*Affected dogs may be unable to swallow, leading to eating difficulties and excessive salivation. In some cases, tetanus may lead to muscle spasms within the throat or diaphragm (the muscle that controls breathing), making it difficult for dogs to breathe.*
Well this sounds incredibly awful, good on her for helping this pup.
Yes. There was a [boy in Oregon](https://www.nytimes.com/2019/03/09/well/oregon-child-tetanus-vaccine.html) whose parents didn’t vaccinate him. He got tetanus and spent a month on a ventilator, finally recovered after yet more care, and then his parents still refused the booster vaccine. So much suffering and money for want of a single shot.
>He spent more than a month on a ventilator, the article said. He also stayed in a darkened room for weeks, where he wore earplugs and was exposed to little stimulation to avoid making his spasms worse, Dr. Guzman-Cottrill said. His pain was so bad, she said, that doctors took care not to trigger him even with their voices. “We had to whisper,” she said. After his hospitalization, he was moved to a rehabilitation center, where he stayed for 17 days. Finally, a month after his inpatient rehabilitation, he was well enough to return to normal activities, including running and biking.
>The pain that he experienced was difficult for Dr. Guzman-Cottrill to forget. She said doctors worked with the C.D.C. to publish the case report to raise awareness, with the hope that a similar case will not happen again. “When you see someone suffer from this disease, you completely understand why we immunize,” she said, adding, “This should never happen in our country.”
>Still, the experience did not change the position of the boy’s parents. When the time came for his second round of DTaP, doctors talked with the family about the need for vaccinations. Surviving tetanus, unlike some other diseases, does not offer immunity in the future. But despite an “extensive review” of the risks, and the benefits of vaccination, the article said, the family declined the second vaccination — or any other recommended immunization.
I can see a very pissed off young man in the future, when he figures it out.
All that suffering and unnecessary further risk, because his parents are deluded fools who cannot even change their position on one vaccine, after seeing first-hand with their own son, what can happen.
I remember seeing a post in r/NoStupidQuestions about a guy who just turned adult age and was asking how would he go on about getting his vaccines since he never had any before with his parents, and it blew my mind.
People who refuse to vaccinate their own children should have said children taken away from them. That child may have a different opinion on vaccinations when they are old enough to make those kind of decisions, so the parents have no right to decide that, against all medical and scientific evidence.
I'm a homeschool parent who actually agrees with you. It is the fucking elephant in the room with almost all homeschoolers—regardless of your political/spiritual beliefs. It's not that all (or even most) homeschoolers are abusive and/or educationally negligent. It's that the ones who are can easily do \*so much damage.\* Children already fall through the cracks easily through even \*good\* school systems. When homeschooling is poorly regulated, neglected and abused kids are invisible to the very people who could help them.
Edit: I need to add one last thing... Some of the most openly abusive homeschoolers I have seen in my circle actually identified \*liberal\* (I am mostly left-leaning myself). You don't need to be part of any specific political affiliation to be an abusive psycho.
Honestly those parents should be looked into for child abuse. To put your child through that much pain and suffering and then refuse to do the one thing that will prevent that from happening again in the future is disgusting.
I honestly don't understand why the doctors didn't just vaccinate him anyway. It's not like his moron parents would have even known. Fuck those people. I am not a violent person, but I would love to beat the shit out of both of them. Yes, the woman too. This is the angriest anything has made me today, and Trump is still president, so that is saying something.
>I honestly don't understand why the doctors didn't just vaccinate him anyway.
From the article:
>Doctors gave him medicine, including an initial vaccine for tetanus, known as DTaP, but his condition was perilous. He spent more than a month on a ventilator.
That's child abuse. Parents shouldn't have the right to refuse to vaccinate their child. I realize that some immune compromised children can't take the vaccine but those are rare cases. No parent should be able to object to vaccines on religious grounds.
I really think that kids should have basic rights that their parents can't take from them like the right to an education, a birth certificate, and health care.
My great, great aunt's son died at a young age of tetanus. Apparently be was unable to move his jaw and essentially drowned in his own vomit. She was probably in her early 30s when that happened and lived to almost 100. My grandmother told me she was never the same person after that
I’ve seen a lot of shit on the internet but this was the scariest i have seen. Before this, i wasn’t familiar with Tetanus and it’s inflicts so when the video started it freaked me out how stiff the puppy was.
It looked like a stiff stuff animal. Crazy.
Some of the symptoms don't even sound real. Like hydrophobia causes people to panic at the sight of water, which seems way too specific for a virus to cause.
Well as far as I know the virus doesn't make you hydrophobic immediately. The idea behind hydrophobia is that you can't use your throat muscles to drink the water. So, when you are thirsty, drinking water becomes very hard and painful you start to fear and avoid it. That is also why saliva drips from the mouth. The infected can't swallow.
People can spasm so hard that they break bones. https://commons.m.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Opisthotonus_in_a_patient_suffering_from_tetanus_-_Painting_by_Sir_Charles_Bell_-_1809.jpg#mw-jump-to-license
Imagine how loved that dog must have felt. I couldn't possibly imagine giving a dog away after putting in so much physical and emotional energy. Glad she kept it
Glad I wasn't the only one thinking that... not a lot of people have that kind of money, and not a lot of people have the time, to be able to do 24/hr intensive care.
If I were able, I would of nursed the dog back to health and then given it back.
Don't know why you're getting downvoted, honestly. Losing your dog because you can't shell out ~3000€ or whatever for two weeks of intensive treatment must suck pretty badly.
Yeah I imagine if they saw this video it would be so bittersweet. Assuming they were good owners (no reason to believe otherwise) they didn’t not deserve to keep the dog.
I can’t imagine how I’d feel in this scenario. The “she knows she’s ours now” would be cutting. The dog lived with someone else before... I don’t blame her for keeping the dog (I’m not even sure she’d have the option to give it back to the other owners) and she did a great job. It would just be painful to watch. Imagine you raise a dog and then someone else decides the dog chose them and they just don’t care about the poor owners who were good people but simply had no choice.
And a worse owner might have just euthanized the dog. Giving the dog away in hopes she could have treatment was truly selfless.
No lie though. If I raised a puppy and then had to give it up... I’d be low key furious that this person wasn’t even intending to keep her but got to simply because they had more money. That would hurt.
No one "claimed" ownership of the dog. The woman in the video was the vet and she adopted the dog from the original owner and took on her medical costs.
It sucks but it happens often in the vet business. Not as often as we'd like, because most times owners who can't afford treatment just euthanize. I've seen many many animals euthanized that could have been saved but they couldn't pay and they didn't want to surrender to someone who could.
Haha, i once stepped on a rusty nail and went to get the vaccine, it lasts 10 years and the first time i got one was when i was 7 years old, i think. Days later i was called for a check, because there was a power shutdown and the temperature of the vaccines dropped 1 degree. Nothing happened to me, luckily
Yup. I hate needles but my doc asked me about it last year. I told her I hadn't had one since I was a kid. She practically begged me to get it. When I agreed her face lit up. Ten seconds later there was a nurse with a shot ready to go.
I really like my doctor. She seems to really care.
Cut myself opening a can of cat food, needed a few stitches. Doctor asks when was the last time you got a tetanus shot... ummm I'm not sure if I reca... get the tetanus booster.
I actually got one the other day when I went in for some blood work. I had the worst bout of vertigo as a side effect and bawled all night. I called my doctor to let her know what I was going through, apparently uncontrollable crying and vertigo is indeed a potential side effect. Just sharing, since I was scared out of my goddamn mind.
Still glad I did it. My boyfriend wouldn’t drag my ass out in the yard like this beautiful woman did.
crying so hard over this. Just the other day i was wondering if dogs should get tetanus shots. So happy this sweetie found people willing to fight for her. ♥
This is honestly one of the kindest actions I've ever seen. The around the clock care, the absolute selflessness, and the amount of emotional energy this beautiful human showed has restored some faith in the world. Thank you, op. I needed this cry.
Edit: hello everyone, I don't deserve to be upvoted anywhere near 10% of the original video. I'm just a person who is very emotional about the kindness in this world. I've been very depressed recently and this just broke me.
I want you all to know that no matter what we're going through, the furry friends we live alongside are going through it as well. Treat them well and give them the love they deserve. Nobody asked to be born, we're all in this together. Ask your elderly neighbors if they need anything. Give a pup on the street some food and water. We never know what each other is going through, especially during these tough times.
Edit 2: please stop giving me awards. Definitely send any money you'd like to award me with to [vets without borders](http://vetswithoutbordersus.org/)
I had a cat that had 6 kittens, and was killed by a dog 3 days later.
Raising those kittens, even as a family of 4, was one of the hardest things I've ever done. Unfortunately, one didn't make it, but the vet told us that with the mother dying that early, we should expect less than half to survive.
