Does Donna get rabies?
She wasn't just bit, she was nearly torn apart by the dog. I doubt she would have survived this whole ordeal after Vic came for them.
sharePOST CONTAINS SPOILERS FOR THE BOOK:
In the book, she doesn't develop rabies. She's in the hospital for a month undergoing a cycle of treatments, but eventually, she returns home with Vic. Several months later she is still rabies-free.
However, the book and the movie differ somewhat (most notably in that Tad dies in the book). So, I guess since the movie ends with Vic's arrival and doesn't actually address what happens afterward,what would happen to the movie version of Donna is open to interpretation. I'd personally like to believe that she underwent treatment and survived, but you make a valid point about how much damage Cujo did to her. I suppose it's possible that the treatments wouldn't have been enough to save her.
I haven't read the book yet, but I heard Tad died in it. I didn't know that she underwent treatment however.
But what makes you think the treatments wouldn't save her in the movie? Didn't she suffer the same amount of damage in the book that she did in the movie?
I didn't mean to imply that I think the treatments definitely wouldn't work for the movie version of Donna. I just meant that since the movie ends with Vic's arrival, we are not given a definite answer as to what happens to her, so we as the audience each get to decide her fate for ourselves. Since the movie is largely based on the book but does already differ from it on one significant point (i.e., Tad's fate), I could see viewers making a reasonable case for either option for Donna (i.e., remaining consistent with the book or deciding that the damage was too great for Donna to be saved). However, keep in mind that I really don't know how reliable/effective the rabies treatments are (e.g., how soon one would need to receive them; how much damage is too much), so I have personally just accepted King's story that the book version of Donna could still be saved by them despite the amount of damage she received.
shareIt's been a while since I've seen the film, but if her wounds were very severe (the more severe the quicker symptoms show up) chances are that she might have developed symptoms before completing the 1 month vaccine treatment and I don't know if the incomplete treatment would have been enough for her to survive. If you're interested in knowing more about what's involved in the treatment I've provided more info below:
The treatment for being bitten by a rabid animals is receiving human immune globulin (HRIG, basically antibody serum from human blood of those who receive pre-exposure vaccines) and a series of 5 vaccination shots given on day 0, 3, 7, 14 and 28. The vaccine treatment only works before symptoms appear, after symptoms appear it's 100% fatal; there have only been 10 survivors in recorded history for symptomatic rabies. 5 of those survivors received the vaccine before showing symptoms (all had neurological problems though) while the other 5 have survived through an experimental treatment known as Milwaukee protocol (developed in 2004). The protocol is not a cure though since it's been tried 36 times with only 5 survivors and all survivors have been under the age of 14. The protocol involves inducing the patient into a coma with the drugs ketamine, midazolam, and phenobarbital and then they are given antivirals Amantadine (anti-influenza and anti-Parkinson's) and ribavirin (broad spectrum, though it was removed in a revised protocol).
In the book, can I ask what Tad died of (or in the movie fell ill with)?
I wasn't aware of the dog biting him in the movie, or the mum pssing rabbies on in a noticeable way. Maybe he had a pre-existing condition, or was dying of dehydration?
Either way, I'm afraid I missed that part or must have popped into the kitchen to make lasagne. What happened to the kid and why couldn't he get his breath (at least within the movie)?!
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i would think (and i am just putting it out there) that in the film version, tad (and mom) could eventually die of multiple reasons, ie infections etc... i agree with above poster that you are allowed to make your own assumptions if you are basing on the film. ..peace
shareIn the book, he dies of dehydration
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