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Medical Forum / General / General / April 2005Son bitten by seagull - HELP!
My son was out playing with his friends today when somehow he managed to get close enough to a seagull to grab it by the leg as it tried to fly away (silly I know, but he's only 10 and boys will be boys - he likes birds and said he just wanted to hold and stroke it). The gull wasn't amused and bit him several times on his hands as he tried to hold it - he ran inside crying with his hands covered in blood, with several fairly deep scratches. I've washed and disinfected the wounds and put plasters on and he seems okay in himself (suitably chastised and life lesson learned), but I know my wife is going to go absolutely mental that I 'let it happen' when she gets home. I know that gulls are not the cleanest of birds and I'm worried that it may have given him a nasty infection. Does anyone know what diseases seagulls can carry? It was a 'big grey one', which leads me to believe that it was probably a herring gull. My boy's had his tetanus jab, but I'm beginning to wonder if I should take him to the hospital and get him checked over. Can gulls carry rabies or hepatitis? > My son was out playing with his friends today when somehow he managed > to get close enough to a seagull to grab it by the leg as it tried to [quoted text clipped - 18 lines] > take him to the hospital and get him checked over. Can gulls carry > rabies or hepatitis? I'd call his doctor's office and talk to one of the nurses. They'll be able to tell you what you need to do if anything.  SignatureJohn Tucker Euless, TX (just east of Fort Worth) 32.826?N, 97.097?W Zone 8 -- Audubon Article: Discourage House Sparrows and Starlings http://www.rainieraudubon.org/bib/nestbox/English-sparrow-handout.pdf HTML version: http://www.rainieraudubon.org/bib/nestbox/sparrow-starling-info.htm -- House Sparrow Control http://www.nabluebirdsociety.org/sparrow.htm Useless suggestion - but that's likely all John has to offer. Don't do anything more - the nurse would tell you to watch to wounds for infection. There are more things in heaven and earth, Horatio, Than are dreamt of in your philosophy I've never heard of a gull being a rabies or hepatitis carrier but it wouldn't heart to have a doctor check him out. Just be thankful he wasn't pecked in the eye. He was probably trying to live up to his father's name "Albatrosser" :-) Hopefully he now knows the meaning of the old expression "once bitten, twice shy". Al > My son was out playing with his friends today when somehow he managed > to get close enough to a seagull to grab it by the leg as it tried to [quoted text clipped - 18 lines] > take him to the hospital and get him checked over. Can gulls carry > rabies or hepatitis? >My son was out playing with his friends today when somehow he managed >to get close enough to a seagull to grab it by the leg as it tried to [quoted text clipped - 18 lines] >take him to the hospital and get him checked over. Can gulls carry >rabies or hepatitis? I'm confident the answer is no to both. And also no to tetanus. I'm a bird ringer and the medical advice given out to those of us who handle lots of different birds is merely to wash one's hands before touching food and to clean and disinfect any scratches or bites. Neither rabies nor hepatitis occur in birds to the best of my knowledge and certainly there has never been any warning issued about them as a danger to people handling birds whether in the UK (I take it that is where you live) or abroad. There are some nasty things birds can carry, but mainly in their gut and passed out in their droppings, e.g. salmonella and e-coli which I think you have to ingest in order to be infected, rather than through a cut, but I could be wrong about that. There is absolutely no harm in taking your son to the hospital and getting him checked. They might think it worth giving him a precautionary antibiotic, for example. SignatureMalcolm > My boy's had his tetanus jab, but I'm beginning to wonder if I should > take him to the hospital and get him checked over. Can gulls carry > rabies or hepatitis? Only mammals can get or carry rabies. From U. S. Center for Disease Control http://tinyurl.com/7xb55 SignatureLes Stewart Beaumont, TX > My son was out playing with his friends today when somehow he managed > to get close enough to a seagull to grab it by the leg as it tried to [quoted text clipped - 18 lines] > take him to the hospital and get him checked over. Can gulls carry > rabies or hepatitis? Take him to the doctor. > > My son was out playing with his friends today when somehow he managed > > to get close enough to a seagull to grab it by the leg as it tried to [quoted text clipped - 20 lines] > > Take him to the doctor. I can sympathise with the problem because I was bitten by a rat when I was about 5. I thought it was a squirrel, but mother did a good impression of hysterics and panic and dragged me to a doctor who injected me with copious amounts of penicillin - which hurt more than the rat. The doctor kept this up for several days, much to my mounting rage! I similar event occured when I was 20 when I picked up a mouse by its tail. This was no ordinary inbred pet mouse but one of the feral variety. It managed to climb up its own tail and sink its incisors into my hand and I couldnt pull it off. Much blood and rage was spilled! The boy should be put in foster care immediately. Imagine having a father who is so