Commentary: I thought rabies was a thing of the past — until my dog had a run-in with a rabid bat

Since I became an adult, the database of things that I consciousness reasonably assured volition ne'er hap to maine has grown with each passing year: I volition ne'er triumph the lottery (I don’t bargain tickets) oregon go a celebrated archaeologist (dreamed but ne'er trained), but neither volition I dice portion skydiving (no 1 tin marque maine skydive) oregon person to interest astir rabies.

When I was young, rabies was a large interest — arsenic a kid I was warned, repeatedly, to ne'er attack a unusual canine if I didn’t privation to endure the excruciating symptom of dozens of injections, delivered by a footlong needle, close successful my stomach. When I archetypal saw the country successful “To Kill a Mockingbird” successful which Atticus shoots a huffy dog, I could lone anticipation my ain begetter would beryllium capable to bash the same.

But by the 1970s, arsenic the canine rabies vaccine became wide disposable and progressively mandatory, that country and each its implications slipped toward the anachronistic.

Until my hubby recovered 1 of our dogs gazing down astatine a grounded bat connected our backmost patio the different night.

To beryllium honest, our archetypal absorption was dog-owner chagrin. Harley is simply a rescue hound, of indeterminate but intelligibly mixed breed, who is fixed to leaping successful the aerial to drawback astatine moths and making vain but enthusiastic attempts to drawback lizards. My husband’s presumption that Harley had brought down this bat seemed questionable — the canine ne'er really catches the moths — but my sympathy was decidedly with the bat, which appeared stunned.

Being precise cautious not to interaction it, my hubby moved the squeaking critter to a dog-free zone, successful the hopes it would conscionable flap away. Alas, it was dormant the adjacent morning. (Here is wherever I admit our archetypal mistake — we should person simply enactment a container oregon bucket implicit the bat and called carnal control.)

Harley is successful quarantine for 30 days aft an brushwood with a rabid bat.

(Mary Mcnamara / Los Angeles Times)

As luck would person it, Harley had a vet assignment that precise day, and truthful I casually mentioned the bat. The vet didn’t really freeze, but she surely utilized a precise no-nonsense dependable erstwhile she asked: “Did you bring the bat? We request the bat.”

Of people they needed the bat. Why hadn’t I thought to bring the bat? I unrecorded successful the foothills wherever bear, bobcat and upland lion sightings interruption up the tedium of coyote and raccoon encounters. I cognize that bats are imaginable rabies carriers, yet someway I did not link this with my ain backyard.

I felt precise stupid, particularly erstwhile the vet informed maine that, though lone a tiny percent of bats transportation the disease, much than a fewer person been recovered successful adjacent Burbank and Glendale. A speedy Google hunt revealed the L.A. County rabid bat map, which, connected that day, listed 33 infected bats encountered during this twelvemonth alone.

I (again precise carefully) brought the bat to the vet’s office, which successful crook shipped it to the county’s nationalist veterinary wellness department. More, and progressively panicked, online probe reacquainted maine with the fearfulness of the disease, which is beauteous overmuch 100% fatal successful each unvaccinated dogs and those unvaccinated humans who bash not person attraction earlier becoming symptomatic — conscionable past year, a Fresno pistillate died from rabies aft being bitten by a bat that she was trying to region from her classroom.

Also its history. Turns out, rabid-dog attacks were a beauteous large occupation successful L.A. until the Southern California Veterinary Medical Assn. began offering nationalist vaccination clinics successful 1958. According to the region nationalist wellness website, the past locally acquired corruption successful a canine occurred 10 years later.

Vaccinations work; what a concept.

Harley, who precocious turned 1, was already up to day connected each his shots — the travel to the vet had been to get the adjacent round, including a rabies booster. The vet, and past a precise bully doc with the county, reassured maine that adjacent if the bat turned retired to beryllium infected, determination was virtually nary accidental of Harley getting sick.

I besides learned that adjacent an unvaccinated dog, oregon cat, tin beryllium protected if they are vaccinated rapidly aft an brushwood with an carnal carrying rabies.

So erstwhile the bat results came backmost affirmative — determination are present 37 encounters listed connected the map, including ours and 3 different caller ones — I did not illness successful fearfulness that my beloved canine would die.

“Out of an abundance of caution,” (the region official’s words) we are required to support Harley successful quarantine from different dogs (except his champion buddy Koda, our borderline collie premix who’s besides successful lockdown) for 30 days. During this clip we should show him for symptoms and springiness him loads of hugs due to the fact that helium is the champion canine ever, and we could not carnivore to suffer him. (OK, that past spot is not portion of the authoritative protocol, but we’re doing it anyway.)

We besides had to capable retired respective forms and nonstop successful copies of his vaccination certificates arsenic good arsenic his photo. The region rapidly distributed leaflets passim the neighborhood, informing residents that a rabid bat had been recovered adjacent the transverse streets of our location and providing accusation of what to bash if you find an ailing oregon dormant bat successful oregon adjacent your house. (Which is however I learned that we should person covered the mediocre happening with a container oregon bucket and called carnal control.)

All of this raised my idiosyncratic anxiousness level but was mostly reassuring: L.A. County is precise superior astir preventing a resurgence of rabies.

With vaccinations of each kinds presently nether siege, including among favored owners, I connection this communicative arsenic a reminder: Rabies, similar galore different unspeakable diseases, inactive exists and tin look successful your beingness erstwhile you slightest expect it.

My kids person ne'er disquieted astir gathering up with huffy dogs (or whether their begetter would beryllium capable to sprout them) due to the fact that they, and we, are privileged to unrecorded successful a clip erstwhile subject has eradicated a fatal menace that was ubiquitous little than 60 years ago.

That luxury has, I fear, made america forgetful. Just arsenic the occurrence of different vaccines has lulled excessively galore radical to falsely judge that they request not fearfulness measles oregon COVID-19 or, God assistance us, polio, the agelong lack of rabies gave maine a mendacious consciousness of security. I did not presumption that bat arsenic a peril until I was reminded, by aesculapian professionals and authorities officials, to bash so.

In different words, I had ne'er personally encountered rabies truthful I thought I ne'er would. And past I did.

Maybe I should commencement buying lottery tickets.