Squirrels and rabies

[madtowntom]

So the issue of whether squirrels are a rabies vector is not an uncommon topic for this board, so I thought I might tap into some of the expertise of the board members. We have a new vet at the wildlife center center I work at and she is instituting a new policy where if anyone is bitten by an animal, including squirrels, that animal is automatically euthanized and tested for rabies. I would like to try to convince her that is unnecessary for squirrels. BTW - she is a young but an excellent vet who did a wildlife residency at Tufts, so I am not trying to question her knowledge - she is much much smarter than I am. However, I still think it unnecessary to euthanize an animal that has essentially no chance of transmitting rabies just because one of our volunteers was careless. We had 3 recorded squirrel bites this past summer. One of the people that got bit last year was very fearful despite barely breaking skin and they ended up euthanizing a healthy 14 week old squirrel which of course tested negative.

Do any of you have any thoughts on this and can you suggest any resources to document the extremely low chance of squirrels transmitting rabies to humans. I have done some research and have come across a single citation documenting rabies in a squirrel in my home state, but it is unclear if the squirrel just tested positive or if it transmitted rabies to a human. Has anyone seen any other documentation of rabies in squirrels or actual transmission of rabies to humans? Thanks!

[dda0221]

http://www.cdc.gov/rabies/pets/index.html

Small mammals such as squirrels, rats, mice, hamsters, guinea pigs, gerbils, chipmunks, rabbits, and hares are almost never found to be infected with rabies and have not been known to cause rabies among humans in the United States. Bites by these animals are usually not considered a risk of rabies unless the animal was sick or behaving in any unusual manner and rabies is widespread in your area.

[Twi_prime]

I've read on the board somewhere that squirrels almost never get rabies, but I don't know the reason. I can tell you that Possum Posse on Facebook posted recently that opossums usually don't get rabies because of their somewhat low body temperature. Good luck with the new vet. :)

[stepnstone]

A squirrel's immune system can not support the rabies virus! Even if they were bitten by a rabid animal and it didn't kill them which is unlikely, they would die very soon after.
Surely along her path of veterinary studies to even obtain her license she has already seen the research on rabies vector species, I suppose any of the studies by CDC and DNR mean nothing to her mindset. It is beyond my comprehension why she would become a veterinarian and practice such extremes let alone work with wild animals and expect them not to bite.
She's obviously in the wrong field! :shakehead

[sdreamcatcher]

The fact that a healthy 14 week old baby has aleady been euthanized; how very tragic :shakehead :shakehead . I agree she is in the wrong field if she is going to be fearful of every squirrel bite :thinking ??

It was my understanding that those involved in rehab get certain shots as a preventative? Or did I understand that wrong?

[stepnstone]

The fact that a healthy 14 week old baby has aleady been euthanized; how very tragic :shakehead :shakehead . I agree she is in the wrong field if she is going to be fearful of every squirrel bite :thinking ??

It was my understanding that those involved in rehab get certain shots as a preventative? Or did I understand that wrong?

Legally, (most States) only a Licensed Master Rehabilitator can handle rabies vector species. Anyone legally working with rabies vector species are required by law to be vaccinated. However, many "workers" who tend to the animals as part of their job are not vaccinated. The rabies vaccine is very expensive!

[Kristal]

One of the people that got bit last year was very fearful despite barely breaking skin and they ended up euthanizing a healthy 14 week old squirrel which of course tested negative.


This person should not have been put in a position to be offering hands on care to wild animals given that they are, apparently, *that* silly. WTH??

[squirrelsrule&bunniestoo]

I'll warn in advance that people probably won't like what I have to say, but here goes anyways.

She is responsible for both the animal care and the volunteers safety. If it is her personally being bitten then she has nothing to worry about because the chances of a squirrel having rabies is like one in a million and she has rabies preexposure shots so she could quarantine the animal and see if it shows signs of rabies. Since she has the shots, the squirrel will die of rabies long before she shows any symptoms and if it did die she could test it and if it comes back positive then she just needs one shot and she's fine. So, if it is her getting bitten then I totally agree that the little tyke lost it's life needlessly :(.

However, if it is a volunteer getting bitten then she is responsible. If anyone from that center gets rabies (I know, I know the chances are really small but there IS a possibility, I know there have been squirrels with rabies, the only species I truly wouldn't consider a threat is an opossum) she would get sued, lose her license, not be able to care for wildlife. It would be devastating!