f.cking stupid he consults an newsgroup instead of calling a doctor when he has concerns about his son. I really hope you use the same logic when you get short of breath and have tingling sensations or numbness in your extremities. In the meantime, take a handful of SSRI's and wash them down with a bottle of gin. > My son was out playing with his friends today when somehow he managed > to get close enough to a seagull to grab it by the leg as it tried to [quoted text clipped - 18 lines] > take him to the hospital and get him checked over. Can gulls carry > rabies or hepatitis? > The boy should be put in foster care immediately. > [quoted text clipped - 28 lines] >>take him to the hospital and get him checked over. Can gulls carry >>rabies or hepatitis? bad manners in newsgroup etiquette? ha SignatureI live in ZONE 9B-10A-SUNSET ZONE 25 The zone splits in my City I LIVE ON THE TREASURE COAST OF FLORIDA http://community.webshots.com/user/captphill > The boy should be put in foster care immediately. <rest of post deleted> Actually, a physician doesn't necessarily know all the answers to questions such as these. They can tell you all about human diseases -- but what diseases animals do and don't carry. . . better to consult with an avian vet on this one (a regular small mammal vet might not know the appropriate answers either). In fact, the advise I would trust most from this thread so far is the one that came from the bird bander, who has had experience with injuries from wild birds. April G. (hoping this comes through coherently, since I'm tired right now) >> The boy should be put in foster care immediately. > [quoted text clipped - 11 lines] > April G. > (hoping this comes through coherently, since I'm tired right now) Are you f.cking nuts? If a person is concerned about contact with a bird, he should see a DOCTOR! If you get bitten by a snake are you going to see a herpetologist or a doctor? When you get hit by a car, I hope you go to a dealership instead of a hospital. Idiot! > Are you f.cking nuts? If a person is concerned about contact with a bird, he > should see a DOCTOR! If you get bitten by a snake are you going to see a > herpetologist or a doctor? I don't understand why there's a need to get offensive here. The boy was NOT bitten by a poisonous animal that is endangering his life this very second. There was certainly enough time in this situation to gather appropriate information and then take that to a physician so they can take the appropriate action (IF a physician is necessary). But, to answer that, if you ARE bitten by a poisonous snake, a doctor is, indeed, a good idea. However, you had better be sure that you're going to a SPECIALIST who has antivenom. We live in Texas and my husband is a physician (Internal Medicine) here. I just asked him and he DOESN'T have antivenom in his office. Neither does the urgent care center based in his hospital. My husband says the following: "If bitten by a snake you should call poison control immediately and they will direct you to the appropriate facility." So, in fact, you are technically incorrect on the poisonous snake reference here. Rushing to the WRONG doctor might be deadly. And now I will sit back and only continue to participate in discussions with people who can participate in a civil manner. Cheers! April G. San Antonio, TX > I don't understand why there's a need to get offensive here. Neither do I. Just got too excited. Sorry. The boy was > NOT bitten by a poisonous animal that is endangering his life this very > second. There was certainly enough time in this situation to gather > appropriate information and then take that to a physician so they can take > the appropriate action (IF a physician is necessary). My only point was that if you are sufficiently concerned about any situation you should seek help from the appropriate professionals, not FIRST post to a newsgroup. > But, to answer that, if you ARE bitten by a poisonous snake, a doctor is, > indeed, a good idea. However, you had better be sure that you're going to [quoted text clipped - 9 lines] > So, in fact, you are technically incorrect on the poisonous snake > reference here. Rushing to the WRONG doctor might be deadly. Okay, change my advise to remain calm, try to maintain elevation above the heart of the entry point, and call 911. > And now I will sit back and only continue to participate in discussions > with people who can participate in a civil manner. How about uncivil people who apologize? )-; > Cheers! > April G. > San Antonio, TX > How about uncivil people who apologize? )-; Actually, that is even better! Thank you! But, in the end, best to steer ckear of nipping gulls and venomous snakes! Actually, the fear of snakes in Texas is overrated. It's the ants that get you every time! (take it from someone who has met fire ants feet on) Now, back to our regularly scheduled newsgroup! April G. San Antonio, TX >>> The boy should be put in foster care immediately. >> [quoted text clipped - 16 lines] >herpetologist or a doctor? When you get hit by a car, I hope you go to a >dealership instead of a hospital. Idiot! You know, tech, you need to back on your anger management meds. April's response was perfectly reasonable. You, on the other hand, are foaming at the mouth. -- David Wright :: alphabeta at prodigy.net These are my opinions only, but they're almost always correct. "If I have not seen as far as others, it is because giants were standing on my shoulders." (Hal Abelson, MIT) > You