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  • Kris L. Christine
    • Gold Top Dog
    Kris L. Christine

    Posted : 3/29/2008 9:00:16 AM

    KS Rabies Law-- Monday Meeting & Petition
     
    http://www.kansas.com/living/pets/story/355652.html
     
    PET BRIEFS
    City rabies law to be discussed
     
    Anyone interested in discussing proposed changes to Wichita's ordinance requiring yearly rabies vaccinations for dogs is invited to a meeting at 7:30 p.m. Monday at Alford Branch Library, 3447 S. Meridian.
     
    Petitions will be available to sign at the meeting and also at Yappy Days, from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. today at Pavilion II in the Kansas Coliseum.
     
    The city announced earlier this week that it is forming an ad hoc committee, made up primarily of local veterinarians and public health officials, to review the latest information on rabies prevention and control and discuss the vaccination schedule.
     
    The committee's recommendations will be provided to the city manager as part of a broader and ongoing animal ordinance review, the city said in a news release. The ordinance review is set to be presented to the Wichita City Council later this year.
     
    To read more about rabies laws and vaccines, go online to www.kansas.com/living/pets/story/344780.html.
  • Kris L. Christine
    • Gold Top Dog
    Kris L. Christine

    Posted : 3/31/2008 1:13:27 PM

    Udate -- WYOMING RABIES LAWS
     
    To update you on Wyoming, below is a copy of a letter I sent on March 30th to state officials. 
     
    On Thursday, I had an e-mail from Representative Sue Wallis sue.wallis@vcn.com , who said, The Wyoming Legislature has no intention of usurping what rightfully belongs to the cities, towns, and counties.   I do not know if she is reflecting the sentiment of all members of Wyoming's Legislature, but it certainly is contrary to the declaration she makes on her website www.wallis.vcn.com that With hard work, and your help, I know that we will be able to accomplish good legislation, and hopefully argue against that which is unnecessary, expensive, unproductive or harmful to the citizens of Campbell County and the State of Wyoming.
     
    The following quote is from the Center for Disease Control's MMWR Recommendations and Reports March 22, 1991/40(RR03);1-19 Rabies Prevention-- United States, 1991 Recommendations of the Immunization Practices Advisory Committee http://www.cdc.gov/mmwr/preview/mmwrhtml/00041987.htm
     
    "A fully vaccinated dog or cat is unlikely to become infected with rabies, 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; no documented vaccine failures occurred among dogs or cats that had received two vaccinations. " .
     
    March 30, 2008
     
    Governor Dave Freudenthal                    Attorney General Bruce A. Salzburg
    State Capitol, 200 West 24th Street         State Capitol, 200 West 24th Street           
    Cheyenne, WY 82002-0010                      Cheyenne, WY 82002-0010
     

    RE:  WYOMING’S ANNUAL RABIES LAWS/ORDINANCES
     
    Greetings Governor Freudenthal and General Salzburg: 
     
                The time for Wyoming to adopt a uniform, state-wide 3 year canine rabies immunization protocol conforming to the national standard is long overdue.  Scientific data demonstrating a minimum duration of immunity for the canine rabies vaccine of 3 years by challenge and 7 years serologically was incorporated into the 2003 American Animal Hospital Association’s Canine Vaccine Guidelines more than 5 years ago.
     
                Because the rabies vaccine is the most potent of the veterinary vaccines and associated with significant adverse reactions, it should not be given more often than is necessary to maintain immunity.  Adverse reactions such as autoimmune diseases affecting the thyroid, joints, blood, eyes, skin, kidney, liver, bowel and central nervous system; anaphylactic shock; aggression; seizures; epilepsy; and fibrosarcomas at injection sites are linked to rabies vaccinations.
     
