The US is "canine rabies" free!?

Thalie

 I wish they went to something less heavy than a yearly one though.

They do ... at least here.  For quite awhile now dogs have been getting the rabies vaccine every three years because they found out  the vacs were lasting a lot longer than they previously thought.

Joyce

calliecritturs

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.

 

 They changed that law at the state level a year or 2 ago.  Now a county can't make you re-vaccinate.

 828.30  (1)  All dogs, cats, and ferrets 4 months of age or older must be vaccinated by a licensed veterinarian against rabies with a vaccine that is licensed by the United States Department of Agriculture for use in those species. The owner of every dog, cat, and ferret shall have the animal revaccinated 12 months after the initial vaccination. Thereafter, the interval between vaccinations shall conform to the vaccine manufacturer's directions.

7)  This section does not prohibit or limit municipalities or counties from establishing requirements similar to or more stringent than the provisions of this section for the implementation and enforcement of rabies-control ordinances. However, local governments shall not mandate revaccination of currently vaccinated animals except in instances involving postexposure treatment for rabies.

 

 Uh huh, whatever. I saw a couple of rabid foxes in Mexico when I was there last year, and they were pretty close to the border. And yes, there are all those other types. Even Austalia has bat rabies, which the government is staunchly calling "Australian Bat Lissavirus" lest the public get wind of the fact that we have rabies in Australia. I learnt a lot about rabies vaccinations when I started coming into contact with bats, and frankly, I wouldn't trust it. Because antibody levels can be all over the shop. I'm supposed to get my antibody levels checked in 12 months to make sure I'm still vaccinated, and if I do get bitten, I still have to get post-exposure shots to make sure I don't get sick. Same story with any kind of rabies as far as I'm aware. You always have to get your post-exposure shots to be safe.
 

I've been vaccinated against rabies. It's really not that bad. Three shots in the arm, just like any IM shot you'll ever get. Admittedly, the next day I was very fatigued and wasn't much good for anything, but to protect myself against the risk of rabies (oh, and that other pesky thing like, not breaking the law, LOL!) it was worth it. You get the first one, then one 7 days later than one 14 days after that. And if you get bitten you get the first, one on the 3rd day, one of the 7th, and one 14 after that (I think, but I'm not sure). And it's all IM, not in your stomach. I have to get revaccinated in two years, unless I show immunoglobulin levels, but I'll probably just get a booster shot anyway. The only problem with the rabies vaccine is the cost. It was $180 a shot, and I know a friend who got bitten by a dog, and for safety measures they made her get the "suspect rabies" course (the last one I described) and it set her back a pretty penny.

I don't understand people who want to skip booster shots for rabies. You get rabies, you die. Your dog gets rabies, he dies. It's fatal, no treatment, no chance for survival. What is that vs. a very low risk of a minor vaccine reaction?   Even if they show that some dogs maintain high titers of anti-rabies antibodies for several years after vaccination, doesn't mean that YOUR dog is protected for life. We've had numerous cases of rabid cats, raccoons, and foxes in our area. If they change the law, most people aren't going to bother with checking titers; they'll just skip the vaccine altogether. And dogs will die, and people will get bitten and possibly die. I'm perfectly content with a rabies shot every three years. Annual was just stupid, but three years seems fine to me.

Mudpuppy -- it's not just the potential for a 'minor vaccine reaction' -- Injection site sarcoma is HUGE and it's one of the fastest-growing types of cancer in dogs and it's almost always caused by a rabies vaccine.

And honestly it completely depends on what you do with your dog.  Here in Florida the rabies population is far bigger than it is in most other states but STILL my dog's chances of exposure are pretty small because we don't do outdoorsy-stuff and they aren't outside unattended.  So for them, the risk of getting cancer from the injections is greater than their potential for being bitten by a rabid animal.  The risk of cancer is many many times their risk of being bitten.

In my case, for Billy ANY vaccine would be lethal.  Period.  He's had IMHA and will always be prone to it.  Any vaccine would likely cause it to recur.  That, in itself, is a death sentence (a relapse is usually worse than the initial disease -- which most cockers don't survive).

 If you are out in woodsy area hiking, etc. then your risk is different than the average dog's anyway. 

