Tenaj Posted August 27, 2016 Share Posted August 27, 2016 (edited) My dh and I were awaken by strange rustlings in our bedroom last night and found out fairly quickly there was a bat flying around. I was very helpful and ran outside the door and slammed it shut :) My dh captured it by wrapping it in a sheet and then we sealed it into a garbage bag so we have the bat and are assuming we need to get it tested for rabies since we were sleeping with it in the room for a few hours. Of course, this happens on a Friday night when all the government agencies were closed. I've called and emailed with messages to no avail. The question is: the bat is in the garbage bag with the sheet . . . do we need to freeze it or something to preserve it so it can be tested on Monday. Second question: do we need to start treatment right away or do we wait until the bat has been tested even though that's going to at least two days? I tried to search because I swear there was a thread on this subject fairly recently but couldn't find it. Edited August 29, 2016 by JanOH Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
maize Posted August 27, 2016 Share Posted August 27, 2016 If you can't find an emergency number for Animal control or public health, call the non emergency number for the local police and get contact information from them. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
maize Posted August 27, 2016 Share Posted August 27, 2016 I wouldn't freeze the bat without specific direction but refrigeration is probably a good idea. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
maize Posted August 27, 2016 Share Posted August 27, 2016 Found some sources that confirmed Do Not Freeze. Sorry on my phone and hard to link. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
maize Posted August 27, 2016 Share Posted August 27, 2016 Yes to refrigeration. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
maize Posted August 27, 2016 Share Posted August 27, 2016 No you don't need treatment right away, waiting to confirm rabies status (a few days) is fine. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
maize Posted August 27, 2016 Share Posted August 27, 2016 We've been through testing of bats a couple of times, one came out negative for rabies and the other positive. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Laurie4b Posted August 27, 2016 Share Posted August 27, 2016 We had some needs for rabies vaccines. I do recall it wasn't an immediate need to get the vaccine series started. http://www.uptodate.com/contents/rabies-beyond-the-basics Here is a link that may be helpful. The CDC says start the series as soon as possible. The part that hurts is the human immunoglobulin. It's the first thing they give you. It's a thick fluid, like penicillin. The rabies shots themselves are given in the arm with a fine needle. There is only a pinprick of pain involved. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DawnM Posted August 27, 2016 Share Posted August 27, 2016 You have 10 days max to get the thing tested. If you send it off Monday, you will be within the time frame. It takes a few days to test. We got rabies shots. NOT fun. Hope you don't need to. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jjeepa Posted August 27, 2016 Share Posted August 27, 2016 You might want to call your family doctor. Both our PCP and my kid's pediatrician wanted us to start treatment within 24 hours. We encountered the bat on Thanksgiving morning so no government agencies open till that following Monday. By then, we had two treatments. I believe, if I remember correctly, the 2nd dose is 3 days after the 1st. The bat was safe so we stopped it there. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jjeepa Posted August 27, 2016 Share Posted August 27, 2016 I'll add that we took the bat to the county health department and they tested it within 24 hours. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tenaj Posted August 27, 2016 Author Share Posted August 27, 2016 Thanks everyone. I guess I'll be content to keep the bat in the fridge until Monday and hopefully can get hold of the health department first thing on Monday morning. I called animal control. The lady that answered the phone told me that I should "go with my gut feeling" . I'm not sure what good that will do if I have been bitten or what good that would do when the question I asked was whether they had an emergency contact at the health department . . . - LOL! I did confirm that she had no idea and that her boss might but . . . well . . . she wasn't "really willing to go get her boss." What!!!!! Oh well . . . it sounds like I'm good to wait until Monday. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
justasque Posted August 27, 2016 Share Posted August 27, 2016 I would call your doctor and/or the local emergency room. I'd also read up on the CDC recommendations. The fact that you were both asleep while the bat was in your room would concern me. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
maize Posted August 27, 2016 Share Posted August 27, 2016 I would make another attempt to reach county health. Your Dr. or the ER may have contact info, or you could call Animal control again and insist on more talking to someone with more information. 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MercyA Posted August 27, 2016 Share Posted August 27, 2016 Is the bat dead? Are you sure? I'm hoping that your husband whacked it against something and didn't just let it suffocate to death. :( Please let us know what you find out. Hoping the bat didn't have rabies. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