    The rabies is a “killed” vaccine and contains adjuvants to enhance the immunological response.  In 1999, the World Health Organization " classified veterinary vaccine adjuvants as Class III/IV carcinogens with Class IV being the highest risk," [1] and the results of a study published in the August 2003 Journal of Veterinary Medicine documenting fibrosarcomas at the presumed injection sites of rabies vaccines stated, “In both dogs and cats, the development of necrotizing panniculitis at sites of rabies vaccine administration was first observed by Hendrick & Dunagan (1992).” [2]  According to the 2003 American Animal Hospital Association’s Canine Vaccine Guidelines, "...killed vaccines are much more likely to cause hypersensitivity reactions (e.g., immune-mediated disease)." 
     
                Many, if not all, annual rabies vaccines are the 3 year vaccine relabeled for annual use -- Colorado State University's Small Animal Vaccination Protocol for its veterinary teaching hospital states: “Even with rabies vaccines, the label may be misleading in that a three year duration of immunity product may also be labeled and sold as a one year duration of immunity product.” Wyoming city laws/ordinances requiring annual rabies boosters do not enhance an animal’s immunity and needlessly expose dogs to the risk of adverse reactions.  The American Veterinary Medical Association's 2001 Principles of Vaccination state that “Unnecessary stimulation of the immune system does not result in enhanced disease resistance, and may increase the risk of adverse post-vaccination events.”
     
                Of importance to policy makers is data indicating that compliance rates are no higher in states with annual rabies immunization requirements than in those with triennial protocols.  A 2002 report compiled by the Banfield Corporation for the Texas Department of Health on rabies vaccination rates determined that a “comparison of the one-year states and the three-year states demonstrates no difference in the delinquency rates” and that, “A paucity of scientific data exists to demonstrate a clear public health benefit of a one-year vaccination protocol versus a three-year vaccination protocol.” [3]
     
                The Center for Disease Control’s National Association of State Public Health Veterinarian's Compendium of Animal Rabies Prevention and Control 2007 recommends that: "Vaccines used in state and local rabies-control programs should have at least a 3-year minimum duration of immunity.” They state further that, “No laboratory or epidemiologic data exist to support the annual or biennial administration of 3- or 4-year vaccines following the initial series.”
     
                Medical, epidemiological, and scientific data, as well as the recommendations of the Center for Disease Control’s National Association of State Public Health Veterinarians’ Compendium of Animal Rabies Prevention and Control 2007 and the American Animal Hospital Association’s Canine Vaccine Guidelines for 2003 and 2006 evidence the need for Wyoming to revise its state-wide rabies immunization requirements for dogs by adopting the national 3 year standard in all municipalities.
     
                Perhaps Attorney General Salzburg’s department could issue a legal opinion on whether or not municipalities with annual rabies vaccination requirements are violating Wyoming’s consumer protection laws by mandating that dog owners pay for yearly veterinary procedures from which their animals derive no benefit.
     
                I strongly urge you to conform all of the state’s rabies immunization requirements to the 3 year standard so that Wyoming dogs are no longer put at unnecessary risk of harmful side affects by being forced to receive medically unwarranted annual rabies boosters.
     
    Sincerely,
     
    Kris L. Christine
    Founder, Co-Trustee
    THE RABIES CHALLENGE FUND
     
    cc:       Cheynne Mayor Jack Spiker
                Cheyenne City Council
                Director of Department of Agriculture, John Etchepare
                Deputy Director of Department of Agriculture, Jason Fearneyhough  
                Wyoming Legislature
     
    --------------------------------------------------------------------------------
     
    [1] IARC Monographs on the Evaluation of Carcinogenic Risks to Humans:  Volume 74, World Health Organization, International Agency for Research on Cancer, Feb. 23-Mar. 2, 1999, p. 24, 305, 310.
     
