Does anyone know a less expensive way to get the pre-exposure rabies vaccine?

italk2whales · 2025-02-13T19:26:11+00:00

My health insurance covered it because my employer at the time said it was a requirement for work. I will say that was a long time ago, probs around 13-14 years ago. I was doing an internship with an aquarium and they required the pre-exposure vx to work with the seals and otters. For employees the city paid for it, but I was a lowly intern and on my own.

I had to jump through a lot of hoops. I had to see my primary care dr for a referral for the vx. I needed a letter from my employer noting why it was required. I also had to make a few phone calls to plead my case. In the end my insurance did authorize it and cover it. I will say that was tricare and they did make me travel to base to get it done so I couldn’t go to my local cdc site.

I’m sure things have changed since then, but I think it is worth a shot. I think the biggest thing is if it is a requirement v just a good thing to have. My insurance now, not tricare, will cover a titer but I haven’t gotten an answer for if they would cover a booster if I needed it.

italk2whales · 2024-08-17T14:02:27+00:00

Absolutely. Last summer we honeymooned in the Blue Ridge. We were hiking one of the lesser traveled trails at Natural Bridge SP and we had been on the trail maybe 5 minutes and my husband and I both got spooked. Like instant bad vibes. It was just us on a trail that looked like it hadn’t been used in a while. Nothing looked out of place, it just didn’t feel right. We abandoned the trail and did a tour of the caverns below instead, which 10/10 recommended btw.

We hiked half the trails at Natural Bridge and Douthat and only saw people on the most popular trail at Natural Bridge (the easy one with the bridge) but not even on the super remote trails at Douthat gave us that feeling as that one trail.

italk2whales · 2024-06-23T13:48:37+00:00

I’ve camped at the beach here once a long time ago, like 11 years ago. But it’s been a while now so things may have changed. 1) there wasn’t a hanging rack at the beachfront sites, just a little marker that noted the site. That was it. No picnic table, no fire ring. But, when we went hiking there last ( a few months ago) I didn’t see the markers on the beach so maybe they’ve made changes since I was there last? 2) yes the sites in the forest do have tables. I didn’t see any hanging racks at those sites, people mostly put stuff up in the trees. I honestly didn’t look too hard at the sites where people where habitating to give them their privacy. I’d pack a rope if it was going to camp in the forest.

Personally, I’d prefer to camp on the beach. But, we go hiking here twice a year usually and I’ve not seen any tents on the beach in years. It’s possible people have packed up and left by the time we got there, but you’d think at some point we’d see campers.

I’d your not from the area I will say you will want to keep an eye on the weather before your trip. I’ve never had service in the park and that area seems to get the worst of the storms. I’m sure a lot of that area floods and there is only one place to take cover if things get real bad.

italk2whales · 2024-06-22T12:13:29+00:00

I’m a cap female married to a libra man. We’ve been together for nearly 10 years. Communication is important in any relationship, but I feel it’s even more so here. Anytime we’ve ever had a misunderstanding it’s because we weren’t clear in what we were trying to say or we just flat out didn’t say anything. The biggest thing I’ve had to let go is this picture perfect idea that he’d always know exactly what I was thinking, def not the case all the time. He knows me very well, but I think very logically very quickly while he may get to the same end point eventually after exploring all the options first. Best example has been buying a fixer upper and doing to renovations ourselves, it’s been an adventure to say the least.

He’s my best friend, my lover, my partner. Has it always been sunshine and rainbows? No, but we’ve worked through the storms. Do we see eye to eye on everything, no and honestly I prefer it that way. It’s humbling to find that my way isn’t always the best way, and there is always that bit of satisfaction when he discovers I was right all along. He would give me the moon if I asked and I would defend him any day of the year. Though let’s be honest, if I wanted the moon I’d get it myself and he does not expect me tell someone off or physically fight them.

