The US is "canine rabies" free!?

Yep - but other animal strains (racoon, etc etc), which can infect our pets and us, is still out there - which is why we still need to vacinate.

rwbeagles

But apparently...we still have to vaccinate, lol.

That is because the transfer of rabies from wild species is still very possible.  Until we can completly wipe out rabies in raccoons etc,  the shots will continue.

 Hopefully the study currently going on will show that the effectiveness of the shot is longer as accepted today.

Ahh yes but how OFTEN? is the real question and debate. Some would say a one time vaccine is enough to cover a dog's entire lifetime.

rwbeagles

Ahh yes but how OFTEN? is the real question and debate. Some would say a one time vaccine is enough to cover a dog's entire lifetime.

I guess we will have to see what the study reveals.  Isn't it Dodds that is conducting the research?

timsdat

rwbeagles

Ahh yes but how OFTEN? is the real question and debate. Some would say a one time vaccine is enough to cover a dog's entire lifetime.

 

I guess we will have to see what the study reveals.  Isn't it Dodds that is conducting the research?

 

It can be tricky to decide when to stop using a vaccine. Some people wanted to stop using the Polio vaccine in the US, but there have been reccent outbreaks in unvaccinated populations. Not to mention that the disease is still prevalent in other areas of the world.

When we drive home, across the border, with our dogs we need to provide proof of rabies vaccination.  This is because the USA is not on the list attached:

http://canadaonline.about.com/gi/dynamic/offsite.htm?zi=1/XJ/Ya&sdn=canadaonline&cdn=newsissues&tm=31&gps=71_3_966_587&f=00&tt=14&bt=1&bts=1&zu=http%3A//www.inspection.gc.ca/english/anima/heasan/import/petse.shtml

 When the US is on this list I will believe that we are canine rabies free...at last!  In the meantime the vaccination records stay with my passport and green card (which isn't green by the way).  ""

Just to burst the bubble... yesterday, for the first time in almost a decade, rabies was found in a dog in Louisiana (Jefferson Parish). It's also been found in a horse in a neighboring parish. :(  I guess I'll keep on vaccinating against that one for a while yet. I wish they went to something less heavy than a yearly one though.

Just as an aside -- Billy (IMHA survivor -- immune-mediated hemolytic anemia) can't ever be vaccinated EVER again.  Not with any vaccine. 

 Florida is a "by county" state -- meaning that counties individually set their own laws as to whether the dogs need to be vac'd annually or every 3 years in order to be licensed.  MY county is, thankfully, every 3 years. MY vet won't give the 'annual' shot -- despite that he's in an annual county.  He thinks it's pointless because the vax are pretty well identical except for paperwork, to have a dog caught needing annual shots if it's had the 3 year vax and the law changes for that county.

 SO .... what to do about Billy?  Dr. Bailey drew blood for rabies titers and sent them off to Kansas State University on Monday.  Kansas is the one who does all the rabies titers.  Generally they require a pretty stiff answer 'why' before they'll give you the ANSWER of whether the titer is sufficient or not.  Either that you are titering so the dog can pass thru quarantine to the UK or Hawaii, or as in Billy's case, it is for a health reason.  It's a bunch of hassle for the vet, and I"m thankful that Dr. B will do this for us. 

 I titer everything else (parvo, distemper) for all 3 annually, and Billy just plain won't get bortadella.  If that means I can't ever board him again so be it.  It's not worth the risk.  Not for a frigging flu shot.  (Callie grumbling about the insanity of bortadella vax anyway -- grrrrrrr -- it's not like they come out with a new vax annually with up to date strains!!).

 The big huge deal about rabies -- please don't forget -- is simply so that if the dog gets bitten by wildlife the dog doesn't get rabies (and inadvertently pass it on to a human).  This is not a bad thing folks -- if you are ever outside and you and your dog encounter a wild animal that is just plain acting WEIRD ... ***DO NOT*** try to get between your dog and that animal.  Your dog, if it has been vax'd according to your state requirements, is protected.  Even if it GETS bitten your dog won't die. 

 HOWEVER -- if you try to intervene and *you* get bitten, you will need to take the anti-rabies shots and they are horrific folks.  They are terrible terrible shots to take -- they can decimate YOUR health.  I have a friend who, unthinkingly, went to grab her dog's collar to get her dog away from what she *knew* was a rabid coon.  She was just being 'maternal' -- and didn't think that her dog was better protected than she was and SHE got bitten. 

 Her health has never been the same since. 

 It's important that they get it straight for dogs not to have to be 'over-vax'd' simply because most states/counties are too lazy/cheap to make sure the WILDLIFE gets bait vax'd in places where it will do some good.  The entire answer isn't for just dogs to be vax'd.  The answer is to stop the disease on all levels.

Actually I spoke to my FIL who's a Vet and he said the rabies shots given to human have gotten MUCH easier to deal with now. It's not the horror story variety anymore as far as what 16 shots in the stomach etc.

Of course that doesn't speak to the effect on your health...but I'd wager THAT is considerably less detrimental to your health than Rabies which is 100% fatal.

Oh absolutely, Gina -- I agree completely!!

And SOME humans actually *do* take the rabies 'vaccine' (particularly shelter workers, people who do a lot of wildlife rescue, rehabbing and VETS!!!!). 

 This was about 10 years ago that my friend got bitten -- and essentially it's just such a horrific disease it is heck on your body trying to make sure you don't get it.  And yes -- absolutely it's better to suffer some ill health than be dead (April would completely agree as well).

 But it's just something most of us never think about.  That "Oh I have to protect my baby" thing is SOOOOO strong in us -- and yet it's NOT sensible.  There's a point where we have to deliberately engage our brain and say 'ok -- I can NOT stick my hand in there or *I* will get bitten -- and Poochie HAS had his shots!!!"

 Bottom line -- some of us need to be encouraged to THINK **not** PANIC!!