    [2] Fibrosarcomas at Presumed Sites of Injection in Dogs: Characteristics and Comparison with Non-vaccination Site Fibrosarcomas and Feline Post-vaccinal Fibrosarcomas; Journal of Veterinary Medicine, Series A August 2003, vol. 50, no. 6, pp. 286-291(6)
     
    [3] The White Paper, Texas Department of Public Health, Zoonosis Control, Options for Rabies Vaccination of Dogs and Cats in Texas, 2002
     
     
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  • Kris L. Christine
    • Gold Top Dog
    Kris L. Christine

    Posted : 4/14/2008 4:35:00 PM

    WYOMING Rabies Laws--Update
     
    To update you on efforts to change Wyoming's rabies laws, on Saturday April 12, 2008, an article entitled Changes to Vaccine Ordinance Unlikely http://www.wyomingnews.com/articles/2008/04/13/news/19local_04-13-08.txt was published in the Wyoming News.
     
    Below is a copy of a letter to the editor I sent to the paper this morning.    
     
    What You Can Do To Help
     
    1.) Contact Cheyenne Mayor Jack Spiker  mayor@cheyennecity.org Phone:  (307) 637-6200; Fax: (307)637-6378
    2.) Leave a comment on the newspaper article at http://www.wyomingnews.com/articles/2008/04/13/news/19local_04-13-08.txt
    3.) Write a letter to the editor of the Wyoming News (Scott Smith) ssmith@wyomingnews.com Fax: 307-633-3189
     
    PERMISSION GRANTED TO CROSS-POST THIS MESSAGE
     
    April 14, 2008
     
    To the Editor:
     
    There are a number of issues in the April 12, 2008 article entitled Changes to Vaccine Ordinance Unlikely that need to be addressed.
     
    The state veterinarian, Dr. Walter Cook, seems to be unaware that the national organization of which he is supposed to be a member, the Center for Disease Control’s (CDC) National Association of State Public Health Veterinarians (NASPHV), currently recommends a 3 year rabies vaccination protocol in their 2008 Compendium of Animal Rabies Prevention and Control and has done so since at least 2001.  The American Veterinary Medical Association also endorses the NASPHV’s 3 year rabies immunization protocol. 
     
    Contrary to Dr. Cook’s statement, veterinarians are not required to report adverse reactions to vaccines and the World Small Animal Veterinary Association (WSAVA) stated in 2007 there is “gross under-reporting of vaccine-associated adverse events which impedes knowledge of the ongoing safety of these products.”  In an article entitled, A New Approach to Reporting Medication and Device Adverse Effects and Product Problems, (JAMA - June 2, 1993. Vol.269, No.21) Dr. David Kessler, former head of the Food & Drug Administration, reported that "only about 1% of serious events are reported to the FDA."
     
    Studies demonstrating long-term (more than 3 years) duration of immunity for the canine rabies vaccine have already been published.  In 1992, a French research team led by Michel Aubert published the results of a rabies challenge study in Scientific Technical Review (Rev. sci.tech. Off. int. Epiz.) 1992, 11 (3), 735-760 in which they demonstrated that dogs were immune to a rabies challenge 5 years after vaccination.  The serological studies of Dr. Ronald Schultz of the University of Wisconsin School of Veterinary Medicine showed that dogs had antibody titers counts at levels known to confer immunity to rabies 7 years after vaccination, the results of which have been incorporated into the 2003, 2006 American Animal Hospital Association’s Canine Vaccine Guidelines as well as WSAVA’s 2007 Vaccine Guidelines.
     
    Because the rabies vaccine is the most potent of the veterinary vaccines and associated with significant adverse reactions, it should not be given more often than is necessary to maintain immunity.  Adverse reactions such as autoimmune diseases affecting the thyroid, joints, blood, eyes, skin, kidney, liver, bowel and central nervous system; anaphylactic shock; aggression; seizures; epilepsy; and fibrosarcomas at injection sites are linked to rabies vaccinations.
     