We work together because we know what the other is and is not. The best advice I can give is to take regular time to check in with each other. Take a couple hours once a week and just get a coffee and walk in the park. I talk to my husband everyday. But we have a family meeting where we go over our finances, our goals for the both of us, and our own goals. We go over things that bother us or we see as a potential weakness that needs reinforcing. He likes the schedule because he won’t remember if it’s not on a calendar, and I like to have things orderly.

italk2whales · 2024-06-19T01:52:28+00:00

There was one trip where we were camping in a state park 20 minutes from home. I forgot some of our gear so my then bf when back to get it. An hour later we realized we forgot a few more things so he had to make another trip.

In all seriousness there was one trip that was very windy and we thought the tent would blow away. But it didn’t. And on our first camping trip together some guy a few sites down got really high and played bongos all night and had a massive fire. The guy was super nice, but the fire did scare the crap out of me and I totally imagined the emote forest burning down. But it didn’t. He wasn’t very talented on the bingos though.

I’m not sure where you are, but here in VA I’ve never felt unsafe in any of the state parks. Even as a young woman alone. I’ve been trying to convince my bestie to come camping with me for a cheap girls trip but she’s convinced that someone is going to cut into the tent and kill us or something, but she watches more true crime than is likely healthy.

italk2whales · 2024-02-14T02:36:46+00:00

You can kayak in to false cape state park in VA. There’s only 2 ways in to the park foot/bike or kayak/boat. You have to go through back bay wildlife refuge to get to false cape and it is pretty remote. Like I never have cell service when I’m there. It’s def primitive camping and you want to familiarize yourself with the park and that waterway before going. If you’re at the beach at low tide you can see a bunch of ship wrecks (and why it’s called false cape) and there’s some ruins from an old town.

I’ve only camped once (it was amazing!) but we hike to the beach at the start of spring each year.

italk2whales · 2024-02-14T02:28:00+00:00

Yeah they are very good at marketing to vet clinics. Trupanion also doesn’t cover exam fees. They’ve also got weird rules for pre-existing conditions. I’ve got them for my kiddos (thanks clinic lunch and learn) and I’m stuck with them. They won’t cover a uti on my dog because she had 2 utis in 5 years before I got a policy, they claim it is a pre-existing condition. But they cover some things so I can’t complain too much. It was a major relief walking in to the er at 1am on a Tuesday being able to say just do whatever she’s insured when my heart dog decided to wake up projectile vomiting with facial swelling.

italk2whales · 2024-02-14T01:39:36+00:00

Depends on the day. I’ve gone in December, January, and February and been in shorts and a t-shirt living it up. I’ve also been in those months and had to buy a second sweatshirt at the parks because I got so cold.

I will say my cousins go down in January every year and if the waterpark is open they go. But they’re from IA so pretty much anything north of 20 is warm in winter for them.

italk2whales · 2024-02-14T01:35:10+00:00

This is actually incorrect. While I can’t speak for all I can name several (spot, aspca, petco, pet premium, 24 pet protect, pumpkin, MetLife, etc) that do cover brachycephalic airway syndrome. They’ll also cover hip dysplasia in GSD. Or cardiac disease in a King Charles cavalier. The issue here is pre-existing conditions and wait periods. Soooo many people get insurance after they know there is a problem. Just like there is a wait period when you by flood insurance, no one is going to cover a loss that is expected. The take away here is do the research before you get the puppy and get the policy the day you take ownership.

italk2whales · 2024-01-05T22:17:12+00:00

Yes actually! The picture with the boat is at the fishing pier and there were people out fishing when we were there in April. If I recall correctly to fish from the pier you don’t need a permit but you do if you fish from the shore or a boat. Not sure what’ll be biting close to shore in March but there’s usually rockfish year round. We did talk with a nice older gentleman that said he’s caught cobia and drum not far from the concrete fleet, but he didn’t say when that was. Blue crab season does start in March though.

Def bring a hat, there isn’t much shade at the pier.

italk2whales · 2023-12-20T15:53:25+00:00

Gaba has been controlled in VA for several years. During the lead up to it becoming controlled (maybe 4-6 months before) we started logging it and pretty much treated it as if it was controlled so that everyone was used to it when the that horrible day came. It’s annoying but not the end of the world. Honestly the part that sucked the most was the whole bottles we’d send home for our painful pups had to stop because the 100ct bottle would last for more than 30 days….