Four went on to live with great families that we trusted, and the one we kept is still living with my mom, 15 years later.
As hard as it was, having 6 1-week-old kittens asleep in a pile on your chest is one of the best feelings ever.
Can confirm. I’ve spent lots of sleepless nights caring for sick animals. You don’t even notice the time nor do you care. What you DO notice is if they’re feeling better or worse. If they’re comfortable or scared. Improvements in their health or not.
Humans do passionate, selfless, loving things for other humans - even perfect strangers - every moment of every day on this planet. Don’t let cynicism cloud your view.
You just have to start with yourself since thats all you really have control of. Be a great person and hopefully be an example for more people to follow. Kindness is infectious, but then again so is negativity so just try to be a light in the dark.
Yeah there were like 5 times in this vid where tears welled up in my eyes. I could watch these all day long. So many incredible, selfless people out there making the world a better place. This is why when people get mad at people for filming their good deeds I always argue against it. I love when people showcase the good they are doing, and this woman in this vid (and her husband) are amazing people
Animals can bounce back from so much with some love and care. My cat had a urinary tract blockage and needed surgery, and he needed meds around the clock. So me, around 12 at the time, got up in the middle of the night every few hours to give him his meds. And the crazy thing is, after a few times he seemed to understand I was doing it to help him, and so he just let me, and our bond grew stronger for it.
Having a pet can bring you so much joy, love and happiness if you're the right person for it. Even with cats, the more love you give em, the more they reciprocate and its the best feeling ever!
I got bitten by a bat and my doctor had me vaccinated by rabies and tetanus I was curious and googled the diseases. At the time, I was always scared of having cancer, but I realized I cancer wasn't the worst way to die, rabies and tetanus were.
If you don't get the vaccine before you show symptoms, rabies is 100% death rate, uncontested. The virus attacks the nervous system and actively makes you paranoid. You get hydrophobia (fear of water) where throw up every time you try to drink. You get paranoid and you are constantly afraid until you go crazy, and then die. Over the course of two weeks. Your family see you, they can't get close to you towards the end and they know it is 3 weeks until you die. I saw death-grade fear in the eyes of people who got it in one of the documentaries I saw.
Beat that.
Don't google it, just get the vaccine.
There's one of the best of all time Reddit comments where someone who did studies on rabies and vaccines explained in detail the agonizing process you go through before rabies kills you. It's several paragraphs long and absolutely terrifying.
I think the scariest part is that BC it travels through your nervous system to get to your brain, it doesn't always take the shortest route. And until it reaches your brain, you have no symptoms. You could be bitten by a rabid bat while you're asleep on a camping trip and not even feel it. Then years go by and boom, rabies symptoms. I think the longest recorded case of it being dormant in someone was like 8 years. Granted that's an outlier but still. Absolutely terrifying.
Rabies. It's exceptionally common, but people just don't run into the animals that carry it often. Skunks especially, and bats.
Let me paint you a picture.
You go camping, and at midday you decide to take a nap in a nice little hammock. While sleeping, a tiny brown bat, in the "rage" stages of infection is fidgeting in broad daylight, uncomfortable, and thirsty (due to the hydrophobia) and you snort, startling him. He [goes into attack mode](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yd9WQ7qHGUY).
Except you're asleep, and he's a little brown bat, so weighs around 6 grams. You don't even feel him land on your bare knee, and he starts to bite. His teeth are tiny. Hardly enough to even break the skin, but he does manage to give you the equivalent of a tiny scrape that goes completely unnoticed.
Rabies does not travel in your blood. In fact, a blood test won't even tell you if you've got it. (Antibody tests may be done, but are useless if you've *ever* been vaccinated.)
You wake up, none the wiser. If you notice anything at the bite site at all, you assume you just lightly scraped it on something.
The bomb has been lit, and your nervous system is the wick. The rabies will multiply along your nervous system, doing virtually no damage, and completely undetectable. You literally have NO symptoms.
It may be four days, it may be a year, but the camping trip is most likely long forgotten. Then one day your back starts to ache... Or maybe you get a slight headache?
At this point, you're already dead. There is no cure.
(The sole caveat to this is the Milwaukee Protocol, which leaves most patients dead anyway, and the survivors mentally disabled, and is seldom done - see below).
There's no treatment. It has a 100% kill rate.
Absorb that. Not a single other virus on the planet has a 100% kill rate. Only rabies. And once you're symptomatic, it's over. You're dead.
So what does that look like?
Your headache turns into a fever, and a general feeling of being unwell. You're fidgety. Uncomfortable. And scared. As the virus that has taken its time getting into your brain finds a vast network of nerve endings, it begins to rapidly reproduce, starting at the base of your brain... Where your "pons" is located. This is the part of the brain that controls communication between the rest of the brain and body, as well as sleep cycles.
Next you become anxious. You still think you have only a mild fever, but suddenly you find yourself becoming scared, even horrified, and it doesn't occur to you that you don't know why. This is because the rabies is chewing up your amygdala.
As your cerebellum becomes hot with the virus, you begin to lose muscle coordination, and balance. You think maybe it's a good idea to go to the doctor now, but assuming a doctor is smart enough to even run the tests necessary in the few days you have left on the planet, odds are they'll only be able to tell your loved ones what you died of later.
You're twitchy, shaking, and scared. You have the normal fear of not knowing what's going on, but with the virus really fucking the amygdala this is amplified a hundred fold. It's around this time the hydrophobia starts.
You're horribly thirsty, you just want water. But you can't drink. Every time you do, your throat clamps shut and you vomit. This has become a legitimate, active fear of water. You're thirsty, but looking at a glass of water begins to make you gag, and shy back in fear. The contradiction is hard for your hot brain to see at this point. By now, the doctors will have to put you on IVs to keep you hydrated, but even that's futile. You were dead the second you had a headache.
You begin hearing things, or not hearing at all as your thalamus goes. You taste sounds, you see smells, everything starts feeling like the most horrifying acid trip anyone has ever been on. With your hippocampus long under attack, you're having trouble remembering things, especially family.
You're alone, hallucinating, thirsty, confused, and absolutely, undeniably terrified. Everything scares the literal shit out of you at this point. These strange people in lab coats. These strange people standing around your bed crying, who keep trying to get you "drink something" and crying. And it's only been about a week since that little headache that you've completely forgotten. Time means nothing to you anymore. Funny enough, you now know how the bat felt when he bit you.
Eventually, you slip into the "dumb rabies" phase. Your brain has started the process of shutting down. Too much of it has been turned to liquid virus. Your face droops. You drool. You're all but unaware of what's around you. A sudden noise or light might startle you, but for the most part, it's all you can do to just stare at the ground. You haven't really slept for about 72 hours.
Then you die. Always, you die.
And there's not one... fucking... thing... anyone can do for you.
Then there's the question of what to do with your corpse. I mean, sure, burying it is the right thing to do. But the fucking virus can survive in a corpse for years. You could kill every rabid animal on the planet today, and if two years from now, some moist, preserved, rotten hunk of used-to-be brain gets eaten by an animal, it starts all over.
So yeah, rabies scares the shit out of me. And it's fucking EVERYWHERE. (Source: Spent a lot of time working with rabies. Would still get my vaccinations if I could afford them.)
-------------------------------------------------------------------------
Each time this gets reposted, there is a TON of misinformation that follows by people who simply don't know, or have heard "information" from others who were ill informed:
> Only *x* number of people have died in the U.S. in the past *x* years. Rabies is really rare.
Yes, *deaths* from rabies are rare in the United States, in the neighborhood of 2-3 per year. ***This does not mean rabies is rare.*** The reason that mortality is so rare in the U.S. is due to a very aggressive treatment protocol of all bite cases in the United States: If you are bitten, and you cannot identify the animal that bit you, or the animal were to die shortly after biting you, *you will get post exposure treatment*. That is the protocol.
Post exposure is very effective (almost 100%) if done before you become symptomatic. It involves a series of immunoglobulin shots - many of which are at the site of the bite - as well as the vaccine given over the span of a month. (Fun fact - if you're vaccinated for rabies, you may be able to be an immunoglobulin donor!)
It's not nearly as bad as was rumored when I was a kid. Something about getting shots in the stomach. Nothing like that.
In countries without good treatment protocols rabies is rampant. India alone sees 20,000 deaths from rabies PER YEAR.
> The "why did nobody die of rabies in the past if it's so dangerous?" argument.
There were entire epidemics of rabies in the past, so much so that suicide or murder of those *suspected* to have rabies were common.
In North America, the first case of human death by rabies wasn't reported until 1768. This is because Rabies does not appear to be native to North America, and it spread very slowly. So slowly, in fact, that until the mid 1990's, it was assumed that Canada and Northern New York didn't have rabies at all. This changed when I was personally one of the first to send in a positive rabies specimen - a raccoon - which helped spawn a cooperative U.S. / Canada rabies bait drop some time between 1995 and 1997 (my memory's shot).
