Witnessing Rabies Treatment for Cat Bite on my Cousin
My 30 year old male cousin was bit by their own house cat. He said the cat was on his motorcycle and he was shooing it away and reached for its back. Cat immediately bit him. Saw the marks on his hand. He came in late to drive my kids to school, his hand was very much swollen, inflamed and he had difficulty with movement.
He said his first aid he did was to get some garlic and cayenne and rub it and wash it. I looked at it and he did not insert it. He should have inserted it. While driving the kids to school I lent him my hand held zapper. Maybe it will slow down the possible rabies virus while we arrange for treatment.
I told him I saw an animal bite center in front of the building of one of our customers that he should go there while waiting for the kids in school.
By 10am he called me and said he was feeling very ill and needed to drive back home leaving my child in school who with the nannie would just need to take a taxi back home.
He arrived at 11am and so it was up to me to find treatment for him. First we looked at google for animal bites and found this Marikina veterenary office but the phone number was NOT working. So we googled again and looked for an animal bite center and found this website http://www.animalbitecenter.ph/ . Saw a bite center in Novaliches near where my cousin lives so the next idea was to merely take a bus home since he could not drive his motorcycle with one hand and just go to the center.
Unfortunately, my cousin said that he was too weak to take a bus alone. So I looked for an animal bite center in Marikina and called up that number. The lady on the phone said they USED to be an animal bite center but closed shop.
So I drove my cousin out and we remembered a pet veterenarian outside the gate, the vet office said to try the marikina health center… we went to the marikina health center where they guard robotically refused my cousin because he was in shorts and slippers and hell did not care that my cousin looked really ill. See that misadventure at https://www.myhealthblog.org/2009/09/08/those-idiotic-dress-code-rules-at-the-marikina-health-center/
So I drove him to the nearby hospital emergency room of the nearby government hospital and the doctor said he needed a rabies shot and tetanus shot… but their hospital did not carry those drugs so he needed to buy them outside… nice going… delayed medical services.
So my cousin took the jeep and found me back in the office (I’m working… busy day…), he has no money… needs me to buy these drugs. Went to mercury drug and was able to buy the rabies drug for P 1,600 and it comes with an ice cube because it needs to be cold. Mercury did not have the tetanus shots so we went to the next drug store… they had none… and went to the next drug store and they had no tetanus shots too… what’s with these drug stores? Finally the next drug store we tried had the tetanus shots… P 475 and they said their rabies shots were cheaper at P 1,500 but at a different brand. But I’m thinking if you begin with one brand of anti-rabies shot you need to continue with that brand to finish the 5 shot treatment.
I dropped of my cousin at the hospital and he took quite some time. I went home to feed my kids lunch. He said he was given allergy tests first to see if he was allergic to any of the drugs that were going to be given to him. Then he finally got his rabies and tetanus shots. He went back to the office. He was prescribed antibiotics as well.
I offered my cousin to stay for the night in the office. He may find it difficult to drive with his motorcycle plus it is raining. He made the excuse that his wife wanted to see him… poor excuse… I know when he’s lying… his wife called my phone and expected him to answer it so i had it on speaker mode… I said I offered him to stay in the office for the night… he said he could only rest at home… his wife reminded him to not drink any alcohol or the rabies shot may not work… good idea… he has a shot of alcohol before sleeping habit.
So he drove home on his bike. Lucky he got home. Next day I had to drive the kids to school and bring my trusty netbook to work remotely.
Interesting experience. Next time we know better how to react versus rabies. Lots of that rabies going on in the Philippines. Good business for rabies drugs. Heard from the drug stores these were fast selling items. Hopefully it works on my cousin.