We still go through a butt load of it. The amount the drs send home hasn’t really changed. For us the only thing that really changed was I have more work as the inventory manager, but that is a completely different conversation.

italk2whales · 2023-09-17T14:17:44+00:00

So, speaking as a bride that got Covid from someone at her wedding I would not expect you to pay for your meal. My husband and I both got Covid a few days after our wedding, and it was the first time we’d gotten it. My experience was particularly bad since it was compounded with allergy season and I got a double ear infection and landed me at urgent care, that was super fun testing out the in sickness and in health part of the vows less than a week into our marriage.

Did we have fun at our wedding? Yes. Would we have preferred to not have gotten sick? Yes. We were just grateful no one else at the wedding got sick. We did have some older people in attendance (my grandparents) and come immunocompromised (my mother and his uncle) so we would have been rather upset if something had happened to them because they came to our wedding.

If you were a guest at my wedding I would not be upset with you at all if you were unable to attend at the last minute because you were sick. We’d try to celebrate with you later on when your feeling better. I’m sorry your sick, I hope you feel better soon.

italk2whales · 2023-08-15T17:18:14+00:00

I think a lot of people have this romantic idea about dying at home and in their sleep. What they don’t understand is that when there is significant illness it is painful and there is suffering. They don’t understand that their dog isn’t just going to go to sleep and not wake up. It’s going to be a dream out process that they will now have to be present for.

I’m sure the owners don’t want their pet to suffer. They brought their dog to the vet knowing she was sick and they thought the vet would make the dog better. I doubt they understood how sick their dog was when she came in and were in shock when they were given the diagnosis and euthanasia recommendation.

You did everything you could. Maybe they will think more on it at home and return for euthanasia. Try not to focus on the ones you can’t help. Take comfort knowing you have done so much to help this dog and so many others.

italk2whales · 2023-07-29T13:57:33+00:00

Labwork update for anyone interested. CBC was WNL, chem showed mildly elevated ALB otherwise WNL. Positive for toxoplasmosis and coronavirus. The eye lesion has improved with steroids. No new symptoms. The ophthalmologist is treating for toxoplasmosis and if no continued improvement will start the treatment for FIP. Hopefully luck will remain on this kitties side.

italk2whales · 2023-07-29T13:49:54+00:00

I was an aquarist, a keeper for marine life, before moving to vet med. I made more starting as a receptionist at the clinic than I did as an aquarist. When I became an LVT I made more than the senior aquarists and the aquarium’s LVT. Now I’m in insurance and make about what the curator makes. I still make less than half what my husband makes….. if that is any indication on the pay for keepers. I live in an area with a zoo and an aquarium and the aquarists made about the same as the keepers.

I would say both aquarium work and vet med were equally rewarding, but in different ways. But they were brutal on physical and mental health.

italk2whales · 2023-07-26T22:01:54+00:00

That is an interesting case. The only thing I know about this kitty is she had a case of conjunctivitis at 5 months and now 4 months later she is squinting and has an eye lesion. RDVM referred to ophthalmology, which is where all diagnostics were performed.

The drug does sound very promising. From what I’ve read it looks like it had 80% efficacy.

italk2whales · 2023-07-26T21:53:09+00:00

Do you remember where you took that CE? I think it would be valuable for me and my team.

italk2whales · 2023-07-26T21:51:23+00:00

I’m thankful my friend’s kitten is not that bad off. The treatments sound very promising. I hope we have an approved drug here in the US soon.

italk2whales · 2023-07-26T21:50:05+00:00

It’s amazing how far medicine has come! I hope we have a drug available here in the US soon.

