# I got the order of rabies shots mixed up........... **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [August 14, 2017, 5:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-got-the-order-of-rabies-shots-mixed-up/793646 "2017-08-14T17:34:41Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Velocity](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/velocity/32/18006_2.png) [@Velocity](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Velocity)\ **Post date:** [August 14, 2017, 5:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-got-the-order-of-rabies-shots-mixed-up/793646/1 "2017-08-14T17:34:41Z")
I was bitten by a dog a few days ago, and I got the first of a series of rabies shots. I got one on 8/12, and should get one more on 8/19 and one on 9/2. Well, it was the \*wrong \*kind of rabies shot. It was the _pre_-exposure shots, not the _post_-exposure shots. Pre-exposure = 3 shots of vaccine. Post-exposure = 1 shot of rabies immunoglobin (RIG,) + 5 shots of vaccine. This may be a first such instance in medical history. What to do now? Do I go get a shot of RIG anyway, even though the order was mixed up (should be RIG first, then vaccine minutes later…not vaccine first then RIG days later). Does that cause any issues/problems in the body (order of shots mixed up?) Also, if I do get the RIG, do I need 2 more shots of rabies vaccine, or 4? On what timetable? Why can’t it just be 1 shot? Lastly…is it true that RIG costs $1,500 per shot? ---
**Author:** ![Colibri](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/colibri/32/1841_2.png) [@Colibri](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Colibri)\ **Post date:** [August 14, 2017, 5:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-got-the-order-of-rabies-shots-mixed-up/793646/2 "2017-08-14T17:42:28Z")
Medical advice is best suited to IMHO. Colibri General Questions Moderator ---
**Author:** ![Colibri](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/colibri/32/1841_2.png) [@Colibri](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Colibri)\ **Post date:** [August 14, 2017, 5:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-got-the-order-of-rabies-shots-mixed-up/793646/3 "2017-08-14T17:45:21Z")
> [@Velocity](#): > > What to do now? Given the gravity of rabies, you consult with a medical professional. You do not ask for advice from random people on a message board. This said, I’m aghast that if you got the original shot from a medical professional they would screw it up. I would suggest going to another practitioner since the first appears to be incompetent. ---
**Author:** ![IvoryTowerDenizen](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ivorytowerdenizen/32/17937_2.png) [@IvoryTowerDenizen](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/IvoryTowerDenizen)\ **Post date:** [August 14, 2017, 5:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-got-the-order-of-rabies-shots-mixed-up/793646/4 "2017-08-14T17:46:47Z")
> [@Velocity](#): > > I was bitten by a dog a few days ago, and I got the first of a series of rabies shots. I got one on 8/12, and should get one more on 8/19 and one on 9/2. > Well, it was the \*wrong \*kind of rabies shot. It was the _pre_-exposure shots, not the _post_-exposure shots. > > Pre-exposure = 3 shots of vaccine. > > Post-exposure = 1 shot of rabies immunoglobin (RIG,) + 5 shots of vaccine. > This may be a first such instance in medical history. What to do now? Do I go get a shot of RIG anyway, even though the order was mixed up (should be RIG first, then vaccine minutes later…not vaccine first then RIG days later). Does that cause any issues/problems in the body (order of shots mixed up?) > Also, if I do get the RIG, do I need 2 more shots of rabies vaccine, or 4? On what timetable? Why can’t it just be 1 shot? > > Lastly…is it true that RIG costs $1,500 per shot? Wait- your medical professional gave you the wrong rabies shot? Call your provider immediately and confirm this! ---
**Author:** ![Pantastic](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/3bc359/32.png) [@Pantastic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Pantastic)\ **Post date:** [August 14, 2017, 6:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-got-the-order-of-rabies-shots-mixed-up/793646/5 "2017-08-14T18:06:58Z")
Rabies isn’t something to mess around with, stop asking for message board guesses and see a doctor. If your regular doctor is the one who gave you the wrong shots, go to another doctor and maybe talk to a lawyer about a malpractice suit. ---
**Author:** ![steatopygia](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/steatopygia/32/3132_2.png) [@steatopygia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/steatopygia)\ **Post date:** [August 14, 2017, 6:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-got-the-order-of-rabies-shots-mixed-up/793646/6 "2017-08-14T18:19:44Z")
I am going to guess that the HRIG was not available to whomever you saw. That is fine , the HRIG can be administered up to day 7, (7 days after the original vaccine). And I believe that you will get 3 more shots of vaccine. CDC [cite](https://www.cdc.gov/mmwr/preview/mmwrhtml/rr5902a1.htm#tab1) . From 2010, this is the protocol that we used several years ago, I am not sure if it has been changed. ETA , I have no idea of cost. ---
