Rabies vaccination series

Veterinary Science Graduate Certificate from UofI
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Veracosa said:
Sadly my titer the next year was zero! (after 2 vaccines...weird!)

I will probably do a waiver, although I hate this because I am interested in wildlife, and this will really get in my way/increase my risk significantly.
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I understand the difficulty of hospital shots...but if you are into wildlife, it is well worth it. Also, here you have to have it for a lot of the wetlabs, any pathology work, and for many of the hands on zoo classes. It does make me sick as can be, but I am glad I did it. Also, if it has been a while, the major adjuvant may have changed. I know there was a transition a few years ago.
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Just had my last shot today. Just to let yall know, first shot is on day 0, second on day 7, and third on day 21 OR 28, according to my health dept. The reason the second shot hurts so much is probably not because of the size of the needle, but because it is so soon after the first shot, and your body has built up antibodies and the immune response is rapid--causing pain! My second shot was by far my most painful (afterwards, just a sore arm, and relieved by ib profen) and this last one was a piece of cake.
 
squeegee said:
Not sure about other schools but at CSU the school health insurance does not cover it, but if you get insurance through AVMA GHLIT it reduces your cost of $293/shot to $50/shot. Bonus points for not having to go to the doctor for a physical or rxrx, if you go to a Walgreens with one of those clinics inside the pharmacist does it for you.
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I tried to check out the AVMA GHLIT website, but it didn't seem to get along with safari. Can any vet student get health insurance through them? I have to have proof of insurance before I can register for classes, and have been trying to research insurance policies.
 
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3Ms said:
Just had my last shot today. Just to let yall know, first shot is on day 0, second on day 7, and third on day 21 OR 28, according to my health dept. The reason the second shot hurts so much is probably not because of the size of the needle, but because it is so soon after the first shot, and your body has built up antibodies and the immune response is rapid--causing pain! My second shot was by far my most painful (afterwards, just a sore arm, and relieved by ib profen) and this last one was a piece of cake.
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And if the people giving it are even remotely reasonable they will do it any time between days 21 and 28.

So that second shot is more of a Type 3, delayed type hypersensitivity reaction?
 
TrocarKarin said:
I tried to check out the AVMA GHLIT website, but it didn't seem to get along with safari. Can any vet student get health insurance through them? I have to have proof of insurance before I can register for classes, and have been trying to research insurance policies.
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Unfortunately I just looked over the brochure and there seem to be some state resident restrictions:

State Restrictions:​
​
​
​
This GHLIT Student PPO Plan is not available to residents
of California, Maine, Massachusetts, Minnesota, Montana, New Hampshire,​

New Jersey, North Carolina, North Dakota, Vermont, and Washington.

The application does ask for a membership number though so you need to be a current SCAVMA member in order to fill that out. Here the school's insurance coverage runs per semester so I did their coverage in the fall and switched to AVMA for the spring so I could do the vaccine series.

I'll try and attach the brochure/application I have, but it may have changed so be sure to give them a call if you have questions just in case.
 

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Anyone here from Florida? I have been given about ten different numbers to call from the Health Dept in Orange County to find out who gives the rabies series....I think I have called just about every branch now and no luck... anyone know where else I can go... I have called my own physician and FL hospital and they all seem to think the health center is where to go... but I don't think they know which end is up over there...
 
katiejo225 said:
Anyone here from Florida? I have been given about ten different numbers to call from the Health Dept in Orange County to find out who gives the rabies series....I think I have called just about every branch now and no luck... anyone know where else I can go... I have called my own physician and FL hospital and they all seem to think the health center is where to go... but I don't think they know which end is up over there...
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Ask if they have a dept for travel vaccines and/or childhood vaccines. typically, if the health dept provides it, it is lumped under one of thse categories
 
i set up all 3 of my vaccinations starting this month. i found that mine is covered under my insurance!!
 
My insurance has decided to cover mine as well and I can't find any place that offers them!