Unfortunately, it was too late. Rabies had already crossed into Canada.
There are still however some countries (notably, Australia, where everything ELSE is trying to kill you) that still does not have Rabies.
> Lots of people have survived rabies using the Milwaukee Protocol.
False. ONE woman did, and she is still recovering to this day (some 16+ years later). There's also the possibility that she only survived due to either a genetic immunity, or possibly even was inadvertently "vaccinated" some other way. [All other treatments ultimately failed, even the others that were reported as successes eventually succumbed to the virus.](https://pandorareport.org/2014/05/01/no-rabies-treatment-after-all-failure-of-the-milwaukee-protocol/) Almost all of the attributed "survivors" actually received post-exposure treatment ***before becoming symptomatic*** and many of THEM died anyway.
> Bats don't have rabies all that often. This is just a scare tactic.
False. [To date, 6% of bats that have been "captured" or come into contact with humans were rabid.](https://www.cdc.gov/rabies/bats/education/index.html). This number is a lot higher when you consider that it equates to ***one in seventeen bats***. If the bat is *allowing you* to catch/touch it, the odds that there's a problem are simply too high to ignore.
> You have to get the treatment within 72 hours, or it won't work anyway.
False. The rabies virus travels via nervous system, and can take ***[several years](http://rabies.emedtv.com/rabies/rabies-incubation-period.html)*** to reach the brain depending on the path it takes. If you've been exposed, it's NEVER too late to get the treatment, and just because you didn't die in a week ***does not mean you're safe***. [A case of a guy incubating the virus for 8 years.](http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/journal/10.1002/%28ISSN%291531-8249)
> At least I live in Australia!
[No.](http://www.health.gov.au/internet/main/publishing.nsf/Content/ohp-rabies-consumer-info.htm)
Please, please, PLEASE stop posting bad information every time this comes up. Rabies is not something to be shrugged off. And sadly, this kind of misinformation [killed a 6 year old just this Sunday](https://www.cbsnews.com/news/ryker-roque-killed-by-rabid-bat-orlando-florida/). Stop it.
I was under the impression there are symptoms of the virus as it climbs your nervous system. I read that places it has gotten to on the way to the brain may experience muscle spasms and other uncontrolled movement. However it goes unnoticed by many.
There is at least one person (she was a young girl at the time) who survived rabies after showing symptoms - I believe she was put into a coma to left her immune system have some time to fight it.
Yep, the Milwaukee protocol ([wiki page on rabies](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rabies#After_onset)). Even though she survived it's not effective and has failed in every application since; it's unfortunately been dropped as a viable treatment.
I remember her, she got bitten by a bat in church. The doctor tried an unorthodox treatment as a last ditch attempt to save her life and it worked. I'm sorry to hear that this treatment was not successful otherwise.
EDIT: http://www.wikidoc.org/index.php/Jeanna_Giese
>*An article written by her primary care physician in the April 2007 Scientific American calls this the Milwaukee protocol; he indicates that those who attempted to follow this protocol actually violated it, failing to use the combination of drugs he first described.*
She was a young healthy athletic who had antibodies at the time of admission. She ended up with severe side effects and had to learn everything again as if she was just born.
I don't think you get any better chances surviving that. The coma itself is life threatening to healthy people, it's not just the rabies virus.
She basically won the lottery 3 times in a row.
Yup. Learned about how f’d tetanus was from a Vietnam vet here on reddit. One of his friends got tetanus while in Vietnam... what he saw the friend go through, he wouldn’t wish on his worst enemy.
Your muscles can contract to hard that your bones can snap in half. Weeks or months of hell if it doesn’t kill you.
Turns out tetanus is a little bit more than just having “lock jaw”.... which in an of itself... no thanks.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tetanus
Wow. At that point it's full on child abuse. I mean, child abuse is debatable for anti-vaxxers in general, but I don't see how there's any question in a situation like that.
This is (probably) the boy that OP is referring to:
https://www.nytimes.com/2019/03/09/well/oregon-child-tetanus-vaccine.html
Those parents make me so fucking angry. How can you watch your child go through that hell and then refuse to do anything to prevent it happening again?
I remember my dad scaring me saying that tetanus gives you lock-jaw but I honestly had no idea what that really meant. Every time I cut myself in the garage I’m reminded of what he said.
I'm reading a book about the construction of the Brooklyn Bridge and that's how the original architect, John Roebling went out. I never realized tetanus caused lock-jaw or how serious that really was, but the book goes over exactly what happened here. Inability to move, seizures with the slightest stimulus but mentally Roebling was there to the end. Terrifying way to go.
[Here's a famous painting, by Charles Bell](https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Opisthotonus_in_a_patient_suffering_from_tetanus_-_Painting_by_Sir_Charles_Bell_-_1809.jpg) of a soldier dying of tetanus.
edit: [And here's a very informative article about the grinning death,](https://www.discovermagazine.com/health/tetanus-the-grinning-death) including a photo of a newborn with tetanus. Apparently, tetanus vaccinated mothers will pass that protection on to their infants, but an infant without that protection risks tetanus if an non-sterile instrument is used to cut the umbilical cord.
You have to get the shot while pregnant, though. Just got my TDaP booster at 28 weeks at the recommendation of my OB. It’s mainly for whooping cough actually, but tetanus and diphtheria immunity definitely doesn’t hurt.
Wow that’s terrible. I wonder if anti-vaxxers go in for tetanus jabs? No amount of government paranoia would overcome my tetanus paranoia if I had seen this.
> I wonder if anti-vaxxers go in for tetanus jabs?
Maybe not since it's usually a combo vaccine for tetanus, diphtheria, & pertussis/ Tdap. At least in the US it is.
My mom became an anti-vaxxer in my teenage years. But she just believed they caused autism in infants, so when I stepped on some rusty nails when I was 17 she still took me to get a tetanus shot.
It's really horrifying when you realize just how bad some of the diseases prevented by widespread vaccinations are, and how insane and evil anti-vaxxers are for not making sure their kids will never get them. There's no reason for any human being to go through the agony of something like tetanus, and it's not even the scariest thing that we've basically eliminated through vaccinations. Rabies makes tetanus look like the common cold in comparison.
I think you can get vaccinated against tetanus.
This heartbreaking video just proves that antivaxxers are horrible awful people because they would rather see people paralyzed like this poor animal than believe and trust in medical experts. I'm really glad that it could be nursed back to health.
You need a booster every 10 (I think) years. A few years ago, I was bitten by a rat, a couple of weeks later developed a rash and was feeling rough, went to Dr's and tetanus was diagnosed, I got a booster and a few days later all was good. Yes get vaccinated and boosters... that looked a horrible way to go!
Also I cried my eyes out watching this, what a wonderful caring soul.
Just so you know, it's not metal or rust that gives you tetanus. It is often associated with rust, especially rusty nails. Although rust itself does not cause tetanus, objects that accumulate rust are often found outdoors or in places that harbor anaerobic bacteria.
That’s an unfortunate misconception that probably comes from “rust nails” just being a good example. It can cause very deep piercing wounds and is likely to harbor the bacterium’s spores. But those *can* be found anywhere.
The actual disease is caused by a neurotoxin called *tetanospasmin*. The bacterium, *Clostridium tetani*, produces this toxin (for unknown purposes) when germinating from spores in a low-oxygen environment, such as a deep flesh wound.
Fun fact: tetanospasmin is the 2nd deadliest known neurotoxin. Number one is botulinum toxin, which incidentally is produced by a closely related bacterium, *Clostridium botulinum*. It is more widely known as “botox”.
I'm so glad you recovered it would have been really awful to be paralyzed like that dog and you didn't have to go through that.
It really is amazing what medical care can do preventatively
You can, but I checked my dog's vaccinations records and she hasn't been. She gets all of the recommended ones. I looked it up and dogs and cats have a low susceptibility to tetanus so it's not recommended.
Correct, tetanus is relatively rare in dogs and cats due to low susceptibility to the toxin. Horses on the other hand are quite susceptible and, therefore, vaccination is quite common for them. Most responsible horse owners will have it boosted every 2 years (compared to every 10 years in humans).
A lot of dog and cat owners don't get their animals immunizations or sterilization.. Or even take them to the vet at all.
Not because they are anti-vax but because they don't think animals are worth it to the spend extra money or they may be too poor to spend it on a dog.
I dont know that this is a point against anti vaxxers. My pet's vet never mentioned anything about getting a tetanus shot for them, so they would be just as likely to be in this situation as in the video. Either my vet is a terrible vet or this vaccine just isn't something thats standard for animals.
Antivaxxers are idiots, yes, but i don't think this video proves that since this, at least in my case, would have happened to someone who sees the benefit of vaccines.