    Rabies is a “killed” vaccine and contains adjuvants to enhance the immunological response.  Mercury (Thimersol) is commonly found as a preservative in killed, adjuvanted veterinary vaccines such as Rabies, Leptospira, and Lyme.  The combination of mercury with adjuvant components (aluminum hydroxide, aluminum phosphate) are of considerable concern because of the reactive properties of aluminum, when in contact with mercury.  Reactivity with aluminum is so acute that mercury may not be packed in checked or carry-on baggage on commercial airplanes, and there is currently a petition to Congress Petition to Congress, Removal of Aluminum Additive in Vaccines Resolution and Petition, citing as cause for removing aluminum in human vaccines that:  "The combination of mercury plus aluminum is far worse than the sum of the two toxicities added together.  The synergistic toxicity could be increased to unknown levels." 
     
    In 1999, the World Health Organization "classified veterinary vaccine adjuvants as Class III/IV carcinogens with Class IV being the highest risk," and the results of a study published in the August 2003 Journal of Veterinary Medicine documenting fibrosarcomas at the presumed injection sites of rabies vaccines stated, “In both dogs and cats, the development of necrotizing panniculitis at sites of rabies vaccine administration was first observed by Hendrick & Dunagan (1992).”  According to the 2003 American Animal Hospital Association’s Canine Vaccine Guidelines, "...killed vaccines are much more likely to cause hypersensitivity reactions (e.g., immune-mediated disease)."
     
    A clarification on the Postmarketing Surveillance of Rabies Vaccines for Dogs to Evaluate Safety and Efficacy referenced in the story.  Only the 246 adverse reactions to the rabies vaccine reported directly to the Center for Veterinary Biologics by the public, veterinarians, and pet owners had 72% of the dogs receiving other vaccines or drugs at the same time as the rabies shot. That is not stated to be the case further on in the report where they discuss the 10,000 adverse reactions reported by the rabies vaccine manufacturers, 65% of which were in dogs. 
     
    If the 6,500 of canine adverse rabies vaccine reactions reported by the vaccine manufacturers represents "only about 1% of serious events are reported to the FDA,” then that would translate into 650,000 if all reactions were reported.
     
    Cheyenne Mayor Jack Spiker and State Public Health Veterinarian, Dr. Cook, should be guided by the recommendations of the CDC’s National Association of State Public Health Veterinarians and the American Veterinary Medical Association to determine the state’s and city’s rabies immunization protocols rather than seeking the advice of local animal shelters and veterinary practitioners to determine appropriate protocols.
     
    Sincerely,
     
    Kris L. Christine
    Founder, Co-Trustee
    THE RABIES CHALLENGE FUND
  • Kris L. Christine
    • Gold Top Dog
    Kris L. Christine

    Posted : 4/29/2008 8:02:04 AM

     
    Once again, dog lovers are helping to bring about great changes for dogs with active participation on rabies laws -- THANK YOU to all of you who have been assisting in these efforts -- it's working!
     
    Kris
     
    Wyoming update:     The e-mail below, shared with permission from the recipient, from the President of the Cheyenne City Council, Don Pierson, was received 4/29/08 by the lead activist in Wyoming, Karon Volk:

    "Hello Mrs. Volk     Just a followup to let you know that the Mayor and I are working together and have instructed the city attorney to prepare  an ordinance or a resolution to take care of the 1 year vs 3 year problem.   All the research I have found says that to require our city residents to get the vaccination for their pets every year is unnecessary.   I will let you know when it will be ready for introduction and would hope that you would like to attend our meetings and testify about the situation.   Let me know if there is anything else I can do at this time about this situation.  Thanks for all your info you provided and your concern."
     
    ISDRA-International Sled Dog Racing Association:   After Steve Goldman, a concerned ISDRA member, contacted the International Sled Dog Racing Association about ISDRA sanctioned races requiring annual rabies vaccinations for sled dogs and asked for assistance, I wrote the letter to the Executive Director Below.  Mr. Steele responded immediately and will be publishing announcements in 2 issues of Dog and Driver before the proposal comes before the full ISDRA Board.

