Health Issues Forum


Home ~ Mission Statement ~ Trap Talk ~ ADC Forum ~ Trap Shed ~ Trap Chat
Trapper Tips ~ Links ~ Gallery ~ Basic Sets ~ Convention Calendar ~ Trapper's Humor
Fur Buyers Directory ~ Trapper's Tales ~ Words From The Past ~ Legends ~ Archives
~Catalog~

Print Thread
Hop To
Muskrat bite #6495509
03/19/19 02:53 PM
03/19/19 02:53 PM
Joined: Dec 2006
Posts: 227
west michigan,
J
johnd Offline OP
trapper
johnd  Offline OP
trapper
J

Joined: Dec 2006
Posts: 227
west michigan,
My son got bit on his finger by a muskrat last Saturday. We cleaned it up and it seams fine but today my wife was talking to a dr. At work and he said we should have the rat tested. I called the health department and they said they don't test small rodents because there aren't any cases of rabies in the small rodents here in Michigan. Does this sound right to you all?

Re: Muskrat bite [Re: johnd] #6495579
03/19/19 04:50 PM
03/19/19 04:50 PM
Joined: Jan 2016
Posts: 10,007
WI - Wisconsin
A
AJE Offline
trapper
AJE  Offline
trapper
A

Joined: Jan 2016
Posts: 10,007
WI - Wisconsin
Maybe check with a vet, or your local animal shelter.
Let us know.

Last edited by AJE; 03/19/19 04:50 PM.
Re: Muskrat bite [Re: johnd] #6495618
03/19/19 05:57 PM
03/19/19 05:57 PM
Joined: Aug 2011
Posts: 45,271
james bay frontierOnt.
B
Boco Offline
trapper
Boco  Offline
trapper
B

Joined: Aug 2011
Posts: 45,271
james bay frontierOnt.
I would get a second opinion.


Forget that fear of gravity-get a little savagery in your life.
Re: Muskrat bite [Re: Boco] #6510265
04/04/19 10:11 PM
04/04/19 10:11 PM
Joined: Jan 2016
Posts: 10,007
WI - Wisconsin
A
AJE Offline
trapper
AJE  Offline
trapper
A

Joined: Jan 2016
Posts: 10,007
WI - Wisconsin
Originally Posted by Boco
I would get a second opinion.

Good idea. Hopefully he came out ok.?

Re: Muskrat bite [Re: johnd] #6614017
09/11/19 01:59 AM
09/11/19 01:59 AM
Joined: Sep 2019
Posts: 3
LA
W
Woodys_place Offline
trapper
Woodys_place  Offline
trapper
W

Joined: Sep 2019
Posts: 3
LA
Anytime you are dealing with animals, especially wild animals you run the chance of being bit, so when I decided I wanted to start trapping I went to my doctor and requested to receive the rabies vaccine. He wrote the order and the pharmacist gave me 4 or 5 inoculations over a period of several weeks.

Chances are if you want an animal tested you will be the one paying for the tests and those tests can be expensive because it envolves a necropsie and it's not covered by any insurance. The rabies vaccine was covered by my insurance and is an added assurance to my safety if bitten.

If your son plans to continue trapping you may want to consider having him inoculated.

Re: Muskrat bite [Re: johnd] #6615443
09/12/19 06:53 PM
09/12/19 06:53 PM
Joined: Aug 2011
Posts: 604
New York
P
ponyboy Offline
trapper
ponyboy  Offline
trapper
P

Joined: Aug 2011
Posts: 604
New York
Our health dept. would test it in a heartbeat. Sounds like an incompetent person that you talked to at the health dept.I would call and ask to talk to The Director of the Health Dept. If that doesn't work you could take it further.
It is possible for any Mammal to transmit the rabies virus.

Re: Muskrat bite [Re: johnd] #6615450
09/12/19 07:05 PM
09/12/19 07:05 PM
Joined: Aug 2011
Posts: 604
New York
P
ponyboy Offline
trapper
ponyboy  Offline
trapper
P

Joined: Aug 2011
Posts: 604
New York
I have submitted multiple bats for testing. Protocol for bats. Calling the Health Dept. anytime one is found in the bedroom, living area,etc. and could have possibly come in contact with the person, persons or pets. Once I do that, all the liability falls upon the Health Dept. It then becomes their responsibility. They will contact the people involved and decide if they want to test the bat. In most cases they will test the bat.