The only way around euthanizing them is to have a waiver that the bitten volunteer signs saying they understand their risks but do not want the animal tested. If the volunteers are under 18 then you'd have to get a parent to sign as well.

I think you will find that the euthanize if they bite someone is much more common than you think. I do not like the center where I volunteer, they are pretty heartless, but I have to say that I don't think I have a big issue with the policy that animals that bite someone are euthanized. As much as I hate the center, I would hate for them to be shut down because someone got rabies from an animal in their care. I hope they one day get new management, yes, but a rabies case would likely shut the place down permanently.

So, although the chances are super low, I see the issue.

I actually had a squirrel tested for rabies this fall. It was a very freaky situation where I found one squirrel dead in the nest box and the other on top of him with blood on his mouth and paws. These were FOXERS too! They are usually so laid back. The one had either killed and shredded or found the other dead and shredded his brain. All that was left of the dead squirrel's head was his jaw bone and the top of his skull :sanp3.

I brought the live one in, cleaned him up and dried him off, then sent him back outside. I wasn't sure what I was gonna do with him because I didn't want to release a psycho killer squirrel. I called Gabe and she recommended keeping an eye on the squirrel. We were both worried it could be rabies. I went out to check on the squirrel in the evening and he hadn't touched his food and was not in the box. He was laying on the ground in the cage, still able to move his legs, but not walking. I brought him in and he was unresponsive and drooling and died that night. Luckilly he came back negative for rabies, but that was really freaky and scary. I still have no clue what was wrong with that squirrel :dono

[squirrelsrule&bunniestoo]

Found this link with rabies cases from last year. Lagomorphs and rodents are the smallest category with groundhogs being the most common positive animal, but there was one case of a rabid squirrel in Louisiana. If you look into number of animals tested in comparison to number of cases, I think you will find that there are very few squirrels tested, so I am sure the number of actual rabid squirrels is much higher than any of these reports will show.

[madtowntom]

Thank you for your comments. As a squirrel lover my heart says this is a terrible policy that needs to be fought, but if I detach a bit and look at it rationally the points that Squirrelsrule makes about the vet's responsibilities beyond the animals makes sense.

This is a rapidly growing wildlife center. They had nearly 2000 animals admitted this past year. 90% of the admissions come between April and September, so in order to care for all they have over 70 volunteers that have different levels of training and experience. I should mention that only those with rabies pre-vac are allowed to handle mammals other than squirrels, rabbits, and opossums (which make up 90% of admitted mammals). They do not accept bats, raccoons, or skunks because of the rabies issues.

I think I am going to propose an alternate policy where any squirrel (or possum or rabbit) that bites a volunteer is quarantined for 7-10 days. If there are any signs of illness then it could be tested. This would allow plenty of time for the bitee to get treatment and given that there is probably less than a 1 in a 1000 chance that it is rabid it is a reasonable alternative. I will let you know how this turns out!

[Kristal]

Well... to be completely honest, that Louisiana case sounds questionable to me for the sole reason that the CDC reports that there has never been a recorded case of a squirrel having contracted or transmitted rabies. The CDC is not what I would call a negligent or laissez faire organisation at all. In fact, I think they are much more likely to be over-cautious, if anything. They also have no vested interest in squirrels one way or the other, obviously. So I would trust them to be objective and thorough on that question.

It does kind of defy common sense, too. A tiny squirrel would have to survive a serious bite from a probably much larger animal such as a raccoon or dog. Such a bit from a jaw that is almost as big as they are is going to kill them long before the rabies will, of course. Now, I am by no means an expert on rabies, but there is also the fact that by the time it is transmissible the animal is acting erratic and probably has serious motor difficulty issues - at least as far as I know, that is, and please feel free to correct me if I am wrong. If a squirrel is *confronted* by an animal like that, well they are just going to get the heck out of there. Squirrels can easily evade the most healthy of predators, after all. It seems likely that rabies vector species would be likely to respond to a confrontational animal by returning that confrontation with aggression - how else are they going to get bitten? Squirrels don't generally respond to confrontations made to them by prey animals or other animals except, sometimes, with other squirrels who are determined to pick a fight with them.

That brain eating story is really weird.... I totally understand why you were freaked out. I would be too!

If you have an extremely weak stomach, you might want to avoid reading the rest of this post. You have been warned!


But I also remembered something else that you may find interesting. I was reading about cases of Creutzfeldt–Jakob disease (also known as mad cow disease) and how and how often it is transmitted in the US. I came across a paper that discussed, among other things, the traditional southern stew called "burgoo". It's made with, yes, really.... squirrel brains - which apparently have a sweet, nutty flavour (who would have guessed that?? :shakehead ).