     

    What You Can Do

    If you are concerned about racing events that require sled dogs to receive redundant annual rabies boosters, please e-mail Dave Steele at dsteele@brainerd.net

     

    PERMISSION GRANTED TO POST AND CROSS-POST THIS MESSAGE

     

    March 18, 2008  Mr. Dave Steele, Executive DirectorInternational Sled Dog Racing Association22702 Rebel Road

    Merrifield, MN 56465, USA

    E-mail: dsteele@brainerd.net  Greetings Mr. Steele: One of the objectives listed in the International Sled Dog Racing Association’s (ISDRA) Constitution and By-Laws under Article II C is to:  “Promote the welfare of sled dogs in all activities and endeavors.”  Further on, under Article IX Section 2 A 4, it declares one of the duties of the Animal Welfare Committee shall be to:  “Inform the membership of new advances in canine nutrition and all areas related to the physical and mental well-being of sled dogs.” With those objectives and the physical and mental well-being of sled dogs in mind, I am writing to request that ISDRA’s Board of Directors seriously consider alerting its membership to the potential health hazards associated with redundant annual rabies vaccinations, which some U.S. and Canadian races require for team entrants. Annual rabies vaccinations after the initial puppy series are medically unnecessary and contrary to the recommendations of the Center for Disease Control’s (CDC) National Association of State Public Health Veterinarian's (NASPHV) Compendium of Animal Rabies Prevention and Control which declare that:  "Vaccines used in state and local rabies control programs should have at least a 3-year duration of immunity,”[1] and should be administered no more often than specified by the product label or package insert.  The American Veterinary Medical Association (AVMA) endorses a 3 year protocol as does the American Animal Hospital Association (AAHA).[2] Many, if not most or all, annual rabies vaccines are the 3 year vaccine relabeled for annual use.  According to Dr. Ronald Schultz of the University of Wisconsin School of Veterinary Medicine, whose canine vaccine studies form a large part of the scientific base for the 2003 and 2007 AAHA Canine Vaccine Guidelines as well as the World Small Animal Veterinary Association’s (WSAVA) Vaccine Guidelines, “There is no benefit from annual rabies vaccination and most one year rabies products are similar or identical to the 3-year products with regard to duration of immunity and effectiveness.”[3] Because the rabies vaccine is the most potent of the veterinary vaccines and associated with significant adverse reactions, it should not be given more often than is necessary to maintain immunity.  Adverse reactions such as autoimmune diseases affecting the thyroid, joints, blood, eyes, skin, kidney, liver, bowel and central nervous system; anaphylactic shock; aggression; seizures; epilepsy; and fibrosarcomas at injection sites are linked to rabies vaccinations.

    Rabies is a “killed” vaccine, for which internationally accepted scientific data have demonstrated a minimum duration of immunity of 3 years by challenge and 7 years serologically.  The rabies vaccine, and other killed vaccines such as Leptospira and Lyme, contains adjuvants such as aluminum hydroxide, aluminum phosphate, and aluminum potassium sulfate to enhance the immunological response.  In 1999, the World Health Organization " classified veterinary vaccine adjuvants as Class III/IV carcinogens with Class IV being the highest risk,"[4] and the results of a study published in the August 2003 Journal of Veterinary Medicine documenting fibrosarcomas at the presumed injection sites of rabies vaccines stated, “In both dogs and cats, the development of necrotizing panniculitis at sites of rabies vaccine administration was first observed by Hendrick & Dunagan (1992).”[5]  According to the 2003 AAHA Canine Vaccine Guidelines, "...killed vaccines are much more likely to cause hypersensitivity reactions (e.g., immune-mediated disease)."Devil