Re: Muskrat bite [Re: ponyboy] #6616353
09/13/19 09:50 PM
09/13/19 09:50 PM
Joined: Jan 2016
Posts: 10,007
WI - Wisconsin
A
AJE Offline
trapper
AJE  Offline
trapper
A

Joined: Jan 2016
Posts: 10,007
WI - Wisconsin
Originally Posted by ponyboy

It is possible for any Mammal to transmit the rabies virus.
I didn't know that.

Re: Muskrat bite [Re: johnd] #6620546
09/19/19 03:26 PM
09/19/19 03:26 PM
Joined: Aug 2016
Posts: 6
Fairbanks, AK, USA
A
Alopex Offline
trapper
Alopex  Offline
trapper
A

Joined: Aug 2016
Posts: 6
Fairbanks, AK, USA
I know this is an older conversation, but you can also check with your local fish and game office. Usually there is a state vet who is doing surveillance testing for stuff like CWD and rabies. They could give you more information or help even with the necropsy/testing.

Re: Muskrat bite [Re: johnd] #6621664
09/20/19 11:51 PM
09/20/19 11:51 PM
Joined: Jan 2016
Posts: 10,007
WI - Wisconsin
A
AJE Offline
trapper
AJE  Offline
trapper
A

Joined: Jan 2016
Posts: 10,007
WI - Wisconsin
To ensure an animal is dead before we go near it, I guess tapping it with a stick a few times is probably a good idea. Some critters are good at playing dead.

Re: Muskrat bite [Re: johnd] #6623078
09/22/19 11:27 PM
09/22/19 11:27 PM
Joined: Sep 2019
Posts: 87
Alaska
F
flowingwater72 Offline
trapper
flowingwater72  Offline
trapper
F

Joined: Sep 2019
Posts: 87
Alaska
when i was a young boy i got bit by one my mother was freeking out. they almost gave me rabie shots but the doctor did some reserch and calling around and found out there was no reported cases of raibes in ohio. he should be ok. but if your gut tells you to do it then make him bight the bullet and get the shots.

Re: Muskrat bite [Re: johnd] #6640943
10/16/19 10:05 AM
10/16/19 10:05 AM
Joined: Jan 2018
Posts: 482
Alabama
K
KB64 Offline
trapper
KB64  Offline
trapper
K

Joined: Jan 2018
Posts: 482
Alabama
From the CDC website:

Small rodents and other wild animals
Small rodents like squirrels, hamsters, guinea pigs, gerbils, chipmunks, rats, and mice) and lagomorphs including rabbits and hares are almost never found to be infected with rabies and have not been known to transmit rabies to humans.

From 1990 through 1996, in areas of the country where raccoon rabies was enzootic, woodchucks (groundhogs) accounted for 93% of the 371 cases of rabies among rodents reported to CDC.

In all cases involving rodents, the state or local health department should be consulted before a decision is made to initiate postexposure prophylaxis.


Here's the link:
CDC Rabies

Re: Muskrat bite [Re: johnd] #6642332
10/18/19 12:23 AM
10/18/19 12:23 AM
Joined: Jan 2016
Posts: 10,007
WI - Wisconsin
A
AJE Offline
trapper
AJE  Offline
trapper
A

Joined: Jan 2016
Posts: 10,007
WI - Wisconsin
Interesting web link.

Re: Muskrat bite [Re: AJE] #6815359
03/24/20 09:53 AM
03/24/20 09:53 AM
Joined: Mar 2020
Posts: 3
Arkansas
H
Horse Shoer Offline
trapper
Horse Shoer  Offline
trapper
H

Joined: Mar 2020
Posts: 3
Arkansas
Here in Arkansas skunks are considered as frequent rabies carriers. The data does not agree from state to state. In Missouri raccoons are #1 in incidence of rabies. In Arkansas as far as I can tell skunks are #1 and can harbor the disease for up to 6 months before becoming symptomatic. The good news is that they are not thought to be capable of spreading the disease until they become symptomatic. Keep in mind that the experts don't always agree completely. I have not seen any data related to blood exposure from handling / skinning the animals be they skunks or 'coons.

Previous Thread
Index
Next Thread

Powered by UBB.threads™ PHP Forum Software 7.7.1