Where are you guys making appointments? The hospital clinics won't take me unless I have a referral and none of the dr's offices I've contacted will see me for a 'preventative' immunization since I'd be a new patient (haven't lived in this area for 4 years). I even called Walgreens immunization services and they don't offer it either. I'd really like to get them done prior to school but I'm out of ideas. Anyplace you guys can suggest in Missouri?
 
UM2014 said:
My insurance has decided to cover mine as well and I can't find any place that offers them!

Where are you guys making appointments? The hospital clinics won't take me unless I have a referral and none of the dr's offices I've contacted will see me for a 'preventative' immunization since I'd be a new patient (haven't lived in this area for 4 years). I even called Walgreens immunization services and they don't offer it either. I'd really like to get them done prior to school but I'm out of ideas. Anyplace you guys can suggest in Missouri?
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Try your local health department. If that doesn't work, try Missouri's division of wildlife - they might require that wildlife rehabbers get vaccinated, and may know where to get it.
 
Search for a Travel Medicine Clinic or specialist in your area. They will be most familiar with it.
 
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Where are you guys making appointments?
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I'll probably be getting it through the school as it's the cheapest and I can't find a way to dupe my insurance company into paying for it, unless I actually get bit, which I would consider doing except they euthanize the animal for rabies testing so, there's some moral hang ups there.
 
HopefulAg said:
I'll probably be getting it through the school as it's the cheapest and I can't find a way to dupe my insurance company into paying for it, unless I actually get bit, which I would consider doing except they euthanize the animal for rabies testing so, there's some moral hang ups there.
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Unless its a twenty year old renal failure cat that is about to be euthanized anyway, and just happens to not be up to date on any vaccines because it hasnt seen a vet in 15 years :laugh:

No harm, no foul if you "accidently" get bitten while restraining said animal for the vet to euth.
 
katiejo225 said:
Anyone here from Florida? I have been given about ten different numbers to call from the Health Dept in Orange County to find out who gives the rabies series....I think I have called just about every branch now and no luck... anyone know where else I can go... I have called my own physician and FL hospital and they all seem to think the health center is where to go... but I don't think they know which end is up over there...
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Alachua County does them. They have a website but you don't need to make an appointment. I walked in to all of mine and only waited about 20 minutes each time.

ETA: I just found out that my insurance covered my series. I have BlueCrossBlueShield.
 
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cowgirla said:
Unless its a twenty year old renal failure cat that is about to be euthanized anyway, and just happens to not be up to date on any vaccines because it hasnt seen a vet in 15 years :laugh:

No harm, no foul if you "accidently" get bitten while restraining said animal for the vet to euth.
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And then you can explain to fluffy's owner why her head has to be sent off to the state diagnostic lab for rabies testing.

And then you can come back on here and complain about how your insurance still refused to cover the shots since it would be a workman's comp claim and not their responsibility.

And then you find out workman's comp won't cover it unless the cat actually tests positive for rabies since the animal was available for testing.

Personally I would just avoid getting bit as the only thing that will come from it are a bunch of unhappy people, some antibiotics, and at best a tetanus shot.
 
I think regardless of where you live, the health department has to offer rabies vaccines because all animal control officers have to be up to date on rabies. However, I don't know if that varies depending on the size of the city you live in. For example, I live near Dallas and none of the suburbs' health departments had rabies vaccines, but Dallas did. They also didn't seem to care if I was a Dallas resident or not.

http://www.passporthealthusa.com/
That is the website for another location that I was told offers rabies vaccines. I would use it as a last resort though because they charge $250 a shot whereas the health department only charged me $185.
 
I got mine at health services at school. They just made me pay up front because there was no sending the vaccine back after they've ordered it. I was on crappy school insurance at the time that def didn't cover it since it was an accidental plan (funny it didn't pay for my accidental bout of viral meningitis either... $10k :eek:). Now, I just need to figure out where to go get a titer done. Does anyone know about how long it is on average before someone has to get a booster?
 