     With the physical challenges of the trail to meet, sled dogs should not be exposed to the health hazards associated with medically unwarranted annual rabies boosters in order to enter racing events.  I strongly urge you to inform your membership of the potential risks associated with unnecessary annual rabies vaccinations and request that ISDRA only sanction races that conform to the 3 year standard recommended by the Center for Disease Control’s National Association of State Public Health Veterinarians, the American Veterinary Medical Association, and the American Animal Hospital Association. If you have any questions or would like copies of the material referenced above, please contact me at xxxxxx. Sincerely,Kris L. ChristineFounder, Co-TrusteeThe Rabies Challenge Fundwww.RabiesChallengeFund.org

    [1] Center for Disease Control’s National Association of State Public Health Veterinarian's Compendium of Animal Rabies Prevention and Control http://www.nasphv.org/Documents/RabiesCompendium.pdf
    [2]The American Veterinary Medical Association’s 2007 RABIES VACCINATION PROCEDURES www.avma.org/products/scientific/biologics.pdf

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

    [3] What Everyone Needs to Know about Canine Vaccines, Dr. Ronald Schultz http://www.puliclub.org/CHF/AKC2007Conf/What%20Everyone%20Needs%20to%20Know%20About%20Canine%20Vaccines.htmDuration of Immunity to Canine Vaccines: What We Know and Don't Know, Dr. Ronald Schultz http://www.cedarbayvet.com/duration_of_immunity.htmWorld Small Animal Veterinary Association 2007 Vaccine Guidelines http://www.wsava.org/SAC.htm Scroll down to Vaccine Guidelines 2007 (PDF)

    [4] IARC Monographs on the Evaluation of Carcinogenic Risks to Humans: Volume 74, World Health Organization, International Agency for Research on Cancer, Feb. 23-Mar. 2, 1999, p. 24, 305, 310

    [5] Fibrosarcomas at Presumed Sites of Injection in Dogs: Characteristics and Comparison with Non-vaccination Site Fibrosarcomas and Feline Post-vaccinal Fibrosarcomas; Journal of Veterinary Medicine, Series A August 2003, vol. 50, no. 6, pp. 286-291(6)

    Devil The 2003 American Animal Hospital Association's Canine Vaccine Guidelines are accessible online at http://www.leerburg.com/special_report.htm 
    ______________________________________________________________________________________
    More information on the rabies vaccine can be found at the following links :
     
    Animal Wellness Magazine Article Vol. 8 Issue 6, How Often Does he REALLY Need A Rabies Shot   Animal Wellness Magazine - devoted to natural health in animals
     
    The Rabies Challenge Animal Wise Radio Interview
    Listen to Animal Wise  (scroll down to The Rabies Challenge 12/9/07)
     
     
    US Declared Canine-Rabies Free -- CDC Announces at Inaugural World Rabies Day Symposium   CDC Press Release - September 7, 2007
     
    Rabies Prevention -- United States, 1991 Recommendations of the Immunization Practices Advisory Committee (ACIP), Center for Disease Control's Morbidity and Mortality Weekly March 22, 1991 / 40(RR03);1-19  http://www.cdc.gov/mmwr/preview/mmwrhtml/00041987.htm  "A fully vaccinated dog or cat is unlikely to become infected with rabies, 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; no documented vaccine failures occurred among dogs or cats that had received two vaccinations. "
  • Kris L. Christine
    • Gold Top Dog
    Kris L. Christine

    Posted : 5/9/2008 3:40:03 AM

    Tennessee dog owners have launched an effort to change the annual rabies immunization laws required by various counties in Tennessee to the 3 year standard recommended by the CDC's National Association of State Public Health Veterinarians and The American Veterinary Medical Association (see letter below from professional dog trainer, Jan Casey).  I will be writing in a letter of support soon as well.
     
    What You Can Do to Help
     
    Send an e-mail to the contacts below -- it's easy to copy and paste addresses into an e-mail.  If you're ambitious, please phone some of the contacts or fax them a letter, and circulate this message to all of  your dog-owning contacts and ask them to help the dogs of Tennessee by sending an e-mail to request a change in rabies immunization protocol from a 1 year to the national 3 year standard.
     