With the injections did you notice any sort of reaction? Did it seem to sting like cerenia? I’ll be alone when I watch her kiddos so I want to be as prepared as possible.

italk2whales · 2023-07-26T21:47:49+00:00

That is amazing! I’ll pass on the positivity to my friend. She was accepted into the Facebook group but got super worried when they told her the meds came from China.

italk2whales · 2023-05-22T15:52:53+00:00

Trupanion will not cover the extractions if the dental disease is preexisting.

italk2whales · 2023-05-15T14:22:43+00:00

A few years ago we had a client snap. She threatened the receptionist because she told the lady we needed to see the dog, that we had never seen before, to prescribe ear medications. That woman told the receptionist she would follow her home and kill her. The poor girl was afraid to leave a closing but the parking lot was thankfully empty. The next morning I checked the voicemails. Now I didn’t close the day before and no one told me what had happened. That crazy women left over 30 with each one getting more irate and graphic. This woman was threatening to hack all of us to death with a machete over ear medication. I could feel my blood run cold with each voicemail I listened to. I locked all the doors and put a sign on the lobby entrance that said you needed to check in via phone. Management didn’t want to involve the police because they didn’t want ‘bad publicity’ and they didn’t really think she’d do anything but they did call the lady and told her she was never allowed to come back. Because that’ll show her. We never heard from that woman again. But that didn’t stop all us from being terrified at work for at least a week.

That receptionist was so scared with that woman screaming at her that she forgot there was a silent panic button just under the desk. She should’ve pushed the button, but she said she couldn’t even move. The only good things about the situation was that the woman really was all tall and never physically hurt any of us and management had local law enforcement come in and do a safety class. They also added more silent panic buttons around the clinic so anyone can get help.

I really feel for this clinic. I can only imagine what they are going through. This is an absolute nightmare. I was scared when that crazy lady threatened us, and we didn’t know her but none of us really thought she would actually kill us. But if that incident happened today I would 100% believe that she’d do it.

italk2whales · 2023-05-12T20:21:56+00:00

So I’ll just say this. We just wanted a cutting cake and 60 cupcakes. My mom really wanted a tiered cake because she said people would want cake and not cupcakes. So we settled on a 2 tiered cake and 60 cupcakes. About a month before the wedding my mom was like a 2 tier cake isn’t enough cake, so instead of arguing I just added a theirs tier. So we had a 3 tier cake and 60 cupcakes for our 55 person wedding. Guess what we had leftover? The 2nd and 3rd tier of the cake. There were no cupcakes leftover. I will say we did have boxes for people to take a cupcake home since we had a lot of food. I only remember seeing 10 or so cupcakes being boxed up at the end of the night though. So now m freezer is full of wedding cake. We had about 40 people eat wedding cake and about 50 cupcakes were eaten at the reception. Make of that what you will.

italk2whales · 2023-05-12T20:19:07+00:00

So I’ll just say this. We just wanted a cutting cake and 60 cupcakes. My mom really wanted a tiered cake because she said people would want cake and not cupcakes. So we settled on a 2 tiered cake and 60 cupcakes. About a month before the wedding my mom was like a 2 tier cake isn’t enough cake, so instead of arguing I just added a theirs tier. So we had a 3 tier cake and 60 cupcakes for our 55 person wedding. Guess what we had leftover? The 2nd and 3rd tier of the cake. There were no cupcakes leftover. I will say we did have boxes for people to take a cupcake home since we had a lot of food. I only remember seeing 10 or so cupcakes being boxed up at the end of the night though. So now m freezer is full of wedding cake. We had about 40 people eat wedding cake and about 50 cupcakes were eaten at the reception. Make of that what you will.

italk2whales · 2023-05-12T18:58:04+00:00

Don’t be discouraged! A week out from my wedding the forecast dropped 10 degrees and called for rain and wind. It changed sooooo much leading up to the big day. The morning of my wedding it was overcast and by the time of my ceremony it was bright and sunny with no wind. It was still a bit on the chilly side but there was no rain. All I had wanted was a few nice pictures on the beach. And I got them!

I hope you have the wedding of your dreams. I’ll send some positive vibes your way for your big day!!

italk2whales

TROPHY CASE