know, tech, you need to back on your anger management meds. Yeah, I ran out and had to wait for the pharmacy to get a repeat authourization. > April's response was perfectly reasonable. You, on the other hand, > are foaming at the mouth. I was bitten by a rabid skunk. Much better now thanks, but all those goddam needles really put me in a bad mood. > -- David Wright :: alphabeta at prodigy.net > These are my opinions only, but they're almost always correct. > "If I have not seen as far as others, it is because giants > were standing on my shoulders." (Hal Abelson, MIT) On Fri, 8 Oct 2004 19:16:42 -0400, "tech27" <tech27@mail.anonymizer.com> >The boy should be put in foster care immediately. > >Imagine having a father who is so f.cking stupid he consults an newsgroup >instead of calling a doctor when he has concerns about his son. I think he's more concerned about getting in trouble with the wife, but I gotta agree with your above statement despite your evil top-posting ways. He says they're "fairly deep scratches" - whatever that means. If they're really deep, he should probably go to the ER, but if they're just "scratches", then I'd just keep them clean and bandaged. Hydrogen peroxide and an antibiotic ointment and band-aids (or "plasters" if he prefers to call them that) should suffice. > I really >hope you use the same logic when you get short of breath and have tingling [quoted text clipped - 25 lines] >> take him to the hospital and get him checked over. Can gulls carry >> rabies or hepatitis? -- There's no way to delay that trouble comin' everyday There are 285 million people in the U.S., and about four die of rabies each year. It's one of the most over hyped subjects you'll ever see. Right up there with shark attacks (humans kill 100 million sharks each year, and sharks kill about 10 humans from a worldwide population of 6 billion). I wouldn't worry about rabies. :-) Dave > My son was out playing with his friends today when somehow he managed > to get close enough to a seagull to grab it by the leg as it tried to [quoted text clipped - 18 lines] > take him to the hospital and get him checked over. Can gulls carry > rabies or hepatitis? Correction, about one or two people die each year from rabies in the U.S. At the turn of the last century, it was only about 100 per year, so it's never been something to worry about. Dave > There are 285 million people in the U.S., and about four die of rabies each > year. [quoted text clipped - 29 lines] > > take him to the hospital and get him checked over. Can gulls carry > > rabies or hepatitis? >> > My son was out playing with his friends today when somehow he managed >> > to get close enough to a seagull to grab it by the leg as it tried to [quoted text clipped - 18 lines] >> > take him to the hospital and get him checked over. Can gulls carry >> > rabies or hepatitis? >Correction, about one or two people die each year from rabies in the U.S. At >the turn of the last century, it was only about 100 per year, so it's never >been something to worry about. As the original poster lives in Britain, it's even less to worry about, with one death (from a bat bite) in the last 100 years, not to mention the fact that birds can't carry the disease as has already been said in the thread. SignatureMalcolm http://www.cdc.gov/ncidod/dvrd/rabies/Epidemiology/Epidemiology.htm Click above to read all about rabies 1-2 people have died from rabies but over 7,000 cases are reported each year. Correction; it is ALWAYS something to worry about. The low incidence of rabies did not just happen, it was due to an extensive vaccination of domestic animals, and education of people regarding wild animals who potentially carry rabies. Its on ongoing battle, anyone who thinks they may have been in contact with a rabid animal should seek medical attention. Gulls are not carriers of rabies, but probably carry bacteria, if the skin was broken its best to seek medical attention. Gulls eat anything, rotten food, etc. > Correction, about one or two people die each year from rabies in the U.S. > At [quoted text clipped - 38 lines] >> > take him to the hospital and get him checked over. Can gulls carry >> > rabies or hepatitis? >> Correction, about one or two people die each year from rabies in the U.S. >> At [quoted text clipped - 44 lines] >1-2 people have died from rabies but over 7,000 cases are reported each >year. Not in Britain, which is where the poster lives. SignatureMalcolm On Fri, 08 Oct 2004 17:05:08 +0100, Albatrosser <albatrosser@spam-me-not.com> >My son was out playing with his friends today when somehow he managed >to get close enough to a seagull to grab it by the leg as it tried to >fly away (silly I know, but he's only 10 and boys will be boys - he >likes birds and said he just wanted to hold and stroke it). Just noticed the date on this post. So did your kid die or what? Or did the missus kill you when she got home? -- There's no way to delay that trouble comin' everyday i know how you feel. I just got bitten by a seagull today and i was worried about the same thing...but now that i know that only mammals can get it...i feel better! I was at the Eisenhower Locks...in Massena NY and we were feeding the seagulls...and i was holding a piece of onion ring in my hand...and a seagull came up and took it out of my hand and bit me. Me and my bf went to Kinney's and got bandaids with antibiotics on it. The cut is about an inch long. |
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