StephanieZ Posted August 27, 2016 Share Posted August 27, 2016 Your experience with the health department confirms my opinions (based on lots of second hand reports) that health departments are NOT reliably well versed/staffed when it comes to rabies exposure. I'm so glad you were able to capture the bat for testing (even though his work to capture it likely strongly elevated your dh's exposure) . . . Just make sure you move heaven and earth to get that bat tested! ASAP! 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Laurie4b Posted August 27, 2016 Share Posted August 27, 2016 Is the bat dead? Are you sure? I'm hoping that your husband whacked it against something and didn't just let it suffocate to death. :( Please let us know what you find out. Hoping the bat didn't have rabies. And I hope he didn't whack it. Whacking it could break the skull and render it unfit for testing. They have to be able to get to a very exact and small area of the brain and if they skull is damaged, they cannot typically do that, so no chance of getting out of the shots. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Another Lynn Posted August 27, 2016 Share Posted August 27, 2016 No advice, just hugs. :grouphug: 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MercyA Posted August 27, 2016 Share Posted August 27, 2016 And I hope he didn't whack it. Whacking it could break the skull and render it unfit for testing. They have to be able to get to a very exact and small area of the brain and if they skull is damaged, they cannot typically do that, so no chance of getting out of the shots. I stand corrected. I searched for humane ways to euthanize bats who need testing and found this: Humane Euthanasia of Bats for Public Health Rabies Testing. It looks like the only acceptable euthanasia methods should be done by professionals. They recommend keeping the bat in a container with air holes until it can be collected. Putting the container in a cooler with ice can slow the bat's activity. Poor little guy, and poor JanOH and her DH. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Selkie Posted August 27, 2016 Share Posted August 27, 2016 One of our dogs brought a dead bat into the house several months ago. Luckily, he and all our other pets were current on rabies vaccinations, but we weren't sure if the bat had been alive or dead when he got ahold of it and whether he may have been bitten by it. I called our vet to see if we needed to take any precautions. She had us put the bat in a ziploc bag and keep it cool (but not frozen) overnight. The next morning, I dropped it off at the vet's office and they arranged for the health dept. to pick it up and test it. Two or three days later, we got a call from the health dept. informing us that the bat was negative for rabies. So if you have a dog or cat that may have been exposed to the bat, you could give your vet a call. Ours was a huge help and made the whole process go much more smoothly than if we had tried to deal with the health dept. ourselves. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
purplejackmama Posted August 27, 2016 Share Posted August 27, 2016 This is crazy weird! I have 2 Facebook friends who posted the same thing today!! Are you near DC? Both friends went to the ER for rabies treatment, just to be safe. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MEmama Posted August 28, 2016 Share Posted August 28, 2016 I've never heard of anyone getting tested for rabies just for being in the same room as a bat? Most houses around here have bats. They are extremely common. Just curious, but why didn't you just let it go? DH caught one in our house once (middle of the night, of course). He managed to capture it in a cooler. Our poor dog was so confused. :) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ktgrok Posted August 28, 2016 Share Posted August 28, 2016 I've never heard of anyone getting tested for rabies just for being in the same room as a bat? Most houses around here have bats. They are extremely common. Just curious, but why didn't you just let it go? DH caught one in our house once (middle of the night, of course). He managed to capture it in a cooler. Our poor dog was so confused. :) If it was in a room with sleeping people it is possible it bit the person while they were sleeping, and transmitted rabies. Since rabies is fatal, it's not worth taking a chance on. They caught it and kept it so the bat can be tested for rabies. If it doesn't have rabies, they don't have to do rabies treatment. If they hadn't kept it they would have needed to do the treatment, just in case. SaveSave 4 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kitten18 Posted August 28, 2016 Share Posted August 28, 2016 If it was in a room with sleeping people it is possible it bit the person while they were sleeping, and transmitted rabies. Since rabies is fatal, it's not worth taking a chance on. They caught it and kept it so the bat can be tested for rabies. If it doesn't have rabies, they don't have to do rabies treatment. If they hadn't kept it they would have needed to do the treatment, just in case. Save Save And just to add to this, the same recommendations apply if a bat is found in a room with small children. They can be bitten and not know it. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MEmama Posted August 28, 2016 Share Posted August 28, 2016 Huh. Interesting. It has never occurred to me to get tested, and certainly not to hurt the poor bat! :( Fewer than 1% of bats have rabies at any rate, so hopefully there's no huge alarm. And a couple common types tend to live in houses and buildings, so we are probably living in close proximity to them much more than we might think. Hope all is well! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kitten18 Posted August 28, 2016 Share Posted August 28, 2016 Huh. Interesting. It has never occurred to me to get tested, and certainly not to hurt the poor bat! :( Fewer than 1% of bats have rabies at any rate, so hopefully there's no huge alarm. And a couple common types tend to live in houses and buildings, so we are probably living in close proximity to them much more than we might think. Hope all is well! The rabies % is completely dependent upon where you live. It may be 1% across the country but in some counties it's much, much higher. And it's much higher for a bat that is found flying around in a home. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Annie G Posted August 28, 2016 Share Posted August 28, 2016 The rabies % is completely dependent upon where you live. It may be 1% across the country but in some counties it's much, much higher. And it's much higher for a bat that is found flying around in a home. I didn't know that. Why is it that a bat flying in a house is more likely to have rabies? Not arguing the validity of what you are saying, just curious. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tenaj Posted August 28, 2016 Author Share Posted August 28, 2016 Huh. Interesting. It has never occurred to me to get tested, and certainly not to hurt the poor bat! :( Fewer than 1% of bats have rabies at any rate, so hopefully there's no huge alarm. And a couple common types tend to live in houses and buildings, so we are probably living in close proximity to them much more than we might think. Hope all is well! In my research today (and in the middle of the night), in our state about 4.6% of bats carry rabies so it's a little higher. Probably there's no problem. I was kind of having a sleepless night but was drowsy when the excitement started so I really think I would have noticed if the bat had landed on me and my dh had only been in bed about an hour. I'm guessing the bat came in our slider door when we let the cat in for the night. The bat did get whacked because I thought it would be inhumane to let it suffocate. It's in the fridge in two plastic bags right now waiting until we can get a response from someone who knows where to take it. I hope we didn't destroy the part that is needed. Thanks for the lead on the vet. I'm fairly good friends with our vet and can probably contact her on fb tonight! I never thought about that. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
J-rap Posted August 28, 2016 Share Posted August 28, 2016 No advice, but hope it all goes well! I know how freaky that can feel! We've had bats living and flying through our house many times over the years. It never occurred to us to be tested or be treated. We just chased them out of the house. Eventually we did hire a bat company to come and seal off various entry-points. Fourteen years later the bat company had to come again because apparently bats will check old stop-off points for at least a decade after first being there, and apparently new cracks opened up in our home and they found their way in again. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kitten18 Posted August 28, 2016 Share Posted August 28, 2016 I didn't know that. Why is it that a bat flying in a house is more likely to have rabies? Not arguing the validity of what you are saying, just curious.From what I have read, it's just less likely that a healthy bat will fly into a home. In my town there are several rabid bats found each year. They are usually found on the ground or picked up by a pet. There are a lot of healthy bats, but we don't see the healthy ones very often. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tenaj Posted August 28, 2016 Author Share Posted August 28, 2016 From what I have read, it's just less likely that a healthy bat will fly into a home. In my town there are several rabid bats found each year. They are usually found on the ground or picked up by a pet. There are a lot of healthy bats, but we don't see the healthy ones very often. The more we've thought about it today, the more we wonder how it got in. At first I assumed it came in our patio door when one of the kids let the cat in. But the more I think about it, I wonder if the cat brought it in. Our "stupid" cat (I call her that with great affection) goes in and out all day long - we are all just her doorkeepers. I remember last night one of my kids letting her in at dusk but none of us ever actually look at her . . . we were all watching TV. We just slide the door open, and she walks in and goes about her business. She could have had it in her mouth and we would never have noticed. She's done it before with mice but not often enough that we are paranoid. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted August 28, 2016 Share Posted August 28, 2016 I've never heard of anyone getting tested for rabies just for being in the same room as a bat? Most houses around here have bats. They are extremely common. Just curious, but why didn't you just let it go? DH caught one in our house once (middle of the night, of course). He managed to capture it in a cooler. Our poor dog was so confused. :) Having bats commonly be in houses just put the occasional tree roach or gecko in perspective for me........I learn a LOT about wildlife on these boards! Flying squirrels and toilets, bats and freezers, wayward snakes. You guys are exciting! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MercyA Posted August 28, 2016 Share Posted August 28, 2016 The bat did get whacked because I thought it would be inhumane to let it suffocate. It's in the fridge in two plastic bags right now waiting until we can get a response from someone who knows where to take it. I hope we didn't destroy the part that is needed. I really admire you for that, Jan. I think they just need part of the brain stem and part of the cerebellum, and it seems unlikely those would be destroyed by a whack. You've slowed decomposing of the brain by putting the bat in the fridge, and that's really all you can do. Praying that there will not be an issue. :grouphug: 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tenaj Posted August 28, 2016 Author Share Posted August 28, 2016 Well, I contacted our vet. She doesn't have any contacts at the health department but she did confirm that the health department is where I should go next. She said she'd just wait until Monday morning. She was more concerned about my cat than me - LOL! Not really, but I'm glad that the cat was up-to-date on the vaccines or she would have gotten after me :) 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sharpie Posted August 28, 2016 Share Posted August 28, 2016 Are you friends with a large animal vet? They likely have the after hours number. Ask me how I know. ;) 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tenaj Posted August 29, 2016 Author Share Posted August 29, 2016 Update: The bat has been delivered to the county health district and we should know by tomorrow afternoon at the latest whether it is rabid or not. One thing that surprised me was the question: How many people were in the house with the bat? That would be nine! When I asked if all of us would be recommended to get the rabies treatment, she first nodded then backed off and said that if the bat was positive they would address that with the infectious disease nurse. Another interesting development is that my 12 yods who sleeps on the opposite side of the house wonders if he was bite by the bat! On Friday morning, he mentioned to me that the fan they use in their room had been blowing on some papers and rattling all night long. Now he remembers that sound and something landing on his leg . . he assumed a bug but he does have a mark on the back of his leg - rather high up on his leg where he wouldn't have noticed it without looking. Great . . . but I'm trying to figure out how the bat would have made it from literally one end of the house to the other with no one seeing it during the day/evening on Friday. They sleep with their door shut so it couldn't have escaped after they went to bed unless it crawled under the door. Praying that the whole thing will be over when that bat tests negative!!! 4 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MercyA Posted August 29, 2016 Share Posted August 29, 2016 Praying that the whole thing will be over when that bat tests negative!!! Praying with you for the same thing! Thanks for the update! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jilly Posted August 29, 2016 Share Posted August 29, 2016 Good luck with the test results! We had a bat in the house this summer and had to have animal control come out and catch it as we couldn't find it after the initial sighting. They told us several bats in the area had tested positive with rabies and if this one did we would all need shots as we had all slept in the house with it. Luckily it tested negative but we were prepared to get the shots as it can bite people while they are sleeping without leaving a mark. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
justasque Posted August 29, 2016 Share Posted August 29, 2016 ...One thing that surprised me was the question: How many people were in the house with the bat? That would be nine! When I asked if all of us would be recommended to get the rabies treatment, she first nodded then backed off and said that if the bat was positive they would address that with the infectious disease nurse. ... A friend had to take her whole family to get the shots recently - five or six people. Her story is very much like yours, with several people showing small insect-like bites. Apparently she could only get the shots at an ER, so that meant multiple ER visits for each person. Which meant tons of money in co-pays and the like. You might want to call your insurance company now, to begin what I assume will morph into many phone calls, to get an accurate answer on what they will pay and how they prefer you to get the shots (should you need them). And I'd get it in writing. I'm sorry you're going through this!!! :grouphug: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Starr Posted August 29, 2016 Share Posted August 29, 2016 Bats can get through the tiniest spaces. We've have an occasional bat fly about the house and often we don't know how they got out. My favorite bat was found hanging upside down in a goblet with a flamingo base that was on a high ledge in the kitchen. haha Or my friends elderly mother going after one with a broom. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
