Why I was in RITM yesterday.

Reserch Institute for Tropical Medicine (RITM) is very near our office. Pero shempre hindi ako pumunta dun dahil lang sa malapit sha samin. :-*

Under the DOH, this hospital houses research laboratories that develop vaccines and anti-sera – anti-rabies included. I was there yesterday to accompany Nanay for her second shot of Anti-rabies serum.

Yes, she was bitten by her friend’s pet dog.  

My Nanay by the way is very fond of dogs. She has 2 dogs at home – Poochi and Pawpaw (I named them both. Corny ko pala magbinyag ng pangalan no? Haiz!). Both of them are half-breeds, askal or the native dog being the common breed. Pawpaw is half-retriever while Poochi, I cannot remember the pedigree. Oh, di ba, mga mestiza po sila. And she treats them like her own children. 

I would have gotten jealous of the way she takes care of them, only I don’t want to be fed with dog foods. Kaya chillax lang ako.

Ang nakakagat, tisay din – half askal, half Labrador. I don’t know what’s with these dogs and their mixed-bloods. Gano katinik ang mga askals at lagi silang may nalalahiang foreign blood?!?

Back to RITM, doctor said it’s just Category 2. When I asked what is Category 2, she replied, “ayan, ganyan.”. Asus! Ang ganda nya no? Buti na lang hindi ako palapatol. >:-(

So I researched since mukhang mas maayos pang kausap ang internet kesa sa kanya. It says in www.who.int that it is when an uncovered skin has been nibbled, if there are minor scratches or abrasions without bleeding. Tumpak! Yun nga!

It wasn’t really an angry-dog’s bite. There was no blood at all, until of course they put pressure and made it really bleed. There were just 2 very small punctures. Parang pinanggigilan lang (kasi naman, gawin bang playmate yung aso?!?!), mababaw lang talaga. Still, that requires a full dose of Anti-rabies serum.

I hope Nanay learned her lesson that dogs will be dogs. No matter how comfortable you are around them, no matter how tamed they appear to be, they can put you in danger or cause you so much trouble. 

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This is my ever-loving, ever-caring Nanay. She worked hard and tried to spoil me to the best she could. Whatever she can't give me in material form, she patiently explains to me why and then she makes up with her love and warmth. I love her to the moon and back!

Please take care, Nanay. It already pains me that I am far from you and that I can’t do much to watch over you as I do not live with you anymore. Incidents like this make me doubly worried about you. I hope that you will always be safe. I’m sending my guardian angels to protect you always.