Numerous residents in Kentucky (IIRC) have been presumed to have contracted Creutzfeldt–Jakob disease by eating the squirrel brains in burgoo. I promise you, I am not making this up. How did they figure this out? Because those were the only brains that those kentuckians had eaten, and therefore the squirrel brains were the only possible vector.

Now, the prions that cause this disease are only present in infected nervous tissue and are most concentrated in the brain of infected animals. They also take some years to develop, and this makes veal brains relatively safe to eat. Those are still sold to people, even after the mad cow scare... though I cannot imagine who eats those :yuck Squirrels are definitely long lived enough that they could possibly develop the prions in their brains after eating infected brains or nervous tissue.

Now, this was not in the paper, but the obvious implication is that squirrels are eating brains in the wild. Wow... that was quite a weird piece of information to take in... But listen, we do know that they are opportunistic omnivores. We also know, from experience, that they have a great need for a lot of calcium to stay healthy. They are known to eat eggs and eggshells as well as chew on bones and the antlers that deer shed in the woods... Is it really so much of a stretch that they could also be eating carrion in the wild?

Finally, and this is REALLY going to gross you out... That there have been any cases of mad cow disease in the US can only mean one thing. They are feeding cows feed with sick, dead animals, including their brains, ground into it for added protein. Yes, really. Let me repeat myself a bit. The only way to get this disease and to pass it on to others is to eat infected brains or nervous tissue. There is no other way. It's not a virus. An animal or human can only get the disease by eating brains, and, likewise, they can only "pass on" the disease when their brain is eaten by another human or animal. When that human or animal digests the prions in the infected brain tissue, they begin to develop that disease in their brains. Since it is not a virus or bacteria, it is not present in the blood, bodily fluids or in any other tissue except for nerves and brains. So yea, you just have to follow the logic chain to get to those conclusions, both about squirrels and about the cattle industry in the US. :yuck

I know it's all a bit ghoulish and weird sounding, but my point is that the bahaviour you saw might not be so bizarre and unnatural as you think.... And I definitely felt like I had to back up such a crazy sounding statement with some details to explain it :p

Sorry if I grossed anyone out! :peace

[Kristal]

Hehe, let me, please, lighten that last post up with a joke ;)

http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_CogcI4BB98I/TPzmuGj_XdI/AAAAAAAAAO0/vltnjws728w/s1600/zombie-squirrel-zombie-demotivational-poster-1262732739.jpg

[Sweet Simon's Mommy]

http://www.vetmed.wsu.edu/cliented/rabies.aspx
http://www.emedicinehealth.com/rabies/article_em.htm
http://faqs.somervillema.intelligovsoftware.com/carryrabies.aspx
http://www.askdrsears.com/topics/childhood-illnesses/bites-human-animal
After being bit numerous times , I have looked this up A LOT and no were did I find that Squirrels , spread or contract rabies.

[Kristal]

Oh yea, and I just remembered something that someone much more knowledgeable than I am said on this board. The rabies virus takes a long time to incubate. It is therefore, impossible, that a young juvie could have contracted and developed any rabies that they could possibly pass on. It is a retrovirus, or something, according to that person, and it is not transmissible until signs of the disease become obvious - ie some months later.

[astra]

Well, I tried to stay away, but just could not help it.

First of, Kristal - thanks for a good chuckle I had. As ghoulish as all that stuff (very interesting, by the way - thanks) sounds, it gave me a good chuckle because it reminded me of all those movies with living dead and walking dead. Might be silly, I know, but... they were looking for "brains" you know.:D

On another note,

... yes, I can understand the concern and responsibility that young vet feels. And I can understand the point SRBT made. Totally.

However, the questions, or points that arose in my mind as I read this thread and have been thinking about it:

1. First of, in order for a squirrel to get rabis, it must be bitten by a rabid animal, right?...
I assume that at a wildlife centre rabis vector species are kept separate from non-RVS ones?
Even if the facilities are so tight that they have to keep them relatively close by, I assume that squirrels are kept separate from other commonly rehabbed RVS?...
If rehabbed squirrels are kept separate from RVS ("separate" meaning that squirrels do not associate with raccoons, foxes, rats, woodchucks and so on - just to clarify), and if squirrels are usually kept with their own kind, WHERE CAN A REHABBED SQUIRREL POSSIBLY GET RABIES?...