**Author:** ![Velocity](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/velocity/32/18006_2.png) [@Velocity](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Velocity)\ **Post date:** [August 14, 2017, 6:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-got-the-order-of-rabies-shots-mixed-up/793646/7 "2017-08-14T18:22:23Z")
> [@steatopygia](#): > > I am going to guess that the HRIG was not available to whomever you saw. That is fine , the HRIG can be administered up to day 7, (7 days after the original vaccine). It’s been 7 days since the bite. But don’t quarantines for biting animals run 10 days, and if the animal is sick, the human can still get the HRIG? That’s what Animal Control advised… ---
**Author:** ![steatopygia](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/steatopygia/32/3132_2.png) [@steatopygia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/steatopygia)\ **Post date:** [August 14, 2017, 6:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-got-the-order-of-rabies-shots-mixed-up/793646/8 "2017-08-14T18:27:21Z")
This is what I find for cost… ". Although the cost varies, a course of rabies immune globulin and four doses of vaccine given over a two-week period typically exceeds $3,000. " From the CDC. ---
**Author:** ![Velocity](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/velocity/32/18006_2.png) [@Velocity](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Velocity)\ **Post date:** [August 14, 2017, 6:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-got-the-order-of-rabies-shots-mixed-up/793646/9 "2017-08-14T18:30:12Z")
Thanks! With the order mixed up (should be RIG first, then vaccine, not vaccine first then RIG days later) - does that cause any issues/problems in the body (order of shots mixed up?) Shouldn’t, since the RIG and human-made antibodies don’t “conflict” with each other? ---
**Author:** ![kayT](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kayt/32/3633_2.png) [@kayT](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kayT)\ **Post date:** [August 14, 2017, 6:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-got-the-order-of-rabies-shots-mixed-up/793646/10 "2017-08-14T18:33:55Z")
Ask your doctor!!! Please. ---
**Author:** ![steatopygia](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/steatopygia/32/3132_2.png) [@steatopygia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/steatopygia)\ **Post date:** [August 14, 2017, 6:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-got-the-order-of-rabies-shots-mixed-up/793646/11 "2017-08-14T18:35:05Z")
> [@Velocity](#): > > It’s been 7 days since the bite. But don’t quarantines for biting animals run 10 days, and if the animal is sick, the human can still get the HRIG? That’s what Animal Control advised… The protocol times are for administration of vaccines, not from exposure. The quarantine time is 10 days for “an animal that appeared healthy at the time you were bitten”. If the animal does not have rabies, you can stop the protocol. ---
**Author:** ![Colibri](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/colibri/32/1841_2.png) [@Colibri](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Colibri)\ **Post date:** [August 14, 2017, 6:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-got-the-order-of-rabies-shots-mixed-up/793646/12 "2017-08-14T18:35:25Z")
> [@Velocity](#): > > Thanks! > > With the order mixed up (should be RIG first, then vaccine, not vaccine first then RIG days later) - does that cause any issues/problems in the body (order of shots mixed up?) Shouldn’t, since the RIG and human-made antibodies don’t “conflict” with each other? Why aren’t you asking your doctor these questions? Don’t you have a phone? ---
**Author:** ![steatopygia](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/steatopygia/32/3132_2.png) [@steatopygia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/steatopygia)\ **Post date:** [August 14, 2017, 6:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-got-the-order-of-rabies-shots-mixed-up/793646/13 "2017-08-14T18:48:54Z")
> [@Velocity](#): > > Thanks! > > With the order mixed up (should be RIG first, then vaccine, not vaccine first then RIG days later) - does that cause any issues/problems in the body (order of shots mixed up?) Shouldn’t, since the RIG and human-made antibodies don’t “conflict” with each other? There is a paper from 1996 which the CDC seems to be using for its protocol. It states that HRIG up to 7 days after the initial vaccine is effective. ETA , What **Colibri** said. ---
**Author:** ![Hilarity\_N.Suze](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hilarity_n.suze/32/6223_2.png) [@Hilarity\_N.Suze](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hilarity_N.Suze)\ **Post date:** [August 14, 2017, 7:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-got-the-order-of-rabies-shots-mixed-up/793646/14 "2017-08-14T19:26:37Z")
How do you know it was the wrong kind of shot? From the medical professional who gave it to you? I mean, how would you know this, if the doctor doesn’t? And if the doc thinks it’s okay, maybe it is okay. ---
