fear, I agree with this sentiment. The whole point (I assumed) of an anxiety forum was to post what your symptoms of anxiety were to get support from others who have been through something similar. When I posted my story, I was reasonably sure that my fears were overblown and that I was suffering from anxiety (or else I would have posted on patient.info or some other non-anxiety medical forum). I realize the chances of getting rabies is very small to infinitesimal without a recognized animal bite. People not in the US should be aware, though, that our media and CDC government agency actively put out overblown statements warning about undetected bites and getting bitten in your sleep. If you are already inclined to anxiety, reading some of the stuff online can easily send your anxiety into a tailspin. Posting here for support and being told "that's an absurd fear and you're an idiot for worrying about it" may be technically correct but not exactly helpful.

Fishmanpa
28-07-18, 19:10
Posting here for support and being told "that's an absurd fear and you're an idiot for worrying about it" may be technically correct but not exactly helpful.

I agree that one can interpret the responses in that manner and many, including myself have said these fears are totally irrational but no one called you an idiot.

If you want tea and sympathy, just say it, otherwise, you will sometimes get cyber slapped upside the head.

There are many fears here that are just statistically/virtually impossible and rabies happens to be one of them. As a long time member, anymore, my reaction is just a sigh and eye roll. Surely, having read many of the rabies threads here prior to posting, you had to be somewhat prepared for what the responses would be. Hopefully you'll address the reasons behind your fears and learn to control the dragon that causes them.

Positive thoughts

Crevan
30-07-18, 05:08
I have been suffering with anxiety over this for the past month. I've had it come and go in the past, but this time has been exceedingly horrible - I'm afraid to go outside at night and if I so much as get touched by a plant or, in some cases a piece of my own clothing, I second guess that it could have been some animal that bit me. It's irrational as all get out to think an animal could touch me for half a second and in that time it be a bite and for me to have not seen the animal at all! Any unknown scratch or mark I find on myself is also a major trigger (I had quite a large scratch I cannot recall where it came from, and of course instead of assuming I accidentally scratched myself with something, I jump to it must have been some super powered animal that left me one scratch and disappeared at the speed of light all without me noticing a darn thing until later).

I'm currently working through some HA help guides posted in the forums and am trying to stay positive. I do thank the people who put up with these threads (I'm posting here because, I agree it'd be better for everyone to pool their experiences in one place!)

I try to look at other anxieties people have and I think how strange and absurd they sound and that also seems to help a bit because I'm like... well I'm sure if they knew what I was afraid of they'd find me to be quite odd too. Thank you for a general post and some helpful tips/information :) As someone else said, in the US the media vastly stretches reality on it. I think there are thousands of people who get vaccines for it yearly, when I think prior to the vaccine it was still only roughly 100? people who actually got it on average in a year (this is based on memories, I am 100% not allowing myself to google rabies stuff anymore) which makes it, even without vaccines, very rare here. But the fact that so many vaccines are given yearly makes me always second guess myself like maybe I should get a vaccine for this unknown scratch (even though no doctor would ever do that).

Writing a diary of any "symptoms" i feel really has helped, because I notice my symptoms come and go with any triggers I have and it often takes a few days after a trigger before I feel ok again for a bit. Anxiety is the #1 culprit in my logical mind!

MyNameIsTerry
30-07-18, 09:29
As someone getting over a rabies fear, I agree with this sentiment. The whole point (I assumed) of an anxiety forum was to post what your symptoms of anxiety were to get support from others who have been through something similar. When I posted my story, I was reasonably sure that my fears were overblown and that I was suffering from anxiety (or else I would have posted on patient.info or some other non-anxiety medical forum). I realize the chances of getting rabies is very small to infinitesimal without a recognized animal bite. People not in the US should be aware, though, that our media and CDC government agency actively put out overblown statements warning about undetected bites and getting bitten in your sleep. If you are already inclined to anxiety, reading some of the stuff online can easily send your anxiety into a tailspin. Posting here for support and being told "that's an absurd fear and you're an idiot for worrying about it" may be technically correct but not exactly helpful.

It's something I find odd. This argument about probability which is this sense appears to attempt to validate more commonly expected diseases when in the case of each neither have the symptoms or exposure. It's sometimes a "worry about the more likely" which is flawed when there are many more likely diseases/conditions to have than the cancers seen to be more acceptable :doh:

As a non HAer I sometimes wonder given these views how the majority of the anxiety spectrum is viewed by those holding these beliefs when the vast majority of the spectrum cannot harm you in any way. Agoraphobia doesn't kill anyone but it's just as bad as any other fear can be.

But then I find such views are limited to some people only and are not representative of NMP.

Frequency is mentioned. At work you can spend much of your time dealing with repetitive queries. Do people groan at their customer? It's a lack of patience.

It's understandable that on a forum dealing with lots of emotion that things like this happen. Admin have told us all plenty of times how to avoid frustration over this issue but it keeps happening. Anxiety can sap your patience, you can snap easily. But others would do well to remember that they could be raising a thread that is viewed by others in the same way.

I spent over a year attending weekly walk in groups and never witnessed any of this. It suggests a lack of governance, something the internet is well known for when it comes to emboldening those would think twice in person. That has certainly been well proven when it comes to arguments on the forum.

paranoid-viking
30-07-18, 11:17
I have emapthy. And I understand rabies fear because I had it once myself 15 years ago.
But I am also just human; I am not a therapist and not working in customer service where you have to answer; sorry the excpression; "silly questions" over and over. Note that I dont mean that those who fear the disease are silly; but their fear is silly and when they ask "can I get rabies from invisible bat bites" or "can I geet HIV from touching a doorknobs" or "can I get brain eating amoebas from getting clean tap water up my nose" not only once, but hundreds of times and each time your respond "no, you can not get HIV/rabies/brain eating amoebas that way", you get tired from repeating yourself. After all; we are all humans; even though we struggle with anxiety itself.

hellsingokami
06-08-18, 03:31
Thank you for this post. It's helpful! :) I was bitten by a stray dog 3 weeks ago (had to go to the ER) and I live in a city with positive cases. It still hurts and even though it's been going on for a while I still get scared about it.



The pain's not big nor constant but it's occasional. (Once a day but it lasts longer if I overuse my knee (even though the bite occurred just under it, behind it.) It's a VERY slight pulsing pain and it's scary. Even though I had the boosters (because this same thing happened earlier this year with a different dog. Same leg/knee too!!)


Luckily it's healed nicely and I'm thankful that it's not infected at least.



Sometimes what helps me through it is I watch Rocky movies. I try and TRY AND TRY to tell my brain (almost yelling out loud to it) to knock it off. I pretend I'm Rocky, and that the anxiety is Apollo, Thunder Lips, etc. Sure I get beaten up, and I know I've almost lost to my anxiety, but I am DETERMINED TO WIN. By nature I am no fighter. I cower at anything. I am not even exaggerating when I say that I've been scared by my own shadow! While I am terrified at night and need all lights and extra nightlights on, there's something about the daytime and seeing the sun which makes me literally want to fight. I want to literally take this, and wring its neck. Thinking about the next day brings anxiety but also strength when I think of it being sunny and beautiful.


Sorry for the long post. I guess I just really wanted to rant. I've been holding it in for a while now. I need to invest in a punching bag!

MyNameIsTerry
06-08-18, 04:52
Thank you for this post. It's helpful! :) I was bitten by a stray dog 3 weeks ago (had to go to the ER) and I live in a city with positive cases. It still hurts and even though it's been going on for a while I still get scared about it.



The pain's not big nor constant but it's occasional. (Once a day but it lasts longer if I overuse my knee (even though the bite occurred just under it, behind it.) It's a VERY slight pulsing pain and it's scary. Even though I had the boosters (because this same thing happened earlier this year with a different dog. Same leg/knee too!!)


Luckily it's healed nicely and I'm thankful that it's not infected at least.



Sometimes what helps me through it is I watch Rocky movies. I try and TRY AND TRY to tell my brain (almost yelling out loud to it) to knock it off. I pretend I'm Rocky, and that the anxiety is Apollo, Thunder Lips, etc. Sure I get beaten up, and I know I've almost lost to my anxiety, but I am DETERMINED TO WIN. By nature I am no fighter. I cower at anything. I am not even exaggerating when I say that I've been scared by my own shadow! While I am terrified at night and need all lights and extra nightlights on, there's something about the daytime and seeing the sun which makes me literally want to fight. I want to literally take this, and wring its neck. Thinking about the next day brings anxiety but also strength when I think of it being sunny and beautiful.


Sorry for the long post. I guess I just really wanted to rant. I've been holding it in for a while now. I need to invest in a punching bag!

When tempted to Google just imagine Mick shouting at you "if you use that arm I'm going to chop it off!: :biggrin:

A good message from Rocky was when telling his son how you win. I always like that one.

hellsingokami
06-08-18, 05:14
When tempted to Google just imagine Mick shouting at you "if you use that arm I'm going to chop it off!: :biggrin:

A good message from Rocky was when telling his son how you win. I always like that one.
Ha ha!! Great idea!! Mick's my trainer and he wants to see me thrive.


Also I love that quote. It just makes me want to try harder. Often I tell myself "I want to last passed 3 more weeks." But my mind says, "You're not going to be around passed next." Sometimes it makes me panic, but then I think of Rocky and I can actually picture myself next month playing around, watching tv, finishing coding, etc. They're slight pictures but I hang on to them so I can try reminding myself that things are going to be fine.



Oftentimes when I get out of the rut I put myself in due to anxiety, I feel stronger, thankful, and picture the referees holding up Rocky's fists at the end of a match with the theme song playing. :D

Crevan
08-08-18, 04:27
So I've had a relapse... and would like some feedback to help me calm down. I'm especially emotional since I just lost my rabbit :(

So my rabbit is a mostly outdoor rabbit, but he's been coming in to stay in my basement for the past week since it's been far too hot during the day and he was older to my best understanding (adopted, so not entirely sure). Anyway... he passed away very suddenly today for reasons I do not know. My mom said to me exactly a week ago that he seemed to be really slowing down. Of course, this made me panic and I started paying attention to a lot of details. He was still getting up and moving around but did seem somewhat stiff in his movements at times. He was still eating & drinking even yesterday (though now my mind is questioning if I really saw him eating last night).

However, I read somewhere (yes, I'm bad and I googled stuff) that rabbits don't necessarily show the signs of rabies and do just suddenly die. And it is entirely possible he has scratched me, or I came into contact with anything within the last week. I have 3 rabbits and scratches just happen, sometimes without noticing until later. So now my mind is on overdrive on "what if" because I also know something had flown inside his enclosure several weeks ago (we know a bird HAD been roosting in there, but I haven't seen it in a while and whatever had flown over me had done just that and left so I couldn't see it at all).

I wish I could just mourn the loss of my rabbit, but instead, I am obsessing over this possibility. I even asked the vet when I took him up to have him cremated if a possible scratch was a concern (because I had to sign a paper that said he hadn't bit anyone in the last 10 days). They said it wasn't a concern and that he didn't need to be sent in for testing. I am highly regretting agreeing about that and leaving.

Rabies in rabbits is very rare, but I live on the East Coast USA and I believe there have been cases of it here and there... so I am absolutely terrified at the moment. This has been an ongoing fear for me for a long time, but I've had a really bad spike of it over the last month and this is really doing me in. :(((( Should I call the health department for a second opinion on whether or not I am in danger? I mean, lots of people farm rabbits, have rabbits outdoors, etc. and I know these people probably wouldn't blink an eye... but ya know.

I have a doctor's appointment next week because I want to talk about my anxiety and such, but unfortunately, because I am changing doctors I cannot get it moved up any sooner to discuss my concerns.

Thank you so much to anyone who reads this. I really would have liked to not bother anyone, but just getting it out there makes me feel a bit better.

MyNameIsTerry
08-08-18, 04:53
So I've had a relapse... and would like some feedback to help me calm down. I'm especially emotional since I just lost my rabbit :(

So my rabbit is a mostly outdoor rabbit, but he's been coming in to stay in my basement for the past week since it's been far too hot during the day and he was older to my best understanding (adopted, so not entirely sure). Anyway... he passed away very suddenly today for reasons I do not know. My mom said to me exactly a week ago that he seemed to be really slowing down. Of course, this made me panic and I started paying attention to a lot of details. He was still getting up and moving around but did seem somewhat stiff in his movements at times. He was still eating & drinking even yesterday (though now my mind is questioning if I really saw him eating last night).

However, I read somewhere (yes, I'm bad and I googled stuff) that rabbits don't necessarily show the signs of rabies and do just suddenly die. And it is entirely possible he has scratched me, or I came into contact with anything within the last week. I have 3 rabbits and scratches just happen, sometimes without noticing until later. So now my mind is on overdrive on "what if" because I also know something had flown inside his enclosure several weeks ago (we know a bird HAD been roosting in there, but I haven't seen it in a while and whatever had flown over me had done just that and left so I couldn't see it at all).

I wish I could just mourn the loss of my rabbit, but instead, I am obsessing over this possibility. I even asked the vet when I took him up to have him cremated if a possible scratch was a concern (because I had to sign a paper that said he hadn't bit anyone in the last 10 days). They said it wasn't a concern and that he didn't need to be sent in for testing. I am highly regretting agreeing about that and leaving.

Rabies in rabbits is very rare, but I live on the East Coast USA and I believe there have been cases of it here and there... so I am absolutely terrified at the moment. This has been an ongoing fear for me for a long time, but I've had a really bad spike of it over the last month and this is really doing me in. :(((( Should I call the health department for a second opinion on whether or not I am in danger? I mean, lots of people farm rabbits, have rabbits outdoors, etc. and I know these people probably wouldn't blink an eye... but ya know.

I have a doctor's appointment next week because I want to talk about my anxiety and such, but unfortunately, because I am changing doctors I cannot get it moved up any sooner to discuss my concerns.

Thank you so much to anyone who reads this. I really would have liked to not bother anyone, but just getting it out there makes me feel a bit better.

Sorry to hear you have lost your rabbit :hugs:

I expect the loss is likely a driver in your current emotional state as it is going to throw you off like any loss can and then anxiety finds it's foot in the door. Seeing your doctor about your anxiety is a good idea anyway.

The vet doesn't seem concerned and doesn't want to test. If he/she had a concern yet failed to test which later resulted in harm to a patient, or other animals, they would be in serious trouble that would surely risk their licence.

I think it's also likely that symptoms your rabbit experienced could raise a number of possible causes to a vet that they would have worked through if they saw him/her when still alive. The fact it was too late means they aren't going to go that far and may just give opinion on potential causes. And your rabbit was old so sometimes illness just hits and it's their time. I suspect if he/she had stopped eating you may have found it easier to attribute it too illness.

Crevan
08-08-18, 05:04
Thank you for your reply. It was an emergency clinic so they don't know him, and they didn't really want to talk about it at all so I keep thinking "what if they knew THIS detail (him slowing down, for example) then would they be more concerned?" I actually did call them back to ask about it again and he just kind of laughed and said "No, no, I promise you, you will be fine unless you know he was attacked by something rabid" -- and I'm like ok but that's the problem, I don't know with certainty that he somehow didn't get scratched by something where I wouldn't have noticed an injury somehow. I also don't know with certainty if he did or did not even scratch me this week. This just drives me nuts!

Side note: Does anyone know if online therapists are any good? I'm going to look around the forum a bit to see if there have been other topics on it but figured I would ask as well. I don't know if I can wait to see a doctor first before trying to start some kind of treatment :( Ugh. I am really trying my best to not call local health authorities or the emergency room over it.

MyNameIsTerry
08-08-18, 06:31
It's that situation where you have no evidence for our against. Doubt then has a field day. But you know that statistically it is very rate so you're back to the other doubt about you being that one person who pops up in the media.

Something to consider is that if your rabbit had been attacked by an animal carrying rabies wouldn't you spot a wound of some kind?

And why must this be rabies? Have you checked out every disease a rabbit can due from with these symptoms? If the answer is no, you can't discount any other disease and therefore can't rank rabies above any of them. What sets rabies above all these others? Is it that your mind latched onto it and you've researched it to make associations to your situation, which is very open to Confirmation Bias?

Online CBT is considered as having evidence of being as effective as face-to face-to therapy but I would suspect it depends on complexity & severity (over here it's a lower level treatment). It must also be supported, many of them are unsupported courses therefore are not accepted as evidence based. Any can help though but it's a question of being able to apply it when facing fears is hard and we naturally seek to avoid that.

But there is also online therapy in forms such as Skype and these are more like traditional therapy.

Rbvdk
13-08-18, 09:48
Hey I don't know anything about rabies at all but my fiance has a big fear of it and although he's mostly gotten over it, he still gets panic attacks about it sometimes. I think he gets worried when he feels overly tired or has a headache (I'm not sure, I don't know the symptoms). His biggest worry is that our cats could be carrying it one day (we live near a woods so I think that might be why) and when they get their claws out when they're on our knees or whatever, and scratch him, that it could pass on to him. He's not worried about the wild animal part because we don't go to the woods and haven't been near any. I just feel bad for him because I don't know how to reassure him and he gets worried for days sometimes wondering if he's getting the symptoms yet. He avoids the cats clawing him but it must still happen occasionally as he still gets the panic attacks so I'm assuming he's worrying about his symptoms because he's been scratched? Because I don't know anything about rabies, does anyone have advice on how I can help and reassure him about how it's not possible for our cats to ever get rabies? We live in big town in England so I don't see it as possible at all even with the woods, but I know from my own experience that fears can be irrational. Thanks to anyone who can give me some advice and thanks for this post I'll show it to him next time he's worried. :)

paranoid-viking
13-08-18, 11:11
Hey I don't know anything about rabies at all but my fiance has a big fear of it and although he's mostly gotten over it, he still gets panic attacks about it sometimes. I think he gets worried when he feels overly tired or has a headache (I'm not sure, I don't know the symptoms). His biggest worry is that our cats could be carrying it one day (we live near a woods so I think that might be why) and when they get their claws out when they're on our knees or whatever, and scratch him, that it could pass on to him. He's not worried about the wild animal part because we don't go to the woods and haven't been near any. I just feel bad for him because I don't know how to reassure him and he gets worried for days sometimes wondering if he's getting the symptoms yet. He avoids the cats clawing him but it must still happen occasionally as he still gets the panic attacks so I'm assuming he's worrying about his symptoms because he's been scratched? Because I don't know anything about rabies, does anyone have advice on how I can help and reassure him about how it's not possible for our cats to ever get rabies? We live in big town in England so I don't see it as possible at all even with the woods, but I know from my own experience that fears can be irrational. Thanks to anyone who can give me some advice and thanks for this post I'll show it to him next time he's worried. :)

That is sad to hear. Perhaps you should show your fiance this thread but, then again, no facts or reassurance will help those with a severe case of anxiety. The mind wiull simply not be at ease for someone. The fact that rabies does not exist in the UK or that you can not get rabies from a healthy pet animal should be fact that the googløe hypocondriac should know, but I guess they always overlook the reassuring facts.
So either you should not have a cat; although I think that will just be surrendering to his irrationality. He should seek out professional help for his anxiety. I dont really know what else to say about that.

Rbvdk
13-08-18, 12:50
Thanks for replying and understanding. :) I'm not sure if he knows it doesnt exist in the UK but I'll show him that too next time. Thanks again, hopefully he can get some help if it starts getting too bad again.

paranoid-viking
13-08-18, 19:52
Thanks for replying and understanding. :) I'm not sure if he knows it doesnt exist in the UK but I'll show him that too next time. Thanks again, hopefully he can get some help if it starts getting too bad again.

You need to be straigh foreward with him. Stand up and say loud and clearly hey, you do have a serious problem. But your problem is not rabies, it is your anxiety and you need help for it!

Crevan
14-08-18, 05:38
I find it so sad to see someone else afraid of their own pet! I am a huge animal lover so this sudden fear is driving me nuts. I try to laugh at it when possible - take a look at the irrationality of it and try to turn it into a joke, because most people looking in indeed think it is so absurd it is laughable (with good reason, I know that deep down!)

Tonight something hit and stung my hand when I took my dog outside. My first thought: a bat. A bat that somehow dive bombed me, left no mark on my hand other than a stinging sensation, and somehow avoided me seeing or hearing it when my hand was right in front of me :doh:

I mean, I clearly know it is irrational because I am already wondering how I'm going to bring this issue up with my doctor tomorrow without sounding like a total lunatic.

I doubt it would help him, Rbvdk, but he should realize in shelters people are getting scratched by cats all the time - sometimes cats fresh off the streets :) I was one of those people. Today it would probably scare me considering my current frame of mind, but back when it happened I thought nothing of it other than that it stung! Oh how I wish I still had THAT frame of mind right now!

Crevan
15-08-18, 21:48
So, I'm trying to stay positive and get over this, but I finally had my doctor's appointment today and it just made things worse.

When I asked her about my rabies fears (about my rabbit who suddenly passed and may or may not have scratched me in the days prior to his death) she started asking questions and didn't seem certain, and ended it with "Well, I wouldn't worry about it at this point."

And I'm thinking: Uhm, if it actually was a concern I can't worry about it LATER it'd need to be addressed right now. So, yes, I am back to square one, or perhaps even worse, because I was not anticipating her to act uncertain. She did say she has sent people in for rabies shots before but "isn't concerned about mine at the moment".

MyNameIsTerry
16-08-18, 01:56
So, I'm trying to stay positive and get over this, but I finally had my doctor's appointment today and it just made things worse.

When I asked her about my rabies fears (about my rabbit who suddenly passed and may or may not have scratched me in the days prior to his death) she started asking questions and didn't seem certain, and ended it with "Well, I wouldn't worry about it at this point."

And I'm thinking: Uhm, if it actually was a concern I can't worry about it LATER it'd need to be addressed right now. So, yes, I am back to square one, or perhaps even worse, because I was not anticipating her to act uncertain. She did say she has sent people in for rabies shots before but "isn't concerned about mine at the moment".

I've seen many posts about doctors appearing less confident than we would expect. I think you need to be careful of mind reading because for all we know your doctor may have been having their own bad day and may not be on the ball as normal with their people skills. That doesn't mean their analytical skills aren't though.

Crevan
16-08-18, 04:02
I've seen many posts about doctors appearing less confident than we would expect. I think you need to be careful of mind reading because for all we know your doctor may have been having their own bad day and may not be on the ball as normal with their people skills. That doesn't mean their analytical skills aren't though.

Thank you, Terry. We are waiting for blood work and will be discussing therapy and/or medications after any possible health concern is ruled out of causing my sudden anxiety spikes. I just can't seem to get this out of my head. I know if she had any doubts about it she would have sent me for shots.

abbey1812
25-08-18, 21:12
I came across this post (after finding a scratch on my face and thinking some invisible ninja bat bit me in my sleep!), and omg! this is what I've been trying to tell myself all day and hearing it from another person on a health anxiety forum is honestly what I think I needed to hear. Thank you!!! op you are a mensch!

Deepseathree
27-08-18, 08:45
Just to add to the original sticky. If it’s an anaimal that you’re familiar with or that you see often, after ten days of your worrying about possibly rabies transmission that animal is still alive, it never had rabies.

For example- You have a wild cat around the house and you feed it or pet it. Say it scratches you(not a possible way for transmission by the way. Or awfully very rare, though it doesn’t stop the worry). If you still see that animal after ten days alive, it doesn’t have rabies. The animal could have rabies, but it’s only transmitted during the time of presenting symptoms.

Lots of times with animals caught by animal catchers(cats and dogs) there is a waiting period they keep them caged(10 days) if they are alive after that the animal is fine.

claire92
28-08-18, 15:20
Thanks for this post. I think so many people get rabies fear because it's so terminal and something that can be prevented - but of course for us with HA, we want to go to any measures to prevent it! If I listened to my HA, I would have had the jabs 3 times in the last 4 months - all for impossible situations. I am travelling, so do need to be wary of stray dogs, but in México (where I am at the moment) dog rabies is virtually non existent. I still worry after being around (people's pets) dogs though. It's a very OTT fear, but I guess it is because the illness is so scary. And it is overhyped in Western media. My advice would be to do as much ERP as possible, I try to sit with my friends dogs as much as I can now and ignore any compulsions. Any time a rabies thought pops into my head I try to immediatley relabel it as an OCD thought. If anyone is getting a lot of thoughts like this it might be useful to look at getting some CBT for OCD as most HA is a form of OCD. It's a rollercoaster journey, but I know I am improving and I hope everyone else does too :)

MagpieWitch
28-08-18, 17:38
Just to add to the original sticky. If it’s an anaimal that you’re familiar with or that you see often, after ten days of your worrying about possibly rabies transmission that animal is still alive, it never had rabies.

For example- You have a wild cat around the house and you feed it or pet it. Say it scratches you(not a possible way for transmission by the way. Or awfully very rare, though it doesn’t stop the worry). If you still see that animal after ten days alive, it doesn’t have rabies. The animal could have rabies, but it’s only transmitted during the time of presenting symptoms.

Lots of times with animals caught by animal catchers(cats and dogs) there is a waiting period they keep them caged(10 days) if they are alive after that the animal is fine.

This is actually my strongest defense point ahahah but yeah, in domestic animals its observed that 10 days quarantine is a safe way to determine whether the animal has it or not. I haven't found any info against this yet and I've been digging the net for 1 week now (bad choice but a cat scratched me and I am afraid as hell) but generally even when rabies is suspected in my country back in 2013 they quarantined the cats for 10-15 days (and they were fine).
This cannot be done with wild animals however because there's no sufficient data on it.

MagpieWitch
29-08-18, 22:30
Hey rabies worriers, I have a brand new rabies worry.
Today I was walking home and there are trees around my building and a little droplet fell on the top of my lip.
I am scared that it's a bat drool from a rabid bat or something, and honestly I'll never get a vaccine if I tell this to my doctor so I am scared it was a rabid bat drool that got into my mouth :/
I think I've read people worrying about this before and I am just very distressed and now I'll think about this for a while until I get sick and panic it's rabies.
Is this even possible? Can it be like just some random droplet from something else?

nomorepanic
29-08-18, 23:10
No it is not possible and you are overthinking things massively to be honest.

AMomentofClarity
29-08-18, 23:42
Hey rabies worriers, I have a brand new rabies worry.
Today I was walking home and there are trees around my building and a little droplet fell on the top of my lip.
I am scared that it's a bat drool from a rabid bat or something, and honestly I'll never get a vaccine if I tell this to my doctor so I am scared it was a rabid bat drool that got into my mouth :/
I think I've read people worrying about this before and I am just very distressed and now I'll think about this for a while until I get sick and panic it's rabies.
Is this even possible? Can it be like just some random droplet from something else?

No offense, but this is way out there, even by NMP rabies threads standards.

MyNameIsTerry
30-08-18, 02:20
No offense, but this is way out there, even by NMP rabies threads standards.

There have been other rabies threads where bats have flown above people, swooshes of wind or noises in bedrooms, etc. It's the same really, nothing unusual on here. The HIV/AIDS threads are another good example.

But that's Contamination themes for you, we've had many threads just like it across NMP about a range of triggers.

See trigger > subconscious inner chimp goes bananas > conscious mind starts analysing threats > panic > reassurance. The same as any other intrusive thought type concern on here really.

It's not really out there compared to the many brain tumour threads where someone has had a headache one day when you think about it.

There's often a whole load of Magical Thinking going on in these.

NervousSubject
30-08-18, 04:28
Okay...so after weeks of doing good, its back...I was at a friends house and we were bbqing hot dogs...it was already pitch black nighttime out, I closed the front door behind him while he was tending to the BBQ and a few minutes later, I noticed I had a fresh, small wound on my thumb that looked like a little scratch.

I'm so scared that I might have been scratched or bitten by a bat at some point and I didn't see it...

paranoid-viking
30-08-18, 05:35
Okay...so after weeks of doing good, its back...I was at a friends house and we were bbqing hot dogs...it was already pitch black nighttime out, I closed the front door behind him while he was tending to the BBQ and a few minutes later, I noticed I had a fresh, small wound on my thumb that looked like a little scratch.

I'm so scared that I might have been scratched or bitten by a bat at some point and I didn't see it...

You just have to fight those irrational thought every time you have closen encounters with them; the irrational thoughts that is. You allready know it is irrational and why it is irrational. Are there a lot of insects where you are?

---------- Post added at 06:35 ---------- Previous post was at 06:33 ----------


Hey rabies worriers, I have a brand new rabies worry.
Today I was walking home and there are trees around my building and a little droplet fell on the top of my lip.
I am scared that it's a bat drool from a rabid bat or something, and honestly I'll never get a vaccine if I tell this to my doctor so I am scared it was a rabid bat drool that got into my mouth :/
I think I've read people worrying about this before and I am just very distressed and now I'll think about this for a while until I get sick and panic it's rabies.
Is this even possible? Can it be like just some random droplet from something else?

Was the tree wet after a rainfall?

MagpieWitch
31-08-18, 10:04
I'm sorry if it sounds very weird and troll-ish, but I remember having these fears like few years back from the same reason.
There used to be another site called AnxietyZone or something along those lines and I remember reading few other people with the same fear. It's because the rabies fear is stronger than the rational thinking I guess :mad: I'm sorry I'm just scared I'll die from this in particular :(

venusbluejeans
31-08-18, 19:08
https://scontent-lhr3-1.xx.fbcdn.net/v/t1.0-9/39911094_10212621856129769_5261891195994374144_n.j pg?_nc_cat=1&oh=f23ecbab4a6e2a5eaafaec0c07ff342d&oe=5BEFE703

AntsyVee
01-09-18, 05:11
Now I kinda wanna get a bat house...

MyNameIsTerry
01-09-18, 07:40
Now I kinda wanna get a bat house...

Me too. But not to get them out of any house, I want them in my garden!

Great for keeping the moth population down.

Something NervUs and Paranoid-Viking were explaining about the myth of rabies down the generations across a couple of threads got me thinking about how bats have been seen as vermin or evil. In cinema they have been portrayed as the vampire bat or a swarm of killer bats. Then their is the vampire myths they became attached to.

I guess it adds onto it at some level in the same way we think about spiders & snakes.

claire92
02-09-18, 02:41
I'm having another rabies fear too. I was at a beauty salon last week and the owner had a dog who was pawing all over me. Sent my anxiety a bit haywire, but I let it as i'm trying to do exposure. Then i found a small cut on my ankle (nowhere near where the dog even was) and now i'm getting concerned it's scratched or bit me without me realising. I know it's ridiculous. I can feel myself slightly less obsessed about this than I have been before so I guess that means the therapy is working a bit. But still having this doubt isn't nice :/ btw i'm currently in Mexico not the UK, that being said dog rabies is nearly none existent here due to stringent immunisation programmes. Obviously my OCD is latching on to the 'nearly' part of that and is ignoring the fact that the dog wasn't even near my ankle! This illness is so cruel!

Not really sure why i'm posting this on here haha as I know the fear is ridiculous, but it's nice to be able to tell people who understand HA just to get it off my chest!

AntsyVee
02-09-18, 05:13
Me too. But not to get them out of any house, I want them in my garden!

Great for keeping the moth population down.

Something NervUs and Paranoid-Viking were explaining about the myth of rabies down the generations across a couple of threads got me thinking about how bats have been seen as vermin or evil. In cinema they have been portrayed as the vampire bat or a swarm of killer bats. Then their is the vampire myths they became attached to.

I guess it adds onto it at some level in the same way we think about spiders & snakes.

Makes sense. Spiders are so good. They eat all of the annoying bugs.

Crevan
23-09-18, 19:26
I was doing really well until I wore sandals yesterday which I knew would be a mistake. Now I’ve found these two marks on the top of my foot and of course I immediately let my mind drift back into this rabbit hole https://ibb.co/jnfEp9

https://ibb.co/jnfEp9

Please tell me this kind of marking happens all the time to everyone ugh. Just needed a place to say something.

AntsyVee
24-09-18, 01:28
It looks like you're in the US, so you're fine.


If your location said Romania, I would say vampire.

MyNameIsTerry
24-09-18, 01:51
I was doing really well until I wore sandals yesterday which I knew would be a mistake. Now I’ve found these two marks on the top of my foot and of course I immediately let my mind drift back into this rabbit hole https://ibb.co/jnfEp9

https://ibb.co/jnfEp9

Please tell me this kind of marking happens all the time to everyone ugh. Just needed a place to say something.

It could be a bite BUT lots of things can bite us and we may never realise, or just not care, unless we get an infection or reaction of some kind. We never realise because they can be insects which don't cause much pain at all.

A bat would be noticeable. It would have to attack your foot for a start. You would see this. The bite would probably hurt.

And remember the odds of anything like that happening. I wonder what the odds are of bites from insects? A lot higher I bet and how many are never reported?

I have problems with bad skin and I'm a skin picker. I have been covered in marks like that from scratching, sometimes in my sleep. It's likely the edge of a nail that is sharp at the time. I may get one, two or several marks like that close together and I bet it's more there are two there that you have though this (along with the obvious subconscious thoughts and negative thinking patterns of anxiety).

Crevan
24-09-18, 02:16
Yes, it's definitely because there are two marks. I was moving hay around yesterday for my animals and most likely poked myself with hay. If there were 3 marks or 1 mark I wouldn't be thinking anything of it!

Thanks for your feedback. I will also bring this up with my therapist tomorrow - I was doing so well, too!

MyNameIsTerry
24-09-18, 05:02
Yes, it could be that as the stuff is quite sharp in the ends.

I remember someone on here posting a pic of their perceived bites. They had about 5 or so marks and some were close together. They could easily have been a graze type mark, I just wake up with these patterns from scratching, but his mind saw two sets of marks in close proximity and jumped to conclusions get were bites, then jumped further to bats.

The subconscious is trying to keep us safe by raising the issue of "potential bat" but it's passing this "data" to the conscious mind which makes the decisions because it just isn't sure what to do.

It can be useful to learn how to see thoughts with less attachment (if that makes sense?) to be more objective, just as Mindfulness teaches you thoughts are just that and are allowed to exist but we choose which we want to be involved with and which to let go of. It's very hard with anxiety as it's the opposite of what the whole process should be about but when you learn to see these incoming thoughts with less emotion you find yourself dismissing them as pointless stuff being blurted out by an overactive mind.

Crevan
25-09-18, 01:38
So just updating because I found this a little funny... I was bad and decided to google "small bite marks on foot" and most of it was on spider bites... but then one was saying it was due to alien abduction LOL Perhaps more likely than a bat biting me without me knowing it :D

(and side note literally no mentions of bats anywhere in this search, it was all bug bites... and aliens) Also, if the aliens are watching, if they planted this anxiety in me, they can have it back.

MyNameIsTerry
25-09-18, 01:58
https://media.giphy.com/media/3orieSoogbpS8Xsdck/giphy.gifhttps://media.giphy.com/media/xT5LMSN2aZMqlFpGfe/giphy.gif

You never know...:winks::roflmao:

axolotl
20-10-18, 11:49
Just thought I'd add something to this thread as occasionally I see threads by people from the UK about rabies and I know a bit about this as some of my friends are ecologists.

First of all rabies was eradicated in the UK in 1922.

Ah but, your anxiety says, I Googled and there were some cases in bats in the 00s! Yes a rabies-type virus was found in Daubenton's Bats, and there was one fatality of a bat worker. This means bat workers now legally need a rabies shot before they can handle wild bats as a precaution.

But remember these are bat workers whose job it is to poke their hands in bat roosts. There has literally been no-one ever in this country who has had a rabid bat swoop down and bite them, and never will, that's not how it works. The bats over your garden - which are probably Pipistrelles or Long-eared Bats - are healthy bats feeding normally, who will avoid you, and are no threat unless you're a moth!

So in summary, all species of mammal in the UK are rabies free, there are a tiny amount of bats with a rabies-like virus, but this is only even a remote issue if your job involves provoking bats in a situation where sick ones will be lurking, and even then it's vanishingly unlikely. The chance you contracting rabies in the UK is 0.

paranoid-viking
07-12-18, 18:19
I get the impression that 90% of the rabies fearers in here dont bother to read this thread and keep posting their invisible bat threads.

golddustgirl1000
02-05-19, 20:13
So how is it then that people say you can get bit by bats and not know...?




Recently we have had many posts about the fear of contracting rabies from the most unlikely of scenarios.

I thought I would make a post with some facts about Rabies which will hopefully put some peoples minds at rest a little.

Most of the posts we get come from people in the US, so this post is aimed at those in the US


What is Rabies?
Rabies is a viral disease affecting the central nervous system of warm-blooded animals

How rare is Rabies
In this century, the number of human deaths caused by rabies in the United States has drastically declined, from more than 100 cases per year to an average of just two or three cases a year…. This fact was in 2014 and that number is still declining!

So that means that there are 325.7 million people in the United States…….. That is 325700000 and just 2 or 3 of those 325700000 people per year contract rabies, that is a completely miniscule chance of contracting Rabies

Since 2008 there have been 23 cases of human rabies infection, 8 of which were due to exposures outside of the U.S

How is Rabies Transmitted?
Transmission occurs when saliva containing the rabies virus is introduced into an opening in the skin. 90% of animals which are infected with rabies are wild animals, the chances of a pet passing Rabies on to you is very very rare and can not be transmitted by you by walking on or touching something that a rabid animal may or may not have walked on/chewed.

you need to have an open wound on which a rabid animal has got saliva to contract Rabies

Rabies is NOT transmitted by a rabid animals blood..... just saliva

Bats and other animals will not jump out and bite you in your sleep

If an animal bites you you WILL know….. animals are NOT ninjas you will notice if an animal has bitten you. You WILL see the animal.

To make the chances even less (than very very minimal).......
vaccinate your pets and other domestic animals (like cows, goats, sheep, and horses)

Avoid contact with wild animals – do not feed or handle them, even if they seem friendly. If you see a wild animal acting strangely, report it to animal control.

Wash any wound with hot soapy water and keep it clean and covered

2 last things to remember....

1.... How miniscule your chances of contracting rabies actually is in the USA... 3 in 325700000 at most! that is roughly 0.0000000092% chance!!

2.... This is the Rabies virus.... it looks so much friendlier if you add googly eyes and think of it like that :yesyes: :roflmao:




https://i.imgur.com/xJ7qh8C.jpg

nomorepanic
02-05-19, 20:15
Who says that?

golddustgirl1000
02-05-19, 22:02
Random places online.. like articles etc... in the past I’ve read bay bites are so small you might not even know it... so how do you know for sure then? I’m not the kind of person that is indoors... I’m outsoors a lot- hiking, photographing..working out..I’m just saying...

nomorepanic
02-05-19, 22:37
Bats won't bite you unless they are being attacked maybe.

They won't even have rabies if they did bite you.

You are really worrying over nothing I promise.

AmandaG
28-03-20, 21:22
It's been a long time since I logged in to this forum. When I first signed up I thought I was the only rabies-phobic person in the world! It seems it's not such an unusual fear. I'd like to reassure people with this phobia that it can be beaten. Sadly, I've found I found my health anxiety is capable of latching on to dozens of other concerns, but at least now I'm capable of recognising the anxiety problem and taking action to combat this anxiety. Stick at it, folks, it does get better. :)

ButterscotchLatte
03-04-22, 05:52
I hope you guys don't mind me resurrecting a dead thread, but I've posted about rabies before and worry that if I make another whole thread they will get merged and my newer one won't reach anybody. I can never calm myself down when my OCD is hyperfocused on rabies, but I am always happy to be a voice of reason for others and just wanted to share some life experience to maybe help some other sufferers of this horrible fear realize how unlikely the worst case scenario truly is.

I grew up in Washington state and spent most of my life in mountain towns surrounded by forests. I was always around wild animals and I always loved animals so much I was never worried about being careful. I never had rabies anxiety until I had a bat encounter about 5 years ago that changed everything, and I still don't know why it suddenly started since I had been around bats before and never worried about it. Mental health is funny like that I guess.

Anyway, I just wanted to share a few of the several times I could've theoretically been exposed to rabies but didn't think twice about and nothing came of it.

My grandma and I used to love to sleep outside under the stars on her porch during the summer and we would watch the bats fly around until we fell asleep. Outside. Where the bats are. We were never bitten.

Bats used to get inside my grandmas house all the time during the summer and autumn, and even when my grandparents would be swatting at them with brooms and trying to get them out of the house, the poor things never once even TRIED to attack anybody. Apparently they still have the bat problem, and to this day no one has been bitten, even when they've woken up to a bat flying around in the room. They have never captured and submitted one of the bats for testing, and they have never gotten the vaccine. They've been dealing with bats in the house since the 80s when they built it.

My dad once found a bunch of dead bats in the woods and brought them home because he thought they were cool and wanted to show my mom. Needless to say, she was disgusted and horrified but no one got rabies.

Over a decade ago, I woke up while camping to some sort of furry creature rustling around on my chest and digging at my blankets. I sat up and as it went running away I realized it was a little baby skunk. Thankfully I didn't get sprayed nor did I get rabies.

I have lost count of the number of stray dogs and cats I've pet and been licked by. Never got sick. In fact, when I was in high school there was one particular stray cat who used to come and see me all the time who had a severe drooling problem and he loved to lick people. He salivated so much I called him "Bubbles". I never even thought about rabies. My whole family loved him and he lived a long time.

When I was homeless for a while as a teen, me and some friends stayed in an abandoned barn for a few months. It was infested with mice and we did see the occasional bat but no one ever got bitten by anything.

A couple years ago, I was out one summer night wearing shorts and a rabbit came running out of nowhere and crashed into my ankle and then took off running in the other direction. Poor thing was probably terrified but it didn't give me rabies.

I am no stranger to being out at night and seeing bats flying around. Not once have I been bitten by one, even once or twice when they swooped incredibly close to me.

I could probably list more examples, but I'd be here all day. It really is so incredibly unlikely that even if you were bitten by an invisible ninja bat, it wouldn't have rabies. If only I could use my own life experiences to convince myself to calm down when my OCD gets bad, but at least I can reassure others.

SpookyCat311
19-09-22, 01:04
I hope you guys don't mind me resurrecting a dead thread, but I've posted about rabies before and worry that if I make another whole thread they will get merged and my newer one won't reach anybody. I can never calm myself down when my OCD is hyperfocused on rabies, but I am always happy to be a voice of reason for others and just wanted to share some life experience to maybe help some other sufferers of this horrible fear realize how unlikely the worst case scenario is.

I could probably list more examples, but I'd be here all day. It really is so incredibly unlikely that even if you were bitten by an invisible ninja bat, it wouldn't have rabies. If only I could use my own life experiences to convince myself to calm down when my OCD gets bad, but at least I can reassure others.

Hey, ButterscotchLatte, I know this comment is kind of old (and the whole thread is old too) but I just wanted to tell you that your comment in particular is really helpful for me to read.

I recently had a possible bat exposure that resulted in my getting the post-exposure vaccines, and I’ve been a nervous wreck. I’m still in the middle of the vaccine series, and 2 days after my third shot, I developed a sore throat, which I still have 4 days later! It’s been scaring the crap out of me. I’m afraid the vaccines failed to work because I didn’t start treatment until 4 days after the incident (all the recommendations say you shouldn’t wait more than 72 hours).

And it doesn’t help that last year, a guy in Minnesota took the vaccines but still died from rabies, so the vaccines don’t work 100% of the time I guess. It’s suspected his vaccines didn’t work due to an undiagnosed autoimmune condition, which I also possibly have, so I’m scared about that as well.

The thing is, I’m not even 100% certain I was bitten (although I did see many bats living on the house, roosting in the trees, and flying around the bushes that I reached into when I got my possible bite). And even if I did actually get bitten, there’s no guarantee the bat was rabid since like less than 1% of bats in the US even have rabies according to the latest data. And even if I was bitten and it did have rabies, I’m getting the vaccines, which have only failed one time in the US in history as far as I know, so I’ll likely be okay.

Despite how unlikely it is though, my anxiety has still been out of control with the sore throat and it’s so hard not to focus on the “what ifs”.

Side note, I grew up only a state away in Oregon! And same here, growing up I had all kinds of wildlife encounters and never gave rabies a second thought until I got older and developed health anxiety.

Anyways, just wanted to say thanks for taking the time to post this. I tried to start my own thread in the rabies forum (my first time ever posting my own thread on NMP) but no one responded to me, so I’ve just been reading through other posts looking for comfort.

RabiesFear
08-11-22, 14:56
Random places online.. like articles etc... in the past I’ve read bay bites are so small you might not even know it... so how do you know for sure then? I’m not the kind of person that is indoors... I’m outsoors a lot- hiking, photographing..working out..I’m just saying...

I don't want to scare you, but you're actually right. CDC guidelines are that if you wake up and see a bat in your room, you must get the shots even if you don't think that you've had contact, because a lot of people DON'T know that they've been bitten. Sometimes people will wake up with a bat on them, but sometimes they won't. The point is that this is VERY, VERY RARE, but I don't think we should alleviate anxiety by spreading misconceptions. I had my own rabies scare this year and I literally reviewed every single case of rabies in the US and Canada from 1990 to present. All the case reports are online. In this guy's case, he woke up to a bat near his head, but didn't think he had any contact with it: https://www.cdc.gov/mmwr/volumes/69/wr/mm6905a1.htm

Good news is that these bats are sick, and they likely won't just bite you and disappear. You'll most likely see them somewhere around you.

Texasgirl87
13-07-23, 17:08
Hi I recently was walking around right before night and something brushed the side of my hair but I did not see it. It sounded like feathers. My neighborhood is known for it’s bat population even though I’ve only seen one or two possibly every night. I just wanted to say this thread really helped me and put me at ease.