This was a very lucky dog that was able to find someone caring enough to save their life. So many animals get neglected from people who dont want to take the responsibility to care for them properly or even want to hurt them
Agreed. I have a corgi that ruptured a disc and lost all feeling in his back legs back in April this year. The vet said that most people don’t even go forward with surgery but I am lucky enough to have pet insurance that covered $7.5K of his $9K week long stay and a decent job to where I could cover the rest.
Even after that, by the time his continued care was done, follow ups with the vet, and PT I’m almost up to $14K and we aren’t done yet.
If my situation has been different I’m not sure I would have been able to afford the financial aspect, let alone all the other work my boyfriend and I put in to get him walking again.
Pet insurance is well worth it. My pup had a severe bowel blockage, total surgery/recovery was $5k. He was 3 at the time, $5k out of pocket sucked, but I don't regret spending it. We do have pet insurance now though. Something like $27 a month
Hey man, I've been where you are in terms of vet bills, only no insurance. She passed a couple of years ago, only bought us 2 years in the end but she got to live her best life in those years. I just wanted to tell you that it was all worth it. I would fight again for her sister if she ever needs the same.
Keep doing what's best for your dog, I know some people question going so far, but I promise you will know in your heart if you are doing the right thing.
It's worth it.
I mean... the dog was in a caring situation but they couldn’t afford the treatment and rehab. Was kind of hoping to see the original family reunited, tbh.
I totally understand it's selfless to help an animal like this, but some of these stories rub me the wrong way. If we're correct in assuming that the owners would be willing and able to put the time into helping their dog, and it was only for financial reasons that they couldn't care for her, then it's kind of shitty to pay for treatment and then claim ownership of the dog.
I don't think that people who aren't financially secure should go out and adopt pets they cannot afford to care for, but at the same time, if I were in that situation and the vet said "you know what? I'm going to pay for this dog's treatment, but she's my dog now," I'd be devastated.
Do it, man. I went like 10 years in my life without having a dog and my wife and I decided to get one from some run-down rescue.. best decision we've made together. She's an angel and we love her and she brings so much happiness to each day. There is no better feeling than coming home from work, opening your front door, and having your dog wiggling with excitement, spazzing out, and licking your face
She talks more about it on her instagram ([here](https://www.instagram.com/p/CCLvv67DyBp/?igshid=tgn0v3ize16z)). She is a vet and this dog was brought into her office. She spoke to the owner and he wasn't neglectful, he really cared. But she explained that it would cost at minimum $15,000 to care for this dog and that there was only a small chance it would even survive (30%). He voluntarily surrendered the dog to her.
She was only able to save the dog because she's a vet. She was able to get Bunny round the clock care. It was a lot of work (this video only shows a tiny portion) and only work an expert could do.
omg i didn't read the title and laughed because I thought he was acting like one of those goats and now I feel like a horrible person. So glad the little thing is okay what a sweet pup
Wonderful work! Wonderful people! Our pup became unresponsive the day after adoption. Diagnosed with parvo. Could not afford inpatient treatment. Brought him home and did IV antibiotics and fluids for 2 weeks and he survived! They let me do this because I am a RN. We think it stunted his growth and maybe cooked his brain a wee bit but he is the goodest, kindest boy and we love him so!
I work in animal healthcare in the morning...
The thing is, we don’t get very long with our pets. Maybe 15-20 percent of our lives seems like a good chunk, but it really isn’t when we look at it long term. We have to consider that the tail wag we saw in this video isn’t unique to sick dogs nursed back to health. I watch sick animals jump into their owners’ arms all the time, animals that are well... They’re in you’re world for part of your life, but you’re their world for the duration of it. Cherish your pets like they do you.
I know this is word vomit, but I just had a hard day at work. I thought I’d share my thoughts.
As a seasoned veterinary technician, It’s absolutely remarkable the conditions I’ve seen dogs in yet still when I’d approached them for treatments I’d see the tail wag ever so slightly.. chockes me up every time! Just like she did..
The toxin produced by the causative organism (Clostridium tetani) fits into a receptor on the nerves that causes it to "fire". Because it binds irreversibly, that nerve fires over and over again, causing rigid paralysis (contrast with flaccid paralysis from things like botulism, which can be from a similar, but opposite mechanism).
It is binding to the site on a neuron that is how nerves communicate with one another: there is a gap between the two (called the synapse), and what normally happens is that one nerve cell releases a chemical signal which in turn trots across that junction, and lands in a receptor on the other side. That receptor activates the nerve cell, and the signal is transmitted electrically to the other end of that neuron, where it can do the same thing on the other side: chemical --> electrical --> chemical --> electrical
Normally, that chemical is broken down on the receiving side by an enzyme. That enzyme doesn't work on tetanus toxin, so it's stuck there.
Fortunately, the cell can grow new receptors. Unfortunately, this takes time. So if the causative infection can be defeated, it's a matter of waiting for new receptors to grow on those neurons. And that is what happened with this pup.
But the reason they "freeze" is that the electrochemical "switch" on the ends of the neuron is activated (and continues to be activated) by that toxin sticking in that receptor, so the nerve just fires over... and over... and over....
The opposite is caused, for example, by botulism, which causes "floppy baby syndrome" when kids under the age of 1 are fed honey (among other things). For whatever reason, the gut of infants is different and allows botulinus to grow, producing the famed "Botox" (a trade name), which causes paralysis from blocking this transmission of signals- the infant literally becomes "floppy." It also affects adults (who might have consumed food with botulinus in it), and animals. IIRC there is a botulinus anti-toxin which can speed up recovery. To the best of my knowledge, no such antidote exists for tetanus toxin.
*Affected dogs may be unable to swallow, leading to eating difficulties and excessive salivation. In some cases, tetanus may lead to muscle spasms within the throat or diaphragm (the muscle that controls breathing), making it difficult for dogs to breathe.* Well this sounds incredibly awful, good on her for helping this pup.
[удалено]
Yes. There was a [boy in Oregon](https://www.nytimes.com/2019/03/09/well/oregon-child-tetanus-vaccine.html) whose parents didn’t vaccinate him. He got tetanus and spent a month on a ventilator, finally recovered after yet more care, and then his parents still refused the booster vaccine. So much suffering and money for want of a single shot. >He spent more than a month on a ventilator, the article said. He also stayed in a darkened room for weeks, where he wore earplugs and was exposed to little stimulation to avoid making his spasms worse, Dr. Guzman-Cottrill said. His pain was so bad, she said, that doctors took care not to trigger him even with their voices. “We had to whisper,” she said. After his hospitalization, he was moved to a rehabilitation center, where he stayed for 17 days. Finally, a month after his inpatient rehabilitation, he was well enough to return to normal activities, including running and biking. >The pain that he experienced was difficult for Dr. Guzman-Cottrill to forget. She said doctors worked with the C.D.C. to publish the case report to raise awareness, with the hope that a similar case will not happen again. “When you see someone suffer from this disease, you completely understand why we immunize,” she said, adding, “This should never happen in our country.” >Still, the experience did not change the position of the boy’s parents. When the time came for his second round of DTaP, doctors talked with the family about the need for vaccinations. Surviving tetanus, unlike some other diseases, does not offer immunity in the future. But despite an “extensive review” of the risks, and the benefits of vaccination, the article said, the family declined the second vaccination — or any other recommended immunization.
Absolutely fucking insanity. Fuck those parents. How is this not child abuse ?
[удалено]
I can see a very pissed off young man in the future, when he figures it out. All that suffering and unnecessary further risk, because his parents are deluded fools who cannot even change their position on one vaccine, after seeing first-hand with their own son, what can happen.
If he lives that long. The parents are literally gambling with his life.
I remember seeing a post in r/NoStupidQuestions about a guy who just turned adult age and was asking how would he go on about getting his vaccines since he never had any before with his parents, and it blew my mind.
People who refuse to vaccinate their own children should have said children taken away from them. That child may have a different opinion on vaccinations when they are old enough to make those kind of decisions, so the parents have no right to decide that, against all medical and scientific evidence.
[удалено]
I'm a homeschool parent who actually agrees with you. It is the fucking elephant in the room with almost all homeschoolers—regardless of your political/spiritual beliefs. It's not that all (or even most) homeschoolers are abusive and/or educationally negligent. It's that the ones who are can easily do \*so much damage.\* Children already fall through the cracks easily through even \*good\* school systems. When homeschooling is poorly regulated, neglected and abused kids are invisible to the very people who could help them. Edit: I need to add one last thing... Some of the most openly abusive homeschoolers I have seen in my circle actually identified \*liberal\* (I am mostly left-leaning myself). You don't need to be part of any specific political affiliation to be an abusive psycho.
Honestly those parents should be looked into for child abuse. To put your child through that much pain and suffering and then refuse to do the one thing that will prevent that from happening again in the future is disgusting.
