A Woman’s Terrifying Encounter with a Baby Bat Leads to Urgent Medical Attention
A woman from Montréal, Canada, found herself in a life-threatening situation after discovering a dead baby bat in her toilet. The incident quickly went viral on social media, sparking concern among viewers who urged her to seek immediate medical care.
Alison Doyle, known on TikTok as @tismpump_, shared the shocking moment when she lifted the toilet seat and found the tiny bat floating inside. Her video, which has received over 5.8 million views, shows her initial shock and confusion. “My day is ruined,” she said, adding, “I went downstairs into the bathroom... There's a baby bat. This is the one time I need a man.”
In a follow-up clip, Alison admitted she initially thought the bat might still be alive and even considered rescuing it. She tried touching it to check for signs of life, thinking she could feed it some milk and take it to a store for a bottle. However, she soon realized the bat was dead.
Panicked, she called her mother, who advised her to flush the bat down the toilet. But the situation took a more alarming turn when a viewer commented that “all it takes is a scratch” to contract rabies. Alison then revealed a fresh scrape on her leg, which sent shockwaves through her followers.
The comments section flooded with messages urging her to go to the hospital immediately. Many users begged her to update them once she had received treatment. Rabies is almost always fatal once symptoms appear, but it can be prevented if treated promptly after exposure.
Despite the urgency, Alison shared her struggles with visiting the hospital. In another video, she joked about her difficulty handling crowded places, saying, “I literally can't go to Costco without having an autistic meltdown.” She also mentioned that she avoids hospitals in Canada because they often require long waits.
One user responded, “I'm so sorry to tell you this bestie, you must always go to urgent care and always assume you've been bitten if there's a bat found indoors.” This advice resonated with Alison, prompting her to finally visit the emergency department.
In a subsequent video, she showcased her “hospital rabies edition” bag, indicating her preparedness for the treatment. She also shared a video of her in an “autistic room” at the hospital, explaining that it helps those who struggle in such environments.
Alison later explained that she had to return to the hospital four times for rabies treatment. The process involves multiple doses of the rabies vaccine, as outlined by the UK’s National Health Service (NHS). For individuals who haven’t been vaccinated before or have a weakened immune system, immunoglobulin may also be administered.
“Apparently, it could’ve been flying around the night before and bit or scratched me,” she said, acknowledging the possibility of exposure. “Everyone on TikTok thought I should get a rabies shot, and so did the people in the ER.”
The jab protects against rabies, a severe infection typically transmitted through the bite or scratch of an infected animal. Symptoms include hallucinations, anxiety, excessive energy, paralysis, and numbness or tingling at the site of the bite or scratch. These symptoms usually appear three to 12 weeks after exposure, but they can manifest within days or even years later.
In a follow-up video, Alison confirmed that she would need eight injections in total—five on the first day and three more in the coming weeks. The experience left her deeply grateful to her online community, stating, “The only reason why I don't have rabies now for sure is because of the people of TikTok.”
This incident comes just months after a similar case in the UK, where a grandmother died from rabies after being exposed to a stray dog during a trip to Morocco. Yvonne Ford, 59, passed away in June after contracting the illness, with symptoms appearing four months after her return.
Since 2000, there have been fewer than 10 cases of human rabies linked to animal exposure in the UK. Health officials emphasized that there is no risk to the wider public, as there is no documented evidence of rabies spreading between humans.