Anti-Rabies

Maya, our two-month-old pup, died yesterday. It was sad. But we had to let her go, instead of making her suffer more.

Before she died, though, I tried giving her meds. But she was strong I struggled to keep her mouth open. In the process of giving her medicine, her teeth wounded my index finger. Not really a wound but a scratch I didn’t even feel until after I fed her and saw a line of blood about an inch long.

And that means a trip to the doctor.

I first went to a nearby private animal bite clinic, was given Verorub (or was it Verorab) and was told I had to be given ERIG for they gave me a Category III for that scratch. They told me it could have been Category II (which doesn’t require ERIG) had the pup who caused it been healthy. The problem was they didn’t have ERIG (which was to be had at RITM), and not even anti-tetanus (they told me to get it at the barangay health center).

So I decided to just go to Alabang.

It was past 11 PM when we arrived at RITM. The building was almost deserted except for two patients and the nurses. So different from when I first went there in 2007 due to a dog bite on my upper lip. The line then was so long.

Anyway, the doctor asked if I would like to get all the remaining shots in RITM. I said I wanted to because it’s much cheaper there. She then told me that they don’t give Verorub anymore, that if I wanted to continue Verorub, I would have to get it at the animal bite clinic where I first had it. If I wanted to get my shots at RITM, they would have to repeat the anti-rabies vaccine from day zero, since they use a different (brand of?) vaccine. So I had the day 0 vaccine reinjected.

I thought the anti-Tetanus was painful enough especially that it had to be given twice on my arm and hip. I didn’t know they’re gonna inject the whole 10 cc of ERIG on my left thigh, the other one cc on the wound itself on my finger.

The thigh injection was torture. Imagine a whole 10 cc of it in one shot!

Anyway, I went through a total of 8 injections last night. I haven’t had so much injections in just one sitting, not even when I was confined in an ICU for hypokalemia.

I would like to commend Nurse Evy of RITM, though. She was so friendly  unlike the other nurses.

But ERIG’s price was so high. I eventually learned, though, that’s it’s a once in a lifetime vaccine. Once you’ve had it (as well as HRIG), you don’t have to be injected with it again. And the anti-rabies vaccine, if you get all the shots, is good for 5 years.

I just hope I’ve done the ERIG soon enough. Maya is now dead, and I didn’t wanna cut her head to have it tested, the reason why I opted for ERIG. I don’t know if it’s just me but I can’t really cut a dog’s head even if it’s already dead.