No specific causation has been cited, but we are dealing with a huge issue with rabid bats throughout the northern part of our state.  As they tend be more active at night, it is probably more likely that your dogs might run afoul of them in the yard for that late night call of nature.  I don't want to think of animal or human suffering rabies, so I guess, while I have reservations, I will continue to vaccinate.  But folks, it isn't only our dogs-think of all the shots that they mandate for children and they want to add more to that list.  While, my father-in-law (retired physician) informs me that the greatest health concern of the CDC in our country is TB... which incidentally, most physicians won't recognize for what it is, and the strains being introduced are extremely medication resistant.  And I just caught an article the other day about how CDC has perfected an inexpensive way to manufacture massive quantities of small pox vaccine (Most of us over thirty have the ugly scar, but they stopped using the vaccine routinely about 1980-so an entire generation has no protection)  There are concerns about supposedly extinct diseases being used as agents of terrorism, and I wouldn't doubt that rabies or distemper might be employed to that end.  Imagine the chaos and damage to our food supply, and that of most of the world whom we supply with goods, if our livestock were to be infected on a large scale. 

calliecritters, injection site sarcomas in dogs are incredibly rare. Common in cats, but very rare in dogs. I can see for your particular dog the risk of being vaccinated outweighs any benefit, but my dogs are gettng vaccinated no matter what. What are you going to do if a rabid bat flies in your window? a rabid cat wanders along the sidewalk and your dog leaps out the open car door and goes after it? you open the door and a rabid fox is standing there?

 

I grew up with my Grandpa and my dad telling stories of rabid dogs and I have always feared it--when you live on a farmwith all kinds of critters in the woods, etc, you tend ot be a bit leery.  Also when you hunt like we did have 2-3 dogs at a time in the field where they are very likely to come into contact with fox, skunk (about the worst of the rabies carriers), etc. We never failed to get rabies vax for our dogs.

 Around here their are many foxes and skunks and coyotes, etc.  Our town is small and surrounded by farm land (except on the side of the bay) that these critters live on.  Not far from here rabies vax laced "bait" is spread around to try to prevent rabies in coyotes and foxes. Our paper also reporst several cases of rabid animals including dogs and cats in the sourthern part of the state, especially closer to Mexico  

But I am with Callie--had my Hunter survived his AIHA he would never have gotten another vax of any kind. It would have been about the same as putting a gun to his head and pulling the trigger and hoping the chamber was empty. I don't think most here understand what a horrible, roller coaster, wicked disease it is.  According  to what i found out when Hunter was diagnosed, 50% of the dogs die within a week of diagnosis, another 30% within a month, and th 20% that survive can have a relapse at any time, brought on by anything.

 Also Callie is correct about more and more dogs coming down with cancer at the injection site.  the state of Texas says rabies vax every 3 years, but then allows the counties and the cities to decide for themselves.  The city overules the county, the county overrules the state.  My vet and I are trying to get the city to change from one year to 3 years--he sais dogs are being over vaccinated and he sees problems.  If we can get the city to change, then we will work on the countyl.  Even tho  oth our city and county say every year, he only does KayCee every 3 years because she had a severe reaction to her annual vax 5 1/2 years ago and rabies is the only thing she still gets.  He is bucking the city on this one, but says if anyone gives me trouble he will take of it.

I'm honestly surprised at all this flap -- 3 year rabies vax have been the norm in many states for years (and typically that vax is seen as superior to the 1 year, particularly when they were messing with killed vax for it). 

 Mudpuppy I said above, and will re-iterate.  It depends on where you live.  First off, I'm in Florida and in a major urban area -- we have some small critters yes, but they stick out like a sore thumb if they are sick -- even a coon here that is out at the 'wrong time of the day' is snagged fast because it's so obvious. 

NEVER EVER do I have open windows.  (modern marvel --it's called air conditioning and it runs TWELVE months a year)  My dogs are vax'd every 3 years as required -- except for Billy.  I'm not handling wildlife routinely -- I've done some rescue but not without a TON of care.

 It all depends on what your risk is -- here the greater risk is heartworm so that's a serious consideration.  I know there is some wildlife here where I live, but I also just plain am not going to run any risks.  There isn't a fox within 150 miles (Ocala National Forest maybe).  And I"m pretty careful to scan for 'critters' when I go out or I let the dogs out.  I'm more apt to see a 4' rat snake than anything else (ewwww -- don't let Glenda read this)

I'm not telling people not to vaccinate at all -- just not to *over* vax.  And interestingly enough it's my understanding -- injection site sarcomas ARE common enough that they're being studied this year. 