maize Posted August 29, 2016 Share Posted August 29, 2016 I hope the test is negative. If anyone ends up needing the vaccine, in our experience it wasn't bad except for the first immune globulin shot. My baby had to get the shots last fall and that was the only one that made her cry, she pretty much didn't react at all to the others. Super expensive though. ER had to administer the immune globulin, for the rest of the series county health was the cheapest option, second cheapest was ordering the vaccine through the pharmacy and having the pediatrician administer it (though I've heard not all states allow that?) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Laurie4b Posted August 30, 2016 Share Posted August 30, 2016 The only way we could get ours was through the ER. Doctors could administer it, but the vaccine was prohibitively expensive for them to carry, so they really couldn't. It was a hassle. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Farrar Posted August 30, 2016 Share Posted August 30, 2016 A good friend of my mother's had a true bat in the house horror story. She was 8 months pregnant when they realized a bat had gotten in. They tested the bat and searched her and her dh for those tiny bite marks. Bat was positive. And they found the marks of the bite right on her pregnant belly. Because she was so close to her due date, they decided to induce labor right away so they could treat the baby too. They said it was the youngest baby ever treated. He's all grown up now (or, almost, I guess... it was before my kids were born). But so scary. I always remember that story just because it was so crazy. So... I'm going with better safe than sorry. I'm glad the bat's getting tested. I hope it's negative! 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jjeepa Posted August 30, 2016 Share Posted August 30, 2016 A good friend of my mother's had a true bat in the house horror story. She was 8 months pregnant when they realized a bat had gotten in. They tested the bat and searched her and her dh for those tiny bite marks. Bat was positive. And they found the marks of the bite right on her pregnant belly. Because she was so close to her due date, they decided to induce labor right away so they could treat the baby too. They said it was the youngest baby ever treated. He's all grown up now (or, almost, I guess... it was before my kids were born). But so scary. I always remember that story just because it was so crazy. So... I'm going with better safe than sorry. I'm glad the bat's getting tested. I hope it's negative! Oh my gosh! That is a horror story! I was just 9 months pregnant when we had our first bat encounter. We woke to the bat flying around our bedroom. We didn't know better, so yep...we caught him and let him go. Dumb. The next day, I checked with my doctor and he insisted I get the shots. I was so upset because of being pregnant and not knowing what the vaccine would do to the baby in utero. But, my doctor kept reminding me that if I waited and ended up getting rabies, both the baby and I would die. So, I got the shots. And, my dd is just fine. My doctor never suggested we induce labor. If I had any evidence of a bite, I guess he might have. Although the bites can be too small to see sometimes. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
maize Posted August 30, 2016 Share Posted August 30, 2016 The only way we could get ours was through the ER. Doctors could administer it, but the vaccine was prohibitively expensive for them to carry, so they really couldn't. It was a hassle. Our Dr. didn't carry it but we were able to order it ourselves through the pharmacy and use our regular insurance drug benefits which cut down on the price significantly. It was still a expensive though. I picked the vaccine up from the pharmacy and hands carried it to the Dr. Just mentioning in case others need to explore all options. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
littlebug42 Posted August 30, 2016 Share Posted August 30, 2016 We just went through this last week. Woke up to bat flying in our bedroom. Consulted ER doc and public health and was told to wait until results came back to seek treatment. My dh and I were at risk as were the cats. We kept the cats locked in the basement until we got results back. Bat was negative. This happened on a Thursday and we had to wait until Wednesday to get results back because no testing is done on Fridays so it couldn't be tested until Monday. We were pretty confident that neither of us were bitten but werent sure about the cats. Public Health had us take ours to the Animal Shelter and they euthanized and stored it for us. Also, a local wildlife center offered to euthanize for us so we could take it to the shelter to await transport. We are also in Ohio. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tenaj Posted August 30, 2016 Author Share Posted August 30, 2016 Test came back negative for rabies! Woohoo!!!! 23 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MercyA Posted August 31, 2016 Share Posted August 31, 2016 Praise the Lord! Thanks for the update!!! :hurray: :hurray: :hurray: 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Eliz Posted August 31, 2016 Share Posted August 31, 2016 Wonderful news!! 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
maize Posted August 31, 2016 Share Posted August 31, 2016 Hurrah! 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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