    Cookeville Contacts http://www.cookeville-tn.org/ Mayor Sam Sallee mayor@cookeville-tn.org Phone: 931-520-5241 City Manager Jim Shipley jshipley@cookeville-tn.org Phone: 931-526-9591 Fax: 931-526-4897 Cookeville City Council Members:mayor@cookeville-tn.org; jshipley@cookeville-tn.org; jdavis@cookeville-tn.org; rshelton@cookeville-tn.org; aanderson@cookeville-tn.org; rwilliams@cookeville-tn.org; clm@cookeville-tn.org
     
    Putnam County Contacts County Executive:  Kim Blaylock debby@putnamco.org 300 E. Spring Street Room 8, Cookeville, TN 38501 Phone: (931) 526-2161 Fax: : (931) 528-1300 County Attorney Jeffrey G. Jones, 1420 Neal Street, Cookeville, TN 38501; Phone: 931-372-9123, Fax: (932) 372-9181
     
    Many thanks for assisting the dogs in your own and other states!  Your efforts helped defeat a proposed change in Maine's laws and are making the change to a 3 year protocol in Cheyenne possible and may also result in Wichita switching to the 3 year standard (negotiations are encouraging on that front).  Excellent work!
     
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    From: Jan Jasey

    Dear Sirs/Madams:

    I am writing to you to request a change in the rabies immunization requirements in Cookeville and Putnam County.   Having recently changed veterinary services from Overton County to Putnam County, I was astounded to find that this county still mandates a yearly rabies vaccination rather than the three year of surrounding counties. I am writing to you to request you review and change this policy and adopt the national 3 year standard.  As a dog trainer, board member for the Friends of the Cookeville/Putnam County Animals, and advocate for healthy dogs, I ask you to review the current facts available on this topic.

    I will begin with the fact that the State of Tennessee, after thorough review of studies done nationwide by leading veterinary vaccine research scientists and universities, has deemed the three year rabies vaccination to be effective in preventing the spread of rabies.  The annual rabies vaccine now given is simply a three year vaccine that has been relabeled for 1 year use.  The University of Wisconsin School of Veterinary Medicine and Dr. Ronald Schultz of this school have determined “There is no benefit from the annual rabies vaccination and most one year rabies products are similar or identical to the 3-year products with regard to duration of immunity and effectiveness.”  Likewise, the CDC's National Association of State Public Health Veterinarian's 2008 Compendium of Animal Rabies Prevention and Control states "Vaccines used in state and local rabies control programs should have at least a 3-year duration of immunity. ....... No laboratory or epidemiologic data exist to support the annual or biennial administration of 3- or 4-year vaccines following the initial series.  ....All vaccines must be administered in accordance with the specifications of the product label or package insert."

    My request for the change in the vaccination protocol stems from the fact that the rabies vaccine carries significant adverse reactions due to its potency.  According to a review of literature by the Rabies Challenge Fund,  autoimmune diseases may result  that affect the thyroid, joints, blood, eyes, skin, liver, kidney, bowel, and central nervous system; anaphylactic shock; aggression; seizures; epilepsy; and fibrosarcomas at the injection sites. All have been linked to the rabies vaccination.
    Also noted is the fact that rabies vaccines include aluminum hydroxide, aluminum phosphate, and aluminum potassium.  These ingredients are listed as Class III/IV carcinogens with Class IV being the highest risk.  The August 2003 Journal of Veterinary Medicine documents fibrosarcomas at the presumed injection sites of rabies vaccines.  The 2003 AAHA Canine Vaccine Guidelines state “…killed vaccines are much more likely to cause hypersensitivity reactions (e.g., immune-mediated disease.)”

     Obviously, the dangers involved in over-vaccinating our dogs far outweