rabies

[pegleg]

I was driving along a dirt road the other night and saw a skunk stumbling along tipping over ever so often. I was glad I didn't have any high powered skunk killers along. I considered shooting it But it was a heavy residential area. Then I thought about running over it and heading home. But I've got two ten week old pups and a couple slightly older and a few barn cats and didn't think it worth the risk of dragging fluids home. I sure didn't think I wanted to be washing tires and undercarriage at 2 am. So I called the sheriff dept who were busy and ended up following the skunk around for a good while waiting for them to show up. I have seen a few rabid animals but not alot thankfully. A bobcat in the aggressive stage that still had control of its body. And a skunk and coyote borderline dead. But none of them did I watch for more then a short while before putting them down.
This skunk was unable to maintain his direction or feet at first. But finally fell and drug itself into the grass and rested apparently. After 15_20 minutes it regained its feet and appeared nearly normal for a good distance. But begain to slow and loose cordination again. A homeowner came out during the more controlled moments and swore nothing was wrong with it. Nevermind it didn't respond to him ten feet from it or the spot light on it. Regardless once the officer showed it was back to staggering around in a circle head on the ground. A yard dog came out and was fully prepared to grab it But I ran it off. They said it tested positive. Which was no surprise but the extreme variation in ability and behavior over that time did make me think on it a good deal.

[david]

That twenty minute power nap sounds about like me: like a new man...for a little while.

Now you got me wondering.

[macedonia mule man]

I had a vet tell me the rabies germ is extremely lazy and hard to be transmitted from animal to human if you take care of the bite or contact area. The germ is lazy and doesn't travel to the blood stream at first contact. If you are bitten a good flushing at and around the contact point with soap and water is enough to kill the germ. A disinfect would better if you have it. I believe he said you have about an 8 hr time period from bite to clean out. BUT, you hunting days are over if it does get in the blood stream.

[pegleg]

I don't know how active or not the virus might be or if flushing a wound is complete protection. I have however seen video of humans dying from rabies infection I'd just as soon burn . neither is a pleasant way to go but as rabies lingers in causing pain I 'll try my best to avoid it.

[CouesHunter]

We all know most bats carry rabies, does anyone know if they just carry it or do some show the symptoms and eventually die from it as well. Reason I ask is I took a couple of friends on a loop,as we were riding along I was ahead of both paying more attention to my hounds than them when I hear a commotion back on the trail. I go back and they tell me a huge bat hit my mule right in the head. The bat was laying on the ground hissing and spitting. The mule didn't have any marks other than maybe emotionally since he wanted nothing more than to leave that hissing bat. We dispatched him and got a big rock placed on him so the hounds couldn't pick him up. Never had that happen before.

[macedonia mule man]

I think that laying on the ground hissing and spitting would definitely be normal bat behavior after flying head on into a mules head, don't you think?

[david]

I guess the county might test the bat for you if you told them about it.

I never seen a bat run into anything and they (Google) can catch "between 600 and 1,000 mosquitos in one hour". If he can "see" mosquitos and scoop them up mid flight, And he's healthy, I would think he could avoid running into a mule. To me that is about like the mule crashing into the side of a barn because he didn't see it.

We used to try and hit bats in flight with baseballs or stones from a sling shot. Never even got close, because they had the trajectory pegged and dodged it effortlessly.

[TomJr]

That bat was rabid! Any bat seen out during daytime should as a rule be considered rabid... they will also bump into things and end up on the ground. (its possible that it was sick for another reason but error on the safe side). Bats have really small teeth and you may not see the bite mark, people have been bitten in their sleep and never noticed. I hope that mule had its shots. There was a horse that had to be put down in my county this year because it developed rabies.

[pegleg]

I'd agree on the bat being sick. They typically chirp. Rabies appears to be running pretty high in the southwest this year. Fortunately its getting warm enough I'll probably lay the dogs up for awhile. They were getting pretty warm this week

[Jimmy Lee]

My brother came in contact with a rabid dog back in the fifties had to get the fourteen shots in the stomach.