Minnerbelle said:
Does anyone know about how long it is on average before someone has to get a booster?
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i asked my Dr about this Friday. she said about every 5 years if you're working in high-risk industries like veterinary medicine. every physician might have a different opinion though lol.
 
Minnerbelle said:
Now, I just need to figure out where to go get a titer done. Does anyone know about how long it is on average before someone has to get a booster?
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We are required to titer or booster every two years, with titer preferred.
 
Minnerbelle said:
.... I was on crappy school insurance at the time that def didn't cover it since it was an accidental plan (funny it didn't pay for my accidental bout of viral meningitis either... $10k :eek:)....
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You know, I pay quite a lot for student health insurance, and I don't think it actually covers anything... :p
 
Going for my first vaccine in the morning. Slightly terrified, I have to admit. Vaccines in general tend to make me feel really crappy, and I've heard horror stories about this one in particular. :eek: Wish me luck!
 
Cowgirla, let me know how it is. I'm going next friday for my first, and I'm in the same boat. Last time I got the flu vax it made my arm sore from shoulder to wrist for almost a week.....I'm dreading finding out what the rabies vaccine does to me.:scared:
 
cowgirla said:
Going for my first vaccine in the morning. Slightly terrified, I have to admit. Vaccines in general tend to make me feel really crappy, and I've heard horror stories about this one in particular. :eek: Wish me luck!
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katryn said:
Cowgirla, let me know how it is. I'm going next friday for my first
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katryn is your first one on the 16th? my first one is on the 19th..

cowgirla, i can't wait to hear how yours went. i'm scared, but more terrified for injection #2 b/c i've heard the worst stories about that one.

i had to get 5 injections monday, just to be up to date on things like tetanus, mmr, etc. the tetanus shot made me feel like my right shoulder was out of socket. it was painful!
 
Yup, 16th is doomsday. I feel silly, but I'm having Mr. Husband drive me to the health department to make sure I don't just pull back out of the parking lot and convince myself that july is a much better time to get it done.

Technically, I should probably get updated on all of the vaccines that I haven't had since freshman year of high school....but I'm not such a good patient when needles are pointed at me. I might try to convince myself to atleast update tetanus at some point after I'm done with the rabies vax.
 
Okay, so the vaccine itself was a painless experience. I was watching the needle go in, and still didn't feel a thing.

It's about 12 hours later now. Arm's a little sore/throbbing, but not terrible. It was numb for most of the day, and then the feeling came back with a vengeance. I'm lightheaded and nauseous now, not looking forward to waking up tomorrow.
Time for a hot shower, and bed early.

Overall, not as bad as 12 hours after I get a flu shot, hopefully it doesnt get any worse overnight.

I have a feeling I'll be miserable for the next month. Getting rabies 2/TB test next week, and rabies 3/tetanus two weeks after that.

Hopefully all of you have better luck than I do!
 
cowgirla said:
Getting rabies 2/TB test next week, and rabies 3/tetanus two weeks after that.
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i always hate the TB test b/c i can't stand the bubbling up under the skin. and i hated the hours/day after my tetanus shot. i don't remember being that sore from tetanus in the past but it was awful. at least by getting both done, maybe you won't be able to tell what reactions are to what :D and the lady at the health dept who will be doing my vaccines said the 3rd rabies is essentially a booster? so maybe it won't be so bad! i'm scared for all three :(
 
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rileyroo, I actually liked the bubble that the TB skin test creates. I thought it was sort of cool. Does that make me weird? lol
 
The bubble was cool and all but the nurse said I couldn't play with it and stuck a band-aid over it for good measure.
 
wolfpack87 said:
rileyroo, I actually liked the bubble that the TB skin test creates. I thought it was sort of cool. Does that make me weird? lol
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lol nah :D mine just kinda burned and i was afraid i was gonna pop it!
 