It is simply past time for them to stop thinking that DOGS are the 'answer' to rabies vaccination!  You gotta stop the rabies with the wildlife -- dropping bait etx.   You don't need a rabid dog for a rabid fox or skunk or coon to walk up to some kid and bite it.  For far too long they've assumed controlling rabies in dogs was "all that could be done".  And that's silly.

 The thing to remember when assessing bite risk from rabid animals, IMHO, is that rabid animals really act nothing like normal. I met a ranch cook in Mexico that was bitten by a rabid bobcat that found him just outside the house, ran up to him, jumped on him, and bit his side. Their cat was not so lucky and was apparently killed by the bobcat. When I was out there in Mexico, rabies was disturbingly common (although it hadn't been in previous years) and interestingly, rabid foxes seemed to be drawn to human habitation. They'd turn up at the camps when they were quite crazy, hang around for a couple of days, then go off to die. I think, even considering rabid animals do not necessarily get crazy aggressive and often die slow and horrible deaths from paralysis, they're still more likely to end up somewhere you might come across them than a healthy wild animal is.

Even from the perspective of an Australian where bat rabies is the only thing we have to worry about, it's well known that bats people come across are far more likely to be sick. That's why they're on the ground during the day and things like that.
 

 There was a case in my county a few months ago of rabid foxes and raccoons being sited, several of them. I'm pretty sure I saw a rabid fox around that time as well. Walking down my driveway (long) in broad daylight.  Also, a dog was bitten by one and the owners couldn't provide proof of a rabies vaccine so he was instantly euthanized. So as long as their are rabid animals, there will be rabies vaccines, the risk is just too great...

in cats the estimate is 10 cats out of 100,000 vaccinated will develop an injection site sarcoma. The number is certainly much lower for dogs. It's ridiculous to not-vaccinate based on such a rare disease.

There was a case in Florida in 1994: five kenneled dogs died from rabies. One of them escaped first, bit three people, and they ended up giving prophylactic rabies treatment to 26 other people; in addition, 102 dogs and 10 cats were suspected of having been exposed and were quarantined.

If that was your dog who caused such havoc, wouldn't you just feel stupid for having skipped a rabies booster?

This article does a good job of explaining how "canine rabies" may be gone in the US, but we still have to worry about other strains of rabies and canine rabies from other countries. 

http://www.dolittler.com/index.cfm/2007/9/13/pets.vet.veterinary.dogs.cats.rabies

I have to agree with Dr. Khuly that while vaccinations do have their drawbacks, the amount good done over the long-term far outweighs the risks.

 

Mudpuppy, I better do a little explaining here. First of all, if YOU loved your dog as much as Callie loves Billy and I loved my Hunter, if YOU had spent thousands of dollars trying to save YOUR beloved dog,  Iif you had watched YOUR playful, happy dog turn into a bloated mass with muscle wasting away, legs shaved for transfusions and IV, etc,  watched YOUR dog suffer terrible upset tummies, constant peeing, and other effects of the pred and other very harsh drugs, if YOU had to wonder every single day if the next dose of such and such drug would end YOUR dog's life, but without it he would be dead for sure, if YOU were living on the roller coaster Callie is living on--and I would have been had my Hunter lived--never knowing from one day to the next if that will be the day something causes him to go into a replapse and it all starts over again, and knowing any kind of vax could very well, most likely,even, bring on a relapse, I do not think YOU would rush out to get a rabies vax.  YOU would do as Callie is doing and I would have done---monitor every thing about YOUR  beloved dog.  In the first place YOU would never allow him to just roam around, YOU would keep in in the house where You could watched him all the time.  YOU couldn't take a risk of him getting something he shouldn't, of getting stressed, etc.  As with  Callie, my windows all have screens and no bat is going to fly in, and I most certainly would see a rabid fox in my back yard with it's 6 foot privacy fence.  If you just knew this disease the way Callie and I and all the ones on the AIHA forum (new memebers all the time, old members losing their dogs all to often) I do not think YOU would be giving YOUR dog any vax including rabies--none on that forum are because THEY know the chances of their dog getten bitten by some rabid is millions to one where the rabies vax causing their dog to die is closer to 50%,  and that is an acceptable risk we/they are/were willing to take.