**Author:** ![Riemann](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/riemann/32/3133_2.png) [@Riemann](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Riemann)\ **Post date:** [August 14, 2017, 8:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-got-the-order-of-rabies-shots-mixed-up/793646/15 "2017-08-14T20:20:08Z")
This is a little confusing. Did you buy the shots in Mexico and inject yourself? ---
**Author:** ![Little\_Nemo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/little_nemo/32/3120_2.png) [@Little\_Nemo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Little_Nemo)\ **Post date:** [August 14, 2017, 10:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-got-the-order-of-rabies-shots-mixed-up/793646/16 "2017-08-14T22:54:41Z")
I wouldn’t wait to ask your regular doctor. Go to an emergency room. Untreated rabies is fatal. ---
**Author:** ![winneee](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/a88e4f/32.png) [@winneee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/winneee)\ **Post date:** [August 15, 2017, 1:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-got-the-order-of-rabies-shots-mixed-up/793646/17 "2017-08-15T01:41:27Z")
> [@Riemann](#): > > This is a little confusing. Did you buy the shots in Mexico and inject yourself? This place just cracks me up. Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk Pro ---
**Author:** ![Merneith](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/57b2e6/32.png) [@Merneith](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Merneith)\ **Post date:** [August 15, 2017, 3:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-got-the-order-of-rabies-shots-mixed-up/793646/18 "2017-08-15T03:01:16Z")
> [@Velocity](#): > > I was bitten by a dog a few days ago, and I got the first of a series of rabies shots. I got one on 8/12, and should get one more on 8/19 and one on 9/2. > Well, it was the \*wrong \*kind of rabies shot. It was the _pre_-exposure shots, not the _post_-exposure shots. > > Pre-exposure = 3 shots of vaccine. > > Post-exposure = 1 shot of rabies immunoglobin (RIG,) + 5 shots of vaccine. > This may be a first such instance in medical history. What to do now? Do I go get a shot of RIG anyway, even though the order was mixed up (should be RIG first, then vaccine minutes later…not vaccine first then RIG days later). Does that cause any issues/problems in the body (order of shots mixed up?) > Also, if I do get the RIG, do I need 2 more shots of rabies vaccine, or 4? On what timetable? Why can’t it just be 1 shot? > > Lastly…is it true that RIG costs $1,500 per shot? Nope, you’re screwed. Your only chance now is to saw off your head and hope they can remove the virus under a microscope. Oh, and the rest of your shots will need to be given anally. Seriously dude, you were nipped by a non-symptomatic pet, who is otherwise healthy, has had his vaccines, and is currently under quarantine with Animal Control. If you’d been attacked by a feral dog who ran away afterwards, we’d be having a different discussion. But you weren’t, and we’re not. There’s a reason [all the medical professionals you spoke with](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=832895)refused to give you the treatment last week. It’s because, in their medical judgement, you don’t need the treatment. You don’t have rabies. When you talk to your doctor about the misguided shot, ask him to help glue your wig down. It keeps flying off. ---
**Author:** ![Little\_Nemo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/little_nemo/32/3120_2.png) [@Little\_Nemo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Little_Nemo)\ **Post date:** [August 15, 2017, 3:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-got-the-order-of-rabies-shots-mixed-up/793646/19 "2017-08-15T03:29:21Z")
> [@Merneith](#): > > There’s a reason [all the medical professionals you spoke with](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=832895)refused to give you the treatment last week. It’s because, in their medical judgement, you don’t need the treatment. > > You don’t have rabies. When you talk to your doctor about the misguided shot, ask him to help glue your wig down. It keeps flying off. Okay, that other thread puts things in a different light. Based on the OP in this thread, I was assuming that Velocity had been told by medical professionals that he might have rabies and not diagnosed himself with the disease. ---
**Author:** ![Colibri](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/colibri/32/1841_2.png) [@Colibri](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Colibri)\ **Post date:** [August 15, 2017, 4:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-got-the-order-of-rabies-shots-mixed-up/793646/20 "2017-08-15T04:17:25Z")
> [@Little\_Nemo](#): > > Okay, that other thread puts things in a different light. Based on the OP in this thread, I was assuming that Velocity had been told by medical professionals that he might have rabies and not diagnosed himself with the disease. It’s really unclear, however, how he managed to get someone to give him the shot, and why he was given the wrong kind. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-got-the-order-of-rabies-shots-mixed-up/793646.md?page=2)