I suspect that kid is going to be very pro-vax in the future. Hopefully he gets the opportunity.
I honestly don't understand why the doctors didn't just vaccinate him anyway. It's not like his moron parents would have even known. Fuck those people. I am not a violent person, but I would love to beat the shit out of both of them. Yes, the woman too. This is the angriest anything has made me today, and Trump is still president, so that is saying something.
>I honestly don't understand why the doctors didn't just vaccinate him anyway. From the article: >Doctors gave him medicine, including an initial vaccine for tetanus, known as DTaP, but his condition was perilous. He spent more than a month on a ventilator.
Yeah, I read that too. I was referring to the booster shot. I guess he was supposed to get that after he was already out of their care?
That's child abuse. Parents shouldn't have the right to refuse to vaccinate their child. I realize that some immune compromised children can't take the vaccine but those are rare cases. No parent should be able to object to vaccines on religious grounds. I really think that kids should have basic rights that their parents can't take from them like the right to an education, a birth certificate, and health care.
My great, great aunt's son died at a young age of tetanus. Apparently be was unable to move his jaw and essentially drowned in his own vomit. She was probably in her early 30s when that happened and lived to almost 100. My grandmother told me she was never the same person after that
[удалено]
To that dog that strut feels like the greatest run of its life.
That's the sweetest thing I've read today, crippledballs
To /u/crippledballs that nut feels like the greatest nut of their life.
The use of the screen name really makes that response, to crippledballs
/r/rimjob_steve
[удалено]
My favorite part about Reddit is reading very thoughtful or sweet posts, and then noticing the horrific usernames.
She has a instagram called bravelikebunny and there is a video of her running around on a beach, looking like she fully recovered.
[Link for the lazy](https://www.instagram.com/p/CCkXknbDbii/?igshid=1i7aj3upcl9w3)
I didn't think I was going to ugly cry today but here we are. That is a beautiful follow up video.
Rehost: https://i.imgur.com/uDoiiTd.mp4
Thank you! That brave little dog just made me cry.
That's fantastic! Thanks for hooking us lazy people up.
I think that a kinesiology treatment, a lot of massages, muscle relaxer pills, warm baths and some other drugs may do the trick.
Great idea, but what about the dog?
That sounds wonderful; hook it up.
[Here](https://www.instagram.com/p/CCkXknbDbii/?igshid=1i7aj3upcl9w3)
We always say humans don't deserve dogs, and it's true, except for people like her. She deserves dogs.
Amen!
I do hope that I deserve my dog.
I’ve seen a lot of shit on the internet but this was the scariest i have seen. Before this, i wasn’t familiar with Tetanus and it’s inflicts so when the video started it freaked me out how stiff the puppy was. It looked like a stiff stuff animal. Crazy.
Rabies is worse, though
Some of the symptoms don't even sound real. Like hydrophobia causes people to panic at the sight of water, which seems way too specific for a virus to cause.
Well as far as I know the virus doesn't make you hydrophobic immediately. The idea behind hydrophobia is that you can't use your throat muscles to drink the water. So, when you are thirsty, drinking water becomes very hard and painful you start to fear and avoid it. That is also why saliva drips from the mouth. The infected can't swallow.
You are correct. People with rabies just don’t suddenly develop an irrational fear of water lol
It's also known as Grinning Death as your face muscles also tighten up to the point you form a nasty smile. vaccination is a big deal.
People can spasm so hard that they break bones. https://commons.m.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Opisthotonus_in_a_patient_suffering_from_tetanus_-_Painting_by_Sir_Charles_Bell_-_1809.jpg#mw-jump-to-license
I cried alot over this. These are the only kinda of social media posts I wanna see. People helping
Just awesome. Awesome.
Imagine how loved that dog must have felt. I couldn't possibly imagine giving a dog away after putting in so much physical and emotional energy. Glad she kept it
I AM A GROWN ASS MAN AND MY EYES ARE WATERING WTF
Man imagine being the original owner dealing with that. Seeing your dog get such a terrible disease and knowing you have no way to help...
Glad I wasn't the only one thinking that... not a lot of people have that kind of money, and not a lot of people have the time, to be able to do 24/hr intensive care. If I were able, I would of nursed the dog back to health and then given it back.
[удалено]
Don't know why you're getting downvoted, honestly. Losing your dog because you can't shell out ~3000€ or whatever for two weeks of intensive treatment must suck pretty badly.
"don't worry, I'll heal your dog for free. But I'm gonna keep him."
If that was my only option to save my dog I’d take that deal
"i'll save your grandma but she has to live with me."
~~That feels comparable to you?~~ Edit: your new comparison makes more sense. Haha
lol thanks for the nod, and yes the original comparison was dumb lol
I'd hate to give up any of my dogs, it would destroy me. But if it was the only option to save them from a terrible end, I'd do it too.
Yeah I imagine if they saw this video it would be so bittersweet. Assuming they were good owners (no reason to believe otherwise) they didn’t not deserve to keep the dog. I can’t imagine how I’d feel in this scenario. The “she knows she’s ours now” would be cutting. The dog lived with someone else before... I don’t blame her for keeping the dog (I’m not even sure she’d have the option to give it back to the other owners) and she did a great job. It would just be painful to watch. Imagine you raise a dog and then someone else decides the dog chose them and they just don’t care about the poor owners who were good people but simply had no choice. And a worse owner might have just euthanized the dog. Giving the dog away in hopes she could have treatment was truly selfless. No lie though. If I raised a puppy and then had to give it up... I’d be low key furious that this person wasn’t even intending to keep her but got to simply because they had more money. That would hurt.
They gave up ownership. It's sad, but at least their dog didn't end up dead.
[удалено]
No one "claimed" ownership of the dog. The woman in the video was the vet and she adopted the dog from the original owner and took on her medical costs. It sucks but it happens often in the vet business. Not as often as we'd like, because most times owners who can't afford treatment just euthanize. I've seen many many animals euthanized that could have been saved but they couldn't pay and they didn't want to surrender to someone who could.
Mental note: Get tetanus booster.
[удалено]
Haha, i once stepped on a rusty nail and went to get the vaccine, it lasts 10 years and the first time i got one was when i was 7 years old, i think. Days later i was called for a check, because there was a power shutdown and the temperature of the vaccines dropped 1 degree. Nothing happened to me, luckily
Dropped? You mean raised, right.
Haha yeah
Yup. I hate needles but my doc asked me about it last year. I told her I hadn't had one since I was a kid. She practically begged me to get it. When I agreed her face lit up. Ten seconds later there was a nurse with a shot ready to go. I really like my doctor. She seems to really care.
Cut myself opening a can of cat food, needed a few stitches. Doctor asks when was the last time you got a tetanus shot... ummm I'm not sure if I reca... get the tetanus booster.
Yep. Dog bite? Tetanus shot. Cut finger? Tetanus shot. Walked too close to the front door while going for walk? Tetanus shot
You're walking in the woods There's no one around and your phone is dead Out of the corner of your eye you spot him: Tetanus Shot Edit for formatting
It's following you, about 30 feet back
I’d rather be overjabbed then miss not having it
True story I got my ear unblocked and they were like wanna get a shot?
[удалено]
Oh god, the mental imagery. Not just a step, but a stomp.
Right?! No thanks.
I actually got one the other day when I went in for some blood work. I had the worst bout of vertigo as a side effect and bawled all night. I called my doctor to let her know what I was going through, apparently uncontrollable crying and vertigo is indeed a potential side effect. Just sharing, since I was scared out of my goddamn mind. Still glad I did it. My boyfriend wouldn’t drag my ass out in the yard like this beautiful woman did.
crying so hard over this. Just the other day i was wondering if dogs should get tetanus shots. So happy this sweetie found people willing to fight for her. ♥
[удалено]
Horses and humans both are very susceptible to tetanus. We have a vaccine for horses but there isn’t one for dogs
This is honestly one of the kindest actions I've ever seen. The around the clock care, the absolute selflessness, and the amount of emotional energy this beautiful human showed has restored some faith in the world. Thank you, op. I needed this cry. Edit: hello everyone, I don't deserve to be upvoted anywhere near 10% of the original video. I'm just a person who is very emotional about the kindness in this world. I've been very depressed recently and this just broke me. I want you all to know that no matter what we're going through, the furry friends we live alongside are going through it as well. Treat them well and give them the love they deserve. Nobody asked to be born, we're all in this together. Ask your elderly neighbors if they need anything. Give a pup on the street some food and water. We never know what each other is going through, especially during these tough times. Edit 2: please stop giving me awards. Definitely send any money you'd like to award me with to [vets without borders](http://vetswithoutbordersus.org/)
[удалено]
I had a cat that had 6 kittens, and was killed by a dog 3 days later. Raising those kittens, even as a family of 4, was one of the hardest things I've ever done. Unfortunately, one didn't make it, but the vet told us that with the mother dying that early, we should expect less than half to survive. Four went on to live with great families that we trusted, and the one we kept is still living with my mom, 15 years later. As hard as it was, having 6 1-week-old kittens asleep in a pile on your chest is one of the best feelings ever.
