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2 Doses Rabies Vaccine Protective According to CDC Study!

Kris L. Christine

Posted : 4/1/2008 7:31:48 AM

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2 Doses Rabies Vaccine Protective According to CDC Study[/u][/b]

It took ages to find the report below after the CDC removed it from their rabies site -- you might find it interesting.

The following quote is from the Center for Disease Control's MMWR Recommendations and Reports March 22, 1991/40(RR03);1-19 Idea

Rabies Prevention-- United States, 1991 Recommendations of the Immunization Practices Advisory Committee [/i]http://www.cdc.gov/mmwr/preview/mmwrhtml/00041987.htm

"A fully vaccinated dog or cat is unlikely to become infected with rabies,[/u] although rare cases have been reported (48). In a nationwide study of rabies among dogs and cats in 1988, only one dog and two cats that were vaccinated contracted rabies (49). All three of these animals had received only single doses of vaccine;[color=red] Broken Heart

no documented vaccine failures occurred among dogs or cats that had received two vaccinations. " [/u][/color].[/b]

WhisperGrayKimmelot

Posted : 4/2/2008 8:46:13 PM

I belive there is a test called a "tighter" "titer" test that you can do on your dog to check its immunity towards something like Rabies, Parvo ect. Especialy in small breeds this is kinda important, there little livers just cant handle being vaccinated over and Over. I looked up Rabies one day on google and found a Vid of a German Shepherd that had an allergic reaction to the shot , it was horrible . Its a rough shot, Vets have to get them also , so they know how painful they can be.

BCMixs

Posted : 4/2/2008 10:44:31 PM

I can report that after only one rabies vaccine, my dog Woobie's titer results were 1:40 over a year later!!!! Of course, because of the law and wanting to board him and have him participate in activities, etc., I was forced to booster him with the 3 year shot but you can bet that my local legislators will be receiving a letter with information about my findings.

(I had originally thought that he'd received 2 shots within one week, but after collecting all the necessary info, I discovered his rabies was missed at the shelter and he only received the one shot from our vet at 5 months. When titered at 18 mos., his results were 1:40. 1:5 is generally accepted as protective.)

timsdat

Posted : 4/2/2008 10:58:50 PM

BCMixs
When titered at 18 mos., his results were 1:40. 1:5 is generally accepted as protective.)

I thought that titers weren't reliable when testing for rabies.

According to the AVMA: http://www.avma.org/pubhlth/rabies_compendium_2005.pdf

8) RABIES SEROLOGY: Some “rabies-free” jurisdictions may require evidence of vaccination and rabies antibodies for importation purposes. Rabies antibody titers are indicative of an animal’s response to vaccine or infection. Titers do not directly correlate with protection because other immunologic factors also play a role in preventing rabies, and our abilities to measure and interpret those other factors are not well developed. Therefore, evidence of circulating rabies virus antibodies should not be used as a substitute for current vaccination in managing rabies exposures or determining the need for booster vaccinations in animals.8

Kris L. Christine

Posted : 4/3/2008 6:38:34 AM

From what I have heard about rabies titers, it is very important that they be done by a reliable lab. Hemopet and Kansas State University are considered to be very good.

When Meadow was due for a 3 year booster at the age of 9, he received a medical exemption because he had mestaticized cancer. We chose to have a rabies titer done , and it was a whopping 1:5,800 -- his last booster had been at the age of 6!

Kris

BCMixs

Posted : 4/3/2008 2:45:38 PM

I was told by the staff at Hemopet (where I sent the sample) that Kansas is the only place doing the rabies titers and that's where our sample was forwarded on to. What I've read about titers is that they are indicative of one type of protection and that there is another "system" in the body if you will that's not mobilized until an exposure and there's not a proven way to test that at the present time. But that the level of detectable antibodies shown in a titer is a way of showing that the dog does have circulating antibodies for a given disease. It could be from challenge or from vaccination, but it's there.

In any event, he was boostered, but I feel it was unnecessary given his titer results.

BTW, Kansas is the same place vet students have to have their titers done, so I think the results are pretty reliable. Good enough for humans, good enough for my pup.

One other thing: If you can't use titers as a way of determining the need for boosters, and there's not a way to test the other protective responses of the body, what ARE you supposed to use in making a determination on revaccination? It seems to me that blind revaccination isn't very smart. At least a titer result gives you some indication of the level of immunity that's present. Granted, any given dog could have a compromised immune system or be inundated by a large volume of disease from, say a bite from an animal in the end stages of rabies, and that bite directly enters a major blood supply. But, in my personal case, I'm not going to allow the highly unlikely "what if" scenarios determine the frequency with which I choose to vaccinate my dogs. I feel that at least with titer results, I'm making an informed choice, versus just blindly sticking virus into my dog with no idea whatsoever what his response is and if he's protected. Studies I've read indicate some animals may be poor responders and without a titer, an owner would have no idea.

Just my .02

Kris L. Christine

Posted : 4/3/2008 3:52:49 PM

This is what Dr. Ronald Schultz had to say in his 2007 presentation to the AKC Canine Health Foundation entitled, What Everyone Needs to Know About Canine Vaccines and Vaccination Programs:

"An antibody titer no matter how low shows the animal has immunologic memory since memory effector B cells must be present to produce that antibody. Some dogs without antibody are protected from disease because they have T cell memory, that will provide cell mediated immunity (CMI). CMI will not protect from reinfection, but it will prevent disease."

"My owndogs, those of my children and grandchildren are vaccinated with MLV CDV, CPV-2, CPI, andCAV-2 vaccines once as puppies after the age of 12 weeks. An antibody titer is performedtwo or more weeks later and if found positive our dogs are never again vaccinated. "

The MLV vaccines referred to above are for distemper, parvo, hepatitis, and canine influenza.

Duration of Immunity to Canine Vaccines: What We Know and Don't Know, Dr. Ronald Schultz http://www.cedarbayvet.com/duration_of_immunity.htm

World Small Animal Veterinary Association 2007 Vaccine Guidelines http://www.wsava.org/SAC.htm Scroll down to Vaccine Guidelines 2007 (PDF)

The 2003 American Animal Hospital Association's Canine Vaccine Guidelines are accessible online at http://www.leerburg.com/special_report.htm .

The 2006 American Animal Hospital Association's Canine Vaccine Guidelines are downloadable in PDF format at http://www.aahanet.org/PublicDocumen...s06Revised.pdf .

Veterinarian, Dr. Robert Rogers,has an excellent presentation on veterinary vaccines at http://www.newvaccinationprotocols.com/

glenmar

Posted : 4/3/2008 4:52:57 PM

Just to keep the record straight, rabies shots aren't painful. If you are bitten and have to vaccinated due to a suspect animal, the FIRST shots directly into the bite, yes, are very painful. However, the balance of the five shot series, is just in the hip and not even remotely uncomfortable. I speak here from first hand, ongoing experience. Unfortunately.