Although, the incubation period for rabies varies from a few days up to three months, it also depends on the age and size of an animal. The smaller the animal the sooner the symptoms will appear. For a baby squirrel to be infected with rabies - a tiny baby animal - i am sure, incubation period won't take up to 3 months to manifest itself.

So, if a baby squirrel got to the centre and was raised there for 14 weeks, kept separate from RVS animals, what are the grounds for an assumption that it might have rabies?...
If a baby squirrel was infected with rabies before it got to the centre, it would have already died before reaching 14 weeks.

2. Another thought: this whole idea of euthanizing every animal that bites sounds very, very strange to me.
Wildlife centres deal with WILD animals, who do tend to bite because that's in their nature. They bite as a response to stress, discomfort, bad mood etc etc etc.
HOW CAN A WILD ANIMAL BE EXPECTED NOT TO BITE EVER DURING THE ENTIRE TIME OF THE REHAB?
What if the worker mishandles the animal?... pinches accidentally?... squeezes to tightly?... what if this squirrel is one of those bitey squirrels to begin with?

Even domestic animals bite, so to expect wild animals to never bite sounds a bit strange to me.

Especially, at a wildlife centre where, as far as I know, most of the time, baby animals are not cuddled and pampered and loved on as it sometimes happens at some individual rehabbers'.
So, if a wild baby is raised as a wild baby without much personal affection and such, it is bound to start wildling up earlier and more, so to say, "Severely" than those pampered and loved on babies.
And as it wilds up, it will end up showing wild behaviors, one of which is biting.
Especially, a squirrel at 14 weeks - it almost the release age!
How can one not expect a squirrel of that age to bite?....

3. Of course, I am aware that this may differ from state to state, BUT...

as far as I know, rehabbers who deal with RVS must get their shots.
Even their apprentices and such must get their shots (e.g., our Squirrel Steve had to and he is still working towards his license).

Those, who do not work with RVS are not obligated to have their shots updates.

So, if those who work with squirrels are not obligated to get their shots, that implies that squirrels are not considered RVS risk.
However, if some vets, centers, people and such still feel concerned, they need to create policy and follow their own common sense and take responsibility for their actions, which means:
a) get your shots before working with ANY animal (and if they are too expensive, then, maybe, don't work with animals until you can get your shots)
b) if you are a head of a center, come up with a police for shots and handling animals and whatever else needs to be done and worked out.
BEcause animals bite and scratch and wild animals especially,
Especially, rodents - they are famous for their teeth and chewing behaviors.
Therefore, instead of making a squirrel suffer, people need to take responsibility and come up with either guidelines, or policies or actions or whatever to ensure their own safety.
But to make the animal pay by being euthanized to appease someone's fear of rabies is cruel, heartless and typical of people.

Wild animals bite. Squirrels bite.
I doubt it's news to anyone.
Euthanizing every squirrel (animal) that bites is heartless and irresponsible.

Get your shots, or don't work with animals.
I know shots are expensive, but since it's a one-time kind of thing, and since a life of an animal is at stake, someone has to make a choice: to find a way to get your shots or have every biting animal euthanized.

ok, I am done here.

[astra]

Oh yea, and I just remembered something that someone much more knowledgeable than I am said on this board. The rabies virus takes a long time to incubate. It is therefore, impossible, that a young juvie could have contracted and developed any rabies that they could possibly pass on. It is a retrovirus, or something, according to that person, and it is not transmissible until signs of the disease become obvious - ie some months later.
yep

How Long Is the Rabies Incubation Period?
The rabies incubation period may vary from a few days to several years, but is typically one to three months. During this time, the rabies virus is multiplying within the body.

At some point, the rabies virus will travel along nerve cells to the brain. It multiplies in the brain very quickly, causing the end of the rabies incubation period, and the beginning of rabies symptoms. Usually within three to five days, the rabies virus has caused enough damage to the brain that the animal will begin to show unmistakable signs of rabies.

Is an Animal Contagious During the Rabies Incubation Period?
During the rabies incubation period, a bite by the infected animal does not carry a risk of rabies because the virus is not yet in the saliva. Only late in the disease, after the rabies virus has reached the brain and multiplied there to cause encephalitis (inflammation of the brain), does the virus move from the brain to the salivary glands and saliva.


There should be other symptoms manifest in order to strongly suggest rabies.
Biting is not a reliable symptom, because animals bite. Especially, 14 week old wild squirrels.

So, as madtown suggested - the animal needs to be isolated for some time, if necessary.

It would have been helpful, too, to examine and ask that person how s/he handled the squirrel that it ended up biting it.

BUT AGAIN, unless the baby squirrel was bitten there cannot be any chance that it might have rabies.
Or unless they let squirrels and raccoons or foxes play together at the centre and a raccoon or a fox bit that squirrel.

[Kristal]

:goodpost That is all very sensible, Astra. Thank you :)

[squirrelsrule&bunniestoo]

I am pretty sure that rabies can actually be passed from mother to baby in utero, not 100% sure though. That was what got me so worried about the brain eater I had. He killed or just ate his brothers brain 65 days after I got him and he was 4 weeks old when I got him. I was worried they could have been abandoned after their mom died of rabies or something because they were clearly orphans (covered in fly eggs and maggots as well as fleas and they were near death (their sister died on day 2)).

[squirrelsrule&bunniestoo]

And I totally agree with you guys when it comes to my own animals, I wouldn't euthanize a baby squirrel for biting, but if that squirrel died suspiciously, I'd get it tested for sure! And since rabies takes a while to show symptoms, it's recommended to quarantine for 65 days. I would think it could just be with it's buddies and marked in some way so you could keep an eye on him.

[astra]

I am pretty sure that rabies can actually be passed from mother to baby in utero, not 100% sure though. That was what got me so worried about the brain eater I had. He killed or just ate his brothers brain 65 days after I got him and he was 4 weeks old when I got him. I was worried they could have been abandoned after their mom died of rabies or something because they were clearly orphans (covered in fly eggs and maggots as well as fleas and they were near death (their sister died on day 2)).
Hi SRBT,

Yes, I am not sure about that either (in utero), but even if that happened, again, a tiny baby squirrel would not have survived to 14 weeks had it been infected - it's system is too fragile, vulnerable and weak to fight such a powerful thing as rabis and hold up for so long completely undetected.
And a baby's internal tissues and organs are so tiny, thin, so supple, so sensitive that it would not take long for the virus to travel (or do whatever it does)...

I also remember reading that occasionally, without there being a wound, if the infected saliva "splashes" into mucous membranes, like eyes, nose, mouth, there is a possibility of infection.
BUT again- the size of a baby animal: it will manifest symptoms much sooner than 14 weeks.

[Margie]

Rabies is transmitted from saliva to nerve. Some people think it spreads through the blood, but that isn't true. The length of the incubation ( the time of exposure until signs of the disease start) depends on how far away the point of transmission is from the brain. Any contact of infected saliva with nerve tissue ( even a hangnail will do) can result in disease transmission. Any mammal is capable of contracting rabies. Once disease signs appear, death occurs in about 5 days.

[squirrelsrule&bunniestoo]

Well, if the mom had rabies and transmitted it to the babies by licking them to clean them (like licking their genitals to stimulate them) and then she died, it is possible that 10 weeks later they could die of rabies.

I think rabies is NOT something people should fear with squirrels, but sadly in large centers, it is something that must be considered. Often these centers are so big that keeping track of who bites who would be too hard with resources and time already really limitted. Even if there are some babies euthanized needlessly, I still think that centers are overall a very good thing, because what would happen to ALL of those babies if the center wasn't there, they would ALL be euthanized. And as much as you say you'd do things differently, I don't know that in the same position you would. If you think of everything that vet would be putting on the line (I am coming to realize these things as I am getting ready to start vet school), it is just not something that can be done. I'd try to encourage a waiver for those bitten, but if they do not agree to it, the animal would have to be tested.

[island rehabber]

Amazingly enough, the New York City Department of Health states clearly on its website that small mammals such as rabbits, squirrels, rats and mice are not to be considered rabies vector species and their bites do not present a risk of contracting rabies. This is amazing because NYC DOH is known for, frankly, taking an overkill attitude toward nearly everything regarding nature and wildlife. :shakehead

That said, I can't help but notice that we have left a major RVS out of our discussion above: BATS. It is unlikely that a squirrel would survive a bite from a rabid dog, fox, or raccoon.....however, it could survive a bite from a bat. For that reason I can't categorically say "Squirrels NEVER carry rabies." If they are housed anywhere near a bat colony........:dono.

:peace

[squirrelsrule&bunniestoo]

That was precisely one of my worries with my crazy squirrel this fall IR. I was worried that maybe a bat was rabid and had gotten into the cage and bitten the squirrel. The cage they were in had wiring that was 1/2 inch by 1 inch, which a bat could get into.

How many cat attack squirrels have we gotten though. The feral cats aren't usually vaccinated, so they could potentially be rabid and the squirrel "could" get rabies from them. Also, the mom could be attacked and wounded, get back to the babies and they could get rabies from her before she dies of rabies.

All I'm saying is rabies is a possibility. It is not a probability like if you got in a sick raccoon, bat, or fox, but it is not impossible. Squirrels are NOT rabies vector species in any state, but that doesn't mean they can't have rabies. The rabies vector species are animals that can carry rabies for extended periods without showing signs, and are more likely to have rabies.

If you think about it rabies is not only an issue in animals that get attacked by other animals because think of bats, they are so tiny that if they're attacked, they're dead, even more so than a squirrel because their wings are so fragile. I do believe that bat rabies is more likely to just spread and linger in colonies.

[Kristal]

I can't speak about bats because I only know so much about them, and that is not a great deal. Perhaps if I feel motivated and have some hours to kill I will go on a big hunting expedition and learn all about the bat species of North America and their behaviour, how they do and/or could contract rabies and how they would or do pass it on and to what species. Off the top of my head, I have a hard time imagining a situation where a bat would likely and regularly come into conflict or even really contact with a squirrel, considering that they have different spheres of activity and that most squirrel species are diurnal + more likely to avoid weird conflict situations than seek them, but what do I know? Not a lot about bats, as I said.

You need to find out whether it can be transmitted in utero. From what is coming out on this thread so far, it seems that this may not be the case. It's not transmissible until symptoms present and these include very high fever, brain infection, severe pain and extreme delirium and disorientation. I doubt that you are going to see a rabies sick mom tenderly licking her babys nubby parts, considering all of this.

So, I think it is practical to rule out that an infant raised in a center can possibly have rabies. If it did, it would be obvious, anyway. Also, if it was not obvious, it would not be transmissible. Perhaps an education program is in order to explain to baby handling newbie volunteers that this is the case and that they should not let their anxiety make them irrational and get the better of them - at the cost of a small baby squirrels life, most especially. You could ask those volunteers who only deal with babies (a comparatively easy job) to sign a waiver and explain to them that there is no rational reason to worry about it. People who handle larger animals or (young) adult squirrels who are brought in with injuries could be in "category 2" since there is a chance that such an awful thing might happen with an older animal - however remote that actually is. And if the CDC and other overcautious to the point of being apparently animal hating organisations say that small rodents are not an RVS, then I think that should be good enough for any intelligent person - most especially when we are talking about babies who have spent their whole lives in a center where the possibility of contracting rabies is really nil.

[Kristal]

Heh, I couldn't help thinking that the bat and squirrel battle would be a bit like this:

http://images.wikia.com/godzilla/images/7/76/Mothra-9.jpg

Godzilla and Mothra

Which is to say that it is about as likely as that battle is of really occurring :)

But it turns out that bats get "dumb rabies" which means that they get all friendly and cannot fly. Especially considering what a bunch of brain eaters squirrels naturally are, maybe it could happen, somehow ;)

[Sweet Simon's Mommy]

no not these cute little babies

[squirrelsrule&bunniestoo]

Well, the bats and squirrels aren't gonna fight, but what could happen is bats nesting in things like bat boxes, could potentially decide to settle in in a squirrel nestbox. Then the squirrel and bat would be in close proximity. A rabid bat trying to get away from the colony but looking for shelter would probably be more likely to choose a squirrel box and could bite a squirrel while it sleeps. I mean, far fetched yes, but possible.

Again I agree that the chances are really low, like probably less than one in a million.

[JLM27]

Look, I tried at two major medical centers here in Boston to get rabies shots for a squirrel bite, and they laughed me out of the hospital. I had to go back into a THIRD medical center and tell them it was a raccoon, before they would give me a booster shot.

[Anne]

If Jackie or one of us needed a booster for every squirrel bite-all the local doctors could retire!!!!

[niapet]

This is disturbing, this vet obviously doesn't care much about wild animals, so it boggles the mind why she is in this field.. Why would someone e who would rather see an animal murdered than just go and get a damn shot work with animals?! If someone is scared of rabies, they should just go to the doctor and tell them you were bitten by a wild animal that got away... then they will give you a rabies shot and no one has to die (Don't tell them it was a squirrel BECAUSE THEY WILL TELL YOU SQUIRRELS DON'T TRANSMIT RABIES LOL)...

We should organize some type of letter writing campaign to protest this! That kind of thing has a major effect!