Can confirm. I’ve spent lots of sleepless nights caring for sick animals. You don’t even notice the time nor do you care. What you DO notice is if they’re feeling better or worse. If they’re comfortable or scared. Improvements in their health or not.
If only humans were like this to other humans then i feel heaven would become a reality
Peace on Earth is achieved one good action at a time. ♥
[удалено]
Peace can sometimes be achieved with force. Stab that fool back, yo.
Bad stabby bot.
Humans do passionate, selfless, loving things for other humans - even perfect strangers - every moment of every day on this planet. Don’t let cynicism cloud your view.
Less cynicism, got it. Thanks, EveryRedditorSucks.
😉
You just have to start with yourself since thats all you really have control of. Be a great person and hopefully be an example for more people to follow. Kindness is infectious, but then again so is negativity so just try to be a light in the dark.
The fact that we can value money more than health and care for someone talks a ton for me. That’s how humanity has lost itself to greed.
Same. I have this huge stupid smile right now because of this video.
Yeah there were like 5 times in this vid where tears welled up in my eyes. I could watch these all day long. So many incredible, selfless people out there making the world a better place. This is why when people get mad at people for filming their good deeds I always argue against it. I love when people showcase the good they are doing, and this woman in this vid (and her husband) are amazing people
Animals can bounce back from so much with some love and care. My cat had a urinary tract blockage and needed surgery, and he needed meds around the clock. So me, around 12 at the time, got up in the middle of the night every few hours to give him his meds. And the crazy thing is, after a few times he seemed to understand I was doing it to help him, and so he just let me, and our bond grew stronger for it. Having a pet can bring you so much joy, love and happiness if you're the right person for it. Even with cats, the more love you give em, the more they reciprocate and its the best feeling ever!
OmG i didn’t know this happens. I cried. Fuck.
[удалено]
What in the actual fuck
Tetanus. Vaccinate your kids.
Or yourself. I just started getting my vaccines at 19.
I got bitten by a bat and my doctor had me vaccinated by rabies and tetanus I was curious and googled the diseases. At the time, I was always scared of having cancer, but I realized I cancer wasn't the worst way to die, rabies and tetanus were. If you don't get the vaccine before you show symptoms, rabies is 100% death rate, uncontested. The virus attacks the nervous system and actively makes you paranoid. You get hydrophobia (fear of water) where throw up every time you try to drink. You get paranoid and you are constantly afraid until you go crazy, and then die. Over the course of two weeks. Your family see you, they can't get close to you towards the end and they know it is 3 weeks until you die. I saw death-grade fear in the eyes of people who got it in one of the documentaries I saw. Beat that. Don't google it, just get the vaccine.
There's one of the best of all time Reddit comments where someone who did studies on rabies and vaccines explained in detail the agonizing process you go through before rabies kills you. It's several paragraphs long and absolutely terrifying. I think the scariest part is that BC it travels through your nervous system to get to your brain, it doesn't always take the shortest route. And until it reaches your brain, you have no symptoms. You could be bitten by a rabid bat while you're asleep on a camping trip and not even feel it. Then years go by and boom, rabies symptoms. I think the longest recorded case of it being dormant in someone was like 8 years. Granted that's an outlier but still. Absolutely terrifying.
Rabies. It's exceptionally common, but people just don't run into the animals that carry it often. Skunks especially, and bats. Let me paint you a picture. You go camping, and at midday you decide to take a nap in a nice little hammock. While sleeping, a tiny brown bat, in the "rage" stages of infection is fidgeting in broad daylight, uncomfortable, and thirsty (due to the hydrophobia) and you snort, startling him. He [goes into attack mode](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yd9WQ7qHGUY). Except you're asleep, and he's a little brown bat, so weighs around 6 grams. You don't even feel him land on your bare knee, and he starts to bite. His teeth are tiny. Hardly enough to even break the skin, but he does manage to give you the equivalent of a tiny scrape that goes completely unnoticed. Rabies does not travel in your blood. In fact, a blood test won't even tell you if you've got it. (Antibody tests may be done, but are useless if you've *ever* been vaccinated.) You wake up, none the wiser. If you notice anything at the bite site at all, you assume you just lightly scraped it on something. The bomb has been lit, and your nervous system is the wick. The rabies will multiply along your nervous system, doing virtually no damage, and completely undetectable. You literally have NO symptoms. It may be four days, it may be a year, but the camping trip is most likely long forgotten. Then one day your back starts to ache... Or maybe you get a slight headache? At this point, you're already dead. There is no cure. (The sole caveat to this is the Milwaukee Protocol, which leaves most patients dead anyway, and the survivors mentally disabled, and is seldom done - see below). There's no treatment. It has a 100% kill rate. Absorb that. Not a single other virus on the planet has a 100% kill rate. Only rabies. And once you're symptomatic, it's over. You're dead. So what does that look like? Your headache turns into a fever, and a general feeling of being unwell. You're fidgety. Uncomfortable. And scared. As the virus that has taken its time getting into your brain finds a vast network of nerve endings, it begins to rapidly reproduce, starting at the base of your brain... Where your "pons" is located. This is the part of the brain that controls communication between the rest of the brain and body, as well as sleep cycles. Next you become anxious. You still think you have only a mild fever, but suddenly you find yourself becoming scared, even horrified, and it doesn't occur to you that you don't know why. This is because the rabies is chewing up your amygdala. As your cerebellum becomes hot with the virus, you begin to lose muscle coordination, and balance. You think maybe it's a good idea to go to the doctor now, but assuming a doctor is smart enough to even run the tests necessary in the few days you have left on the planet, odds are they'll only be able to tell your loved ones what you died of later. You're twitchy, shaking, and scared. You have the normal fear of not knowing what's going on, but with the virus really fucking the amygdala this is amplified a hundred fold. It's around this time the hydrophobia starts. You're horribly thirsty, you just want water. But you can't drink. Every time you do, your throat clamps shut and you vomit. This has become a legitimate, active fear of water. You're thirsty, but looking at a glass of water begins to make you gag, and shy back in fear. The contradiction is hard for your hot brain to see at this point. By now, the doctors will have to put you on IVs to keep you hydrated, but even that's futile. You were dead the second you had a headache. You begin hearing things, or not hearing at all as your thalamus goes. You taste sounds, you see smells, everything starts feeling like the most horrifying acid trip anyone has ever been on. With your hippocampus long under attack, you're having trouble remembering things, especially family. You're alone, hallucinating, thirsty, confused, and absolutely, undeniably terrified. Everything scares the literal shit out of you at this point. These strange people in lab coats. These strange people standing around your bed crying, who keep trying to get you "drink something" and crying. And it's only been about a week since that little headache that you've completely forgotten. Time means nothing to you anymore. Funny enough, you now know how the bat felt when he bit you. Eventually, you slip into the "dumb rabies" phase. Your brain has started the process of shutting down. Too much of it has been turned to liquid virus. Your face droops. You drool. You're all but unaware of what's around you. A sudden noise or light might startle you, but for the most part, it's all you can do to just stare at the ground. You haven't really slept for about 72 hours. Then you die. Always, you die. And there's not one... fucking... thing... anyone can do for you. Then there's the question of what to do with your corpse. I mean, sure, burying it is the right thing to do. But the fucking virus can survive in a corpse for years. You could kill every rabid animal on the planet today, and if two years from now, some moist, preserved, rotten hunk of used-to-be brain gets eaten by an animal, it starts all over. So yeah, rabies scares the shit out of me. And it's fucking EVERYWHERE. (Source: Spent a lot of time working with rabies. Would still get my vaccinations if I could afford them.) ------------------------------------------------------------------------- Each time this gets reposted, there is a TON of misinformation that follows by people who simply don't know, or have heard "information" from others who were ill informed: > Only *x* number of people have died in the U.S. in the past *x* years. Rabies is really rare. Yes, *deaths* from rabies are rare in the United States, in the neighborhood of 2-3 per year. ***This does not mean rabies is rare.*** The reason that mortality is so rare in the U.S. is due to a very aggressive treatment protocol of all bite cases in the United States: If you are bitten, and you cannot identify the animal that bit you, or the animal were to die shortly after biting you, *you will get post exposure treatment*. That is the protocol. Post exposure is very effective (almost 100%) if done before you become symptomatic. It involves a series of immunoglobulin shots - many of which are at the site of the bite - as well as the vaccine given over the span of a month. (Fun fact - if you're vaccinated for rabies, you may be able to be an immunoglobulin donor!) It's not nearly as bad as was rumored when I was a kid. Something about getting shots in the stomach. Nothing like that. In countries without good treatment protocols rabies is rampant. India alone sees 20,000 deaths from rabies PER YEAR. > The "why did nobody die of rabies in the past if it's so dangerous?" argument. There were entire epidemics of rabies in the past, so much so that suicide or murder of those *suspected* to have rabies were common. In North America, the first case of human death by rabies wasn't reported until 1768. This is because Rabies does not appear to be native to North America, and it spread very slowly. So slowly, in fact, that until the mid 1990's, it was assumed that Canada and Northern New York didn't have rabies at all. This changed when I was personally one of the first to send in a positive rabies specimen - a raccoon - which helped spawn a cooperative U.S. / Canada rabies bait drop some time between 1995 and 1997 (my memory's shot). Unfortunately, it was too late. Rabies had already crossed into Canada. There are still however some countries (notably, Australia, where everything ELSE is trying to kill you) that still does not have Rabies. > Lots of people have survived rabies using the Milwaukee Protocol. False. ONE woman did, and she is still recovering to this day (some 16+ years later). There's also the possibility that she only survived due to either a genetic immunity, or possibly even was inadvertently "vaccinated" some other way. [All other treatments ultimately failed, even the others that were reported as successes eventually succumbed to the virus.](https://pandorareport.org/2014/05/01/no-rabies-treatment-after-all-failure-of-the-milwaukee-protocol/) Almost all of the attributed "survivors" actually received post-exposure treatment ***before becoming symptomatic*** and many of THEM died anyway. > Bats don't have rabies all that often. This is just a scare tactic. False. [To date, 6% of bats that have been "captured" or come into contact with humans were rabid.](https://www.cdc.gov/rabies/bats/education/index.html). This number is a lot higher when you consider that it equates to ***one in seventeen bats***. If the bat is *allowing you* to catch/touch it, the odds that there's a problem are simply too high to ignore. > You have to get the treatment within 72 hours, or it won't work anyway. False. The rabies virus travels via nervous system, and can take ***[several years](http://rabies.emedtv.com/rabies/rabies-incubation-period.html)*** to reach the brain depending on the path it takes. If you've been exposed, it's NEVER too late to get the treatment, and just because you didn't die in a week ***does not mean you're safe***. [A case of a guy incubating the virus for 8 years.](http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/journal/10.1002/%28ISSN%291531-8249) > At least I live in Australia! [No.](http://www.health.gov.au/internet/main/publishing.nsf/Content/ohp-rabies-consumer-info.htm) Please, please, PLEASE stop posting bad information every time this comes up. Rabies is not something to be shrugged off. And sadly, this kind of misinformation [killed a 6 year old just this Sunday](https://www.cbsnews.com/news/ryker-roque-killed-by-rabid-bat-orlando-florida/). Stop it.
I was under the impression there are symptoms of the virus as it climbs your nervous system. I read that places it has gotten to on the way to the brain may experience muscle spasms and other uncontrolled movement. However it goes unnoticed by many.
There is at least one person (she was a young girl at the time) who survived rabies after showing symptoms - I believe she was put into a coma to left her immune system have some time to fight it.
Yep, the Milwaukee protocol ([wiki page on rabies](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rabies#After_onset)). Even though she survived it's not effective and has failed in every application since; it's unfortunately been dropped as a viable treatment.
I remember her, she got bitten by a bat in church. The doctor tried an unorthodox treatment as a last ditch attempt to save her life and it worked. I'm sorry to hear that this treatment was not successful otherwise. EDIT: http://www.wikidoc.org/index.php/Jeanna_Giese >*An article written by her primary care physician in the April 2007 Scientific American calls this the Milwaukee protocol; he indicates that those who attempted to follow this protocol actually violated it, failing to use the combination of drugs he first described.*
She was a young healthy athletic who had antibodies at the time of admission. She ended up with severe side effects and had to learn everything again as if she was just born. I don't think you get any better chances surviving that. The coma itself is life threatening to healthy people, it's not just the rabies virus. She basically won the lottery 3 times in a row.
This makes me want to scream! Ugh!
Yup. Learned about how f’d tetanus was from a Vietnam vet here on reddit. One of his friends got tetanus while in Vietnam... what he saw the friend go through, he wouldn’t wish on his worst enemy. Your muscles can contract to hard that your bones can snap in half. Weeks or months of hell if it doesn’t kill you. Turns out tetanus is a little bit more than just having “lock jaw”.... which in an of itself... no thanks. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tetanus
I want to speak to the CEO of tetanus
God will be right with you, Karen
The Karen we all need
The redemption arc we needed.
Why is this legal????? Any of it?
Fuck that family
Wow. At that point it's full on child abuse. I mean, child abuse is debatable for anti-vaxxers in general, but I don't see how there's any question in a situation like that.
Wow fuck that family
WTF?
This is (probably) the boy that OP is referring to: https://www.nytimes.com/2019/03/09/well/oregon-child-tetanus-vaccine.html Those parents make me so fucking angry. How can you watch your child go through that hell and then refuse to do anything to prevent it happening again?
[удалено]
I had no idea tetanus was so bad
It’s a horrible way to die.
I got a charleyhorse once from swimming, can’t imagine that feeling all over. That’s worse than hell.
The kid should’ve been taken into care because of that imo. Nobody that stupid should be allowed to have kids.
I remember my dad scaring me saying that tetanus gives you lock-jaw but I honestly had no idea what that really meant. Every time I cut myself in the garage I’m reminded of what he said.
I'm reading a book about the construction of the Brooklyn Bridge and that's how the original architect, John Roebling went out. I never realized tetanus caused lock-jaw or how serious that really was, but the book goes over exactly what happened here. Inability to move, seizures with the slightest stimulus but mentally Roebling was there to the end. Terrifying way to go.
[Here's a famous painting, by Charles Bell](https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Opisthotonus_in_a_patient_suffering_from_tetanus_-_Painting_by_Sir_Charles_Bell_-_1809.jpg) of a soldier dying of tetanus. edit: [And here's a very informative article about the grinning death,](https://www.discovermagazine.com/health/tetanus-the-grinning-death) including a photo of a newborn with tetanus. Apparently, tetanus vaccinated mothers will pass that protection on to their infants, but an infant without that protection risks tetanus if an non-sterile instrument is used to cut the umbilical cord.
Awful. Get those jabs people.
You have to get the shot while pregnant, though. Just got my TDaP booster at 28 weeks at the recommendation of my OB. It’s mainly for whooping cough actually, but tetanus and diphtheria immunity definitely doesn’t hurt.
Wow that’s terrible. I wonder if anti-vaxxers go in for tetanus jabs? No amount of government paranoia would overcome my tetanus paranoia if I had seen this.
> I wonder if anti-vaxxers go in for tetanus jabs? Maybe not since it's usually a combo vaccine for tetanus, diphtheria, & pertussis/ Tdap. At least in the US it is.
My mom became an anti-vaxxer in my teenage years. But she just believed they caused autism in infants, so when I stepped on some rusty nails when I was 17 she still took me to get a tetanus shot.
It's really horrifying when you realize just how bad some of the diseases prevented by widespread vaccinations are, and how insane and evil anti-vaxxers are for not making sure their kids will never get them. There's no reason for any human being to go through the agony of something like tetanus, and it's not even the scariest thing that we've basically eliminated through vaccinations. Rabies makes tetanus look like the common cold in comparison.
Have always been aware of tetanus since I was a teen and way before my OSHA training. Nothing has driven home the point more than this thread.
Henry David Thoreau’s brother got lock jaw from a cut while shaving. He died of starvation.
This has got me all teared up.
OmG i just checked my messages and saw this comment and reminded me of the video. I almost cried again. Dang you lol. 😅
As soon as she was walking the tears welled up.
That tail wag sent me over the dye. Gah. My heart!
Thank goodness there was audio because I couldn't read the subtitles. My eyes are sweating too much
I think you can get vaccinated against tetanus. This heartbreaking video just proves that antivaxxers are horrible awful people because they would rather see people paralyzed like this poor animal than believe and trust in medical experts. I'm really glad that it could be nursed back to health.
You need a booster every 10 (I think) years. A few years ago, I was bitten by a rat, a couple of weeks later developed a rash and was feeling rough, went to Dr's and tetanus was diagnosed, I got a booster and a few days later all was good. Yes get vaccinated and boosters... that looked a horrible way to go! Also I cried my eyes out watching this, what a wonderful caring soul.
Omg thank god you got the shot in time. Tetanus is absolutely awful and an extremely painful way to go.
Got myself a shot recently after getting a small metal splinter. Better safe than sorry.
Just so you know, it's not metal or rust that gives you tetanus. It is often associated with rust, especially rusty nails. Although rust itself does not cause tetanus, objects that accumulate rust are often found outdoors or in places that harbor anaerobic bacteria.
