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 No Tune in a Bucket
Posts: 2935
   
Location: Texas | Taking down some old fence today and got a little scratch. Just wondering, does anybody know if you can just go somewhere to get a tetanus shot without a doctor appointment? A pharmacy?
Edited by RocketPilot 2015-09-27 8:20 PM
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 Georgia Peach
Posts: 8338
 
Location: Georgia |
Unfortunately no. I'm a pharmacy technician and it is still required (in the state of GA at least) that you have a prescription to get a tetanus shot. I would suggest maybe going to your local ER or a med stop place to see if they will give you one. |
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No Tune in a Bucket
Posts: 2935
Location: Texas | Thanks. I was hoping this would be easy. |
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The Advice Guru
Posts: 6419
| Has it been 10 years since your last? If you are less then 10 years you shouldn't need one |
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 Take a Picture
Posts: 12838
| walk in health clinic |
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Regular
Posts: 79
| it's 10 years if you have no incidents within that timeframe. However, if in your 5th year-10th year you have an incident, you will need a booster.
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No Tune in a Bucket
Posts: 2935
Location: Texas | Cannot really remember when I last had a tetanus. Guess I will be on the phone in the morning. |
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Take a Picture
Posts: 12838
| RocketPilot - 2015-09-27 8:21 PM
Cannot really remember when I last had a tetanus. Guess I will be on the phone in the morning.Â
In TX we have health units and you should be able to get one free. |
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| Call your county health department or an Emergency Care Clinic ... should be cheap ..
Everyone needs to remember that horses manure contains live tetanus so it is a good idea to maintain your updates just like you do your horses shots ...
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 BHW Resident Surgeon
Posts: 25351
Location: Bastrop, Texas | MissHolly - 2015-09-27 7:33 PM
it's 10 years if you have no incidents within that timeframe. However, if in your 5th year-10th year you have an incident, you will need a booster.
Correct........call your local clinic. They will direct you. Don't go to the ER for something like that, because it's very expensive. |
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 Miss Laundry Misshap
Posts: 5271
| I realize it's better to be safe than sorry, but doesn't Tetanus usually follow a puncture or cut that is closed over? I thought it needed a dark warm spot to grow.
Friend of mine had a horse get tangled up in a wheelbarrow and the handle punctured him on the inside hind leg up high. Vet said because the germ got deep into the wound and then sealed over, that's what caused the Tetanus to be able to take hold. He said if it had been a cut that they could have washed daily, there probably wouldn't have been a problem. |
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No Tune in a Bucket
Posts: 2935
Location: Texas | Called my local, small town pharmacy this morning. They give the shots. Yippee!
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BHW Resident Surgeon
Posts: 25351
Location: Bastrop, Texas | Nateracer - 2015-09-28 7:51 AM
I realize it's better to be safe than sorry, but doesn't Tetanus usually follow a puncture or cut that is closed over? I thought it needed a dark warm spot to grow. Â
Friend of mine had a horse get tangled up in a wheelbarrow and the handle punctured him on the inside hind leg up high.  Vet said because the germ got deep into the wound and then sealed over, that's what caused the Tetanus to be able to take hold. He said if it had been a cut that they could have washed daily, there probably wouldn't have been a problem. Â
It's a common misconception that minor scratches don't pose a risk for tetanus. It's not the bacterium, per se', that poses the risk, rather, it's the toxin. We all have the tetanus bacterium in our gut. Tetanus spores are very hardy and can survive dormant outside the body for a very long time. Generally, the dirtier the wound, the greater the risk, but even small cuts and scratches pose a certain risk. In fact, even a needle puncture can pose a risk. Even brisk washing of scratches and cuts doesn't guarantee that you have no risk of tetanus. Once the spores start to grow, the incubation period can vary between 3-21 days. Wounds begin to heal almost immediately and seal over, which sets the stage for the bacterium to grow from spores. The dirtier the wound, the greater the risk, but even minor cuts don't eliminate the risk. If you have a dirty wound, and haven't had a tet toxoid within 5 years, generally speaking, you probably need TIG (tetanus immune globulin), in addition to the tet vaccine, because it takes a while for the vaccines to generate the immunity. The TIG covers you until that happens.
It's a bit more nuanced than that, but that's a good guideline.
Bottom line: if you have a dirty wound and haven't had a tet vaccine in 5 years, get it. If you haven't had a tet vaccine within 10 years, you should have a booster, regardless. Tetanus is not fun. |
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Miss Laundry Misshap
Posts: 5271
| Bear - 2015-09-28 8:30 AM Nateracer - 2015-09-28 7:51 AM I realize it's better to be safe than sorry, but doesn't Tetanus usually follow a puncture or cut that is closed over? I thought it needed a dark warm spot to grow.
Friend of mine had a horse get tangled up in a wheelbarrow and the handle punctured him on the inside hind leg up high. Vet said because the germ got deep into the wound and then sealed over, that's what caused the Tetanus to be able to take hold. He said if it had been a cut that they could have washed daily, there probably wouldn't have been a problem. It's a common misconception that minor scratches don't pose a risk for tetanus. It's not the bacterium, per se', that poses the risk, rather, it's the toxin. We all have the tetanus bacterium in our gut. Tetanus spores are very hardy and can survive dormant outside the body for a very long time. Generally, the dirtier the wound, the greater the risk, but even small cuts and scratches pose a certain risk. In fact, even a needle puncture can pose a risk. Even brisk washing of scratches and cuts doesn't guarantee that you have no risk of tetanus. Once the spores start to grow, the incubation period can vary between 3-21 days. Wounds begin to heal almost immediately and seal over, which sets the stage for the bacterium to grow from spores. The dirtier the wound, the greater the risk, but even minor cuts don't eliminate the risk. If you have a dirty wound, and haven't had a tet toxoid within 5 years, generally speaking, you probably need TIG (tetanus immune globulin ), in addition to the tet vaccine, because it takes a while for the vaccines to generate the immunity. The TIG covers you until that happens. It's a bit more nuanced than that, but that's a good guideline. Bottom line: if you have a dirty wound and haven't had a tet vaccine in 5 years, get it. If you haven't had a tet vaccine within 10 years, you should have a booster, regardless. Tetanus is not fun.
As we watched all that my friend went through with her horse, we got a dose of reality on Tetanus being one of the most horrid things ever. The horse fought and won. :)
That is a good explanation though. I sliced my hand open cleaning gutters on the barn roof tin a few years ago and got a booster. Those things hurt! But getting Tetanus would not have been fun at all! |
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