What is the acceptable titre you need to have? I just did my testing and it's greater than 0.5...I'm going to Cornell and contacted them but no answers.
 
cowgirla said:
not looking forward to waking up tomorrow.

Overall, not as bad as 12 hours after I get a flu shot, hopefully it doesnt get any worse overnight.
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how are you feeling today cowgirla?
 
I'm planning on getting my shots done over the summer before we get into classes. I want to avoid not feeling well as much as possible while we are in classes. For those of you coming to Auburn, Kaye told me that AU Med Clinic comes in January for all of those students who decided to wait. She recommended using an off campus doc though as the university charges kind of ridiculously for the vaccines.
 
wdaumb, are you in the facebook group?
 
rileyroo said:
how are you feeling today cowgirla?
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Eh, I'll live. Arm's sore, that's for sure, soreness spreads up into my shoulder. So glad the nausea and dizziness is mostly gone. Other than that, ok. Headache, but I think thats allergies and not something I can blame on this.

Crossing fingers for number 2 next week!
 
wdaumb said:
I'm planning on getting my shots done over the summer before we get into classes. I want to avoid not feeling well as much as possible while we are in classes. For those of you coming to Auburn, Kaye told me that AU Med Clinic comes in January for all of those students who decided to wait. She recommended using an off campus doc though as the university charges kind of ridiculously for the vaccines.
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yeah they said it's around $700. my local health clinic does it for $185/shot which is still expensive but less than $700. and by going to an outside dr, some insurances may cover it (like in my situation...thank goodness).
 
Well i just got my 3rd shot and strangely enough, now I don't feel well.

Of course I decided to go ahead and get a DTP too, so maybe that one is the one to blame.

Off to go rest and watch tv.

Glad the series is done:D

Off to vet school I can now go!!!!:thumbup:
 
Apparently my county health department does them for $190 a shot. But getting a hold of someone appears to be half the battle - you have to call and leave a voicemail and then someone is supposed to call you back. :rolleyes:

*twiddles thumbs* Whatever. I'll just leave long, annoying messages until someone returns my calls! :smuggrin:
 
rileyroo said:
maybe that's why you're not getting a call back, just a thought ;)
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Sarcasm! I left one, very succinct message this morning, but I'm always dubious about things where you have to leave a message and then sit on your hands until someone gets around to returning your call.
 
Whyevernot55 said:
Sarcasm! I left one, very succinct message this morning, but I'm always dubious about things where you have to leave a message and then sit on your hands until someone gets around to returning your call.
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lol i couldn't help it. and i'm the same way. if there's a way i can avoid leaving a message and call until i speak to someone, i feel much better about the situation than waiting for THEM to decide to call me back.
 
rileyroo said:
lol i couldn't help it. and i'm the same way. if there's a way i can avoid leaving a message and call until i speak to someone, i feel much better about the situation than waiting for THEM to decide to call me back.
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Ack, I know. Why can't they just have someone ANSWER the phone?
 
Woohoo, got #2 this morning, and have to say, #1 was much worse. I felt so sick about 10 hours after getting that one, and feel fine now!

The little spot on my arm from the TB test is bugging me, but not in a painful way. More in an "I know you're there, and I know I'm not supposed to touch you, so now I really really want to poke you" way.

:-D
 
cowgirla said:
Woohoo, got #2 this morning, and have to say, #1 was much worse. I felt so sick about 10 hours after getting that one, and feel fine now!
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i have 2 tests the day after my 1st one :scared:
 
rileyroo said:
i have 2 tests the day after my 1st one :scared:
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I feel your pain Rileyroo. I don't have tests, but I have to go during my lunch break to get them and then go back to work for 3 hours. And I get to work the morning after my first one too. It's making me want to cry just thinking about it.
 
I must say you all are made of tuffer stuff than I!!! I have my Biochem final on May 5 and will not even start calling to find out where I can get my series started until after then!! It would be just another excuse for me to not study, kinda like now.... Got an exam tomorrow:(
 
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