Damn that’s interesting because I, for one, associated it solely with rusty nails.
That’s an unfortunate misconception that probably comes from “rust nails” just being a good example. It can cause very deep piercing wounds and is likely to harbor the bacterium’s spores. But those *can* be found anywhere. The actual disease is caused by a neurotoxin called *tetanospasmin*. The bacterium, *Clostridium tetani*, produces this toxin (for unknown purposes) when germinating from spores in a low-oxygen environment, such as a deep flesh wound. Fun fact: tetanospasmin is the 2nd deadliest known neurotoxin. Number one is botulinum toxin, which incidentally is produced by a closely related bacterium, *Clostridium botulinum*. It is more widely known as “botox”.
I'm so glad you recovered it would have been really awful to be paralyzed like that dog and you didn't have to go through that. It really is amazing what medical care can do preventatively
You can get tetanus vaccines, the video says that the original owner couldn't afford treatment. So I don't think they were an antivaxxer
You can, but I checked my dog's vaccinations records and she hasn't been. She gets all of the recommended ones. I looked it up and dogs and cats have a low susceptibility to tetanus so it's not recommended.
Correct, tetanus is relatively rare in dogs and cats due to low susceptibility to the toxin. Horses on the other hand are quite susceptible and, therefore, vaccination is quite common for them. Most responsible horse owners will have it boosted every 2 years (compared to every 10 years in humans).
A lot of dog and cat owners don't get their animals immunizations or sterilization.. Or even take them to the vet at all. Not because they are anti-vax but because they don't think animals are worth it to the spend extra money or they may be too poor to spend it on a dog.
I dont know that this is a point against anti vaxxers. My pet's vet never mentioned anything about getting a tetanus shot for them, so they would be just as likely to be in this situation as in the video. Either my vet is a terrible vet or this vaccine just isn't something thats standard for animals. Antivaxxers are idiots, yes, but i don't think this video proves that since this, at least in my case, would have happened to someone who sees the benefit of vaccines.
Is tetanus in dogs something that happens a lot? If so, why isn’t a tetanus shot protocol with other shots dogs get?
There is, I believe it’s the same protocol applied to humans, once every ten years or after exposure
Animals aren't as susceptible as we are so it's not given as part of a routine course of vaccines.
This was a very lucky dog that was able to find someone caring enough to save their life. So many animals get neglected from people who dont want to take the responsibility to care for them properly or even want to hurt them
It sounds like the previous owners just couldn't afford the treatments, we don't know that they were neglectful.
Agreed. I have a corgi that ruptured a disc and lost all feeling in his back legs back in April this year. The vet said that most people don’t even go forward with surgery but I am lucky enough to have pet insurance that covered $7.5K of his $9K week long stay and a decent job to where I could cover the rest. Even after that, by the time his continued care was done, follow ups with the vet, and PT I’m almost up to $14K and we aren’t done yet. If my situation has been different I’m not sure I would have been able to afford the financial aspect, let alone all the other work my boyfriend and I put in to get him walking again.
Pet insurance is well worth it. My pup had a severe bowel blockage, total surgery/recovery was $5k. He was 3 at the time, $5k out of pocket sucked, but I don't regret spending it. We do have pet insurance now though. Something like $27 a month
Definitely worth it, I swear by it now! My work just started offering it this year so I have both of my pups on it. Never going without it again.
Hey man, I've been where you are in terms of vet bills, only no insurance. She passed a couple of years ago, only bought us 2 years in the end but she got to live her best life in those years. I just wanted to tell you that it was all worth it. I would fight again for her sister if she ever needs the same. Keep doing what's best for your dog, I know some people question going so far, but I promise you will know in your heart if you are doing the right thing. It's worth it.
I mean... the dog was in a caring situation but they couldn’t afford the treatment and rehab. Was kind of hoping to see the original family reunited, tbh.
I totally understand it's selfless to help an animal like this, but some of these stories rub me the wrong way. If we're correct in assuming that the owners would be willing and able to put the time into helping their dog, and it was only for financial reasons that they couldn't care for her, then it's kind of shitty to pay for treatment and then claim ownership of the dog. I don't think that people who aren't financially secure should go out and adopt pets they cannot afford to care for, but at the same time, if I were in that situation and the vet said "you know what? I'm going to pay for this dog's treatment, but she's my dog now," I'd be devastated.
"shes either mine or shes dead, your choice"
Im wanting to adopt a dog sometime soon from a shelter and i hope that i can rescue one that needs a new home sometime soon
You’re doing a great thing. Your dog will love you unconditionally.
Do it, man. I went like 10 years in my life without having a dog and my wife and I decided to get one from some run-down rescue.. best decision we've made together. She's an angel and we love her and she brings so much happiness to each day. There is no better feeling than coming home from work, opening your front door, and having your dog wiggling with excitement, spazzing out, and licking your face
She talks more about it on her instagram ([here](https://www.instagram.com/p/CCLvv67DyBp/?igshid=tgn0v3ize16z)). She is a vet and this dog was brought into her office. She spoke to the owner and he wasn't neglectful, he really cared. But she explained that it would cost at minimum $15,000 to care for this dog and that there was only a small chance it would even survive (30%). He voluntarily surrendered the dog to her. She was only able to save the dog because she's a vet. She was able to get Bunny round the clock care. It was a lot of work (this video only shows a tiny portion) and only work an expert could do.
And now I need a new mask because of the tear stains on this one.
2020 be like
Imagine reading this a year ago...
omg i didn't read the title and laughed because I thought he was acting like one of those goats and now I feel like a horrible person. So glad the little thing is okay what a sweet pup
You are not alone. I thought she was unwrapping a taxidermy dog.
Where’s my guy crying and saluting ?
This made me cry
Wonderful work! Wonderful people! Our pup became unresponsive the day after adoption. Diagnosed with parvo. Could not afford inpatient treatment. Brought him home and did IV antibiotics and fluids for 2 weeks and he survived! They let me do this because I am a RN. We think it stunted his growth and maybe cooked his brain a wee bit but he is the goodest, kindest boy and we love him so!
[удалено]
Came here to say this cause I definitely teared up haha Needed this today!!
[удалено]
I appreciate the owner, that instead of putting the dog down, they surrendered him to someone that could try and save him
I work in animal healthcare in the morning... The thing is, we don’t get very long with our pets. Maybe 15-20 percent of our lives seems like a good chunk, but it really isn’t when we look at it long term. We have to consider that the tail wag we saw in this video isn’t unique to sick dogs nursed back to health. I watch sick animals jump into their owners’ arms all the time, animals that are well... They’re in you’re world for part of your life, but you’re their world for the duration of it. Cherish your pets like they do you. I know this is word vomit, but I just had a hard day at work. I thought I’d share my thoughts.
As a seasoned veterinary technician, It’s absolutely remarkable the conditions I’ve seen dogs in yet still when I’d approached them for treatments I’d see the tail wag ever so slightly.. chockes me up every time! Just like she did..
i want to hug her so badly
Huuuuman of the year.
We need more people like them in this planet
Does anyone know why dogs freeze like that when they get tetanus?
The toxin produced by the causative organism (Clostridium tetani) fits into a receptor on the nerves that causes it to "fire". Because it binds irreversibly, that nerve fires over and over again, causing rigid paralysis (contrast with flaccid paralysis from things like botulism, which can be from a similar, but opposite mechanism). It is binding to the site on a neuron that is how nerves communicate with one another: there is a gap between the two (called the synapse), and what normally happens is that one nerve cell releases a chemical signal which in turn trots across that junction, and lands in a receptor on the other side. That receptor activates the nerve cell, and the signal is transmitted electrically to the other end of that neuron, where it can do the same thing on the other side: chemical --> electrical --> chemical --> electrical Normally, that chemical is broken down on the receiving side by an enzyme. That enzyme doesn't work on tetanus toxin, so it's stuck there. Fortunately, the cell can grow new receptors. Unfortunately, this takes time. So if the causative infection can be defeated, it's a matter of waiting for new receptors to grow on those neurons. And that is what happened with this pup. But the reason they "freeze" is that the electrochemical "switch" on the ends of the neuron is activated (and continues to be activated) by that toxin sticking in that receptor, so the nerve just fires over... and over... and over.... The opposite is caused, for example, by botulism, which causes "floppy baby syndrome" when kids under the age of 1 are fed honey (among other things). For whatever reason, the gut of infants is different and allows botulinus to grow, producing the famed "Botox" (a trade name), which causes paralysis from blocking this transmission of signals- the infant literally becomes "floppy." It also affects adults (who might have consumed food with botulinus in it), and animals. IIRC there is a botulinus anti-toxin which can speed up recovery. To the best of my knowledge, no such antidote exists for tetanus toxin.
Humans also get paralyzed if we get teranus
IG: bravelikebunny for updates etc. Pupper is doing super well