Comments on: Dog Bites Gringa in Merida! http://www.yucatanliving.com/daily-life/dog-bites-gringa-in-merida.htm Online magazine about living, working and traveling in Merida and the Yucatan Peninsula in Mexico. Thu, 11 Mar 2010 05:32:28 -0700 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.8.6 hourly 1 By: CasiYucateco http://www.yucatanliving.com/daily-life/dog-bites-gringa-in-merida.htm/comment-page-1#comment-70997 CasiYucateco Sun, 14 Dec 2008 16:02:26 +0000 http://www.yucatanliving.com/daily-life/dog-bites-gringa-in-merida.htm#comment-70997 Ravi, If you are asking for medical advice, it would be wise to seek a medical professional near you. Was your dog previously vaccinated against rabies? Just a warning to anyone: a bite from a rabid animal cannot be cleansed or sterilized with ANY topical medicines. Rabies has a 99.99% kill rate -- it is almost impossible to survive once contracted. But, given soon enough, the modern dual vaccines are nearly 100% effective. But you MUST have the shots administered PROMPTLY. No waiting around. Ravi, If you are asking for medical advice, it would be wise to seek a medical professional near you. Was your dog previously vaccinated against rabies?

Just a warning to anyone: a bite from a rabid animal cannot be cleansed or sterilized with ANY topical medicines. Rabies has a 99.99% kill rate — it is almost impossible to survive once contracted. But, given soon enough, the modern dual vaccines are nearly 100% effective. But you MUST have the shots administered PROMPTLY. No waiting around.

]]> By: RAVI http://www.yucatanliving.com/daily-life/dog-bites-gringa-in-merida.htm/comment-page-1#comment-70714 RAVI Sat, 13 Dec 2008 10:23:28 +0000 http://www.yucatanliving.com/daily-life/dog-bites-gringa-in-merida.htm#comment-70714 HELLO, WE HAVE 4 TO 6 MONTHS OLD NORMAL DOG. JUST WHILE PLAYING WITH HIM, WITH HIS TEETH HAPPEN TO GET LITTLE SCRATCH ON MY LEFT HAND BUT NO BLOOD FOUND IN MY HAND. I WASHED MY HAND WITH DETTOL AND APPLIED BETADINE MEDICINE. KINDLY ADVICE. AWAITING FOR YOUR EARLIEST REPLY AND WOULD APPRECIATE FOR THE SAME. RAVI HELLO,

WE HAVE 4 TO 6 MONTHS OLD NORMAL DOG.
JUST WHILE PLAYING WITH HIM, WITH HIS TEETH HAPPEN TO GET
LITTLE SCRATCH ON MY LEFT HAND BUT NO BLOOD FOUND IN MY HAND.
I WASHED MY HAND WITH DETTOL AND APPLIED BETADINE MEDICINE.

KINDLY ADVICE.

AWAITING FOR YOUR EARLIEST REPLY AND WOULD APPRECIATE
FOR THE SAME.

RAVI

]]> By: Cindy & Dan http://www.yucatanliving.com/daily-life/dog-bites-gringa-in-merida.htm/comment-page-1#comment-47526 Cindy & Dan Tue, 24 Jun 2008 23:38:47 +0000 http://www.yucatanliving.com/daily-life/dog-bites-gringa-in-merida.htm#comment-47526 Sorry to hear about the dog bite but glad to hear that things are healing well. We are also very glad to see that you included that link to Pets & Company. We agree that Sandra is indeed one of Merida’s best veterinarians. Sorry to hear about the dog bite but glad to hear that things are healing well.

We are also very glad to see that you included that link to Pets & Company. We agree that Sandra is indeed one of Merida’s best veterinarians.

]]> By: Susam http://www.yucatanliving.com/daily-life/dog-bites-gringa-in-merida.htm/comment-page-1#comment-37960 Susam Wed, 19 Mar 2008 07:36:26 +0000 http://www.yucatanliving.com/daily-life/dog-bites-gringa-in-merida.htm#comment-37960 My rabies story is 25 years old. I had attempted to consol the pet monkey of my recently deceased Mayan lover, (car wreck). El mono was chained in the rocky backyard and said to be sad, not eating or drinking in sorrow for his lost master. As I reached to pat its little head, it shrieked, climbed up my sundress, and sank its fangs into my upper arm, pulling fat tissue out of the puncture wound. With my friends, we found a doctor's office open; he applied a butterfly bandage and handed me a bottle of penicillen pills. 2 days later I returned to my lost love's home, and his nephews came running to meet me saying "el mono es muerto", the monkey is dead! Next they told me it had been entombed in the cinderblock of the newly built wall back of the house. Soon after, as I related my tale to other friends in Merida, I was warned that the monkey may have died of rabies and I should go directly to the public health clinic. So, I walked through el centro, past the old market and behind where the calesa carriages were parked and on to the clinic. Since I was a student of Spanish, I managed to comprehend the rabies specialist as I was interviewed, and when asked if I had put the monkey in a refrigerator, or could I bring in the monkey's head so the brain could be analyzed, I made the sorry report that the little tyke was cooking in a cinderblock wall. Eyes widened and this gringa was advised, "you have 3 days to decide - take the rabies vacine or see if you develop any symptoms! I thought - my mother will kill me if I don't take the preventative vacine! ( I was 32) Thus for 2 full weeks, I made that walk - in the early morning, past the old market, and behind to the clinic where I had 14 injections - 1 each day, in my back - 1st from my shoulder blades down on the left, then on the right. I had a cardboard receipt, where the injection was checked off each time. It was not too painful, the nurses seemed expert, but for the 1st few days, I felt wiped out as if I had the flu. What was very scary and sad though, was seeing the families at the clinic, having come into Merida from an outlying pueblo, especially on one day a parent holding the hand of a little boy. I gasped as I heard " it was too late to start the vacine". I felt sad for that child, for the poor little dead monkey, and for the great deep cavern in my heart for my lost Maya lover, as I survived rabies and it all. My rabies story is 25 years old. I had attempted to consol the pet monkey of my recently deceased Mayan lover, (car wreck). El mono was chained in the rocky backyard and said to be sad, not eating or drinking in sorrow for his lost master. As I reached to pat its little head, it shrieked, climbed up my sundress, and sank its fangs into my upper arm, pulling fat tissue out of the puncture wound. With my friends, we found a doctor’s office open; he applied a butterfly bandage and handed me a bottle of penicillen pills. 2 days later I returned to my lost love’s home, and his nephews came running to meet me saying “el mono es muerto”, the monkey is dead! Next they told me it had been entombed in the cinderblock of the newly built wall back of the house. Soon after, as I related my tale to other friends in Merida, I was warned that the monkey may have died of rabies and I should go directly to the public health clinic. So, I walked through el centro, past the old market and behind where the calesa carriages were parked and on to the clinic. Since I was a student of Spanish, I managed to comprehend the rabies specialist as I was interviewed, and when asked if I had put the monkey in a refrigerator, or could I bring in the monkey’s head so the brain could be analyzed, I made the sorry report that the little tyke was cooking in a cinderblock wall. Eyes widened and this gringa was advised, “you have 3 days to decide – take the rabies vacine or see if you develop any symptoms! I thought – my mother will kill me if I don’t take the preventative vacine! ( I was 32) Thus for 2 full weeks, I made that walk – in the early morning, past the old market, and behind to the clinic where I had 14 injections – 1 each day, in my back – 1st from my shoulder blades down on the left, then on the right. I had a cardboard receipt, where the injection was checked off each time. It was not too painful, the nurses seemed expert, but for the 1st few days, I felt wiped out as if I had the flu. What was very scary and sad though, was seeing the families at the clinic, having come into Merida from an outlying pueblo, especially on one day a parent holding the hand of a little boy. I gasped as I heard ” it was too late to start the vacine”. I felt sad for that child, for the poor little dead monkey, and for the great deep cavern in my heart for my lost Maya lover, as I survived rabies and it all.

]]> By: CasiYucateco http://www.yucatanliving.com/daily-life/dog-bites-gringa-in-merida.htm/comment-page-1#comment-37667 CasiYucateco Mon, 17 Mar 2008 05:41:47 +0000 http://www.yucatanliving.com/daily-life/dog-bites-gringa-in-merida.htm#comment-37667 Yes, and even if the results came back "safe" and they were **wrong** for any reason (mixed up results, mistake during the test, etc), you would die. There's no other way to say it: Humans who get rabies die. Rabies is 99.99% preventable if you follow the vaccination regime. Is there really any choice? Unless you are absolutely sure and willing to bet your life, take the shots. Even in the USA. Even anywhere. You have a week to 10 days to begin, but any delay lowers the percentage of success. One other note: Working Gringa appears to have been bitten on the wrist where there is very little tissue to work with. So, giving the globulin shot higher on that arm is just fine. If bitten where there is more tissue to work with, the standard of care is "infiltration of immune globulin into tissue surrounding the bite wounds." Said another way, "Give the shots into the tooth holes in the injured person." The entire dose of globulin is broken up and spread between the tooth holes. On the hand, arm, leg, etc, that's normally how it is done. Not fun, but better than death. Yes, and even if the results came back “safe” and they were **wrong** for any reason (mixed up results, mistake during the test, etc), you would die. There’s no other way to say it: Humans who get rabies die. Rabies is 99.99% preventable if you follow the vaccination regime.

Is there really any choice? Unless you are absolutely sure and willing to bet your life, take the shots. Even in the USA. Even anywhere. You have a week to 10 days to begin, but any delay lowers the percentage of success.

One other note: Working Gringa appears to have been bitten on the wrist where there is very little tissue to work with. So, giving the globulin shot higher on that arm is just fine.

If bitten where there is more tissue to work with, the standard of care is “infiltration of immune globulin into tissue surrounding the bite wounds.” Said another way, “Give the shots into the tooth holes in the injured person.” The entire dose of globulin is broken up and spread between the tooth holes. On the hand, arm, leg, etc, that’s normally how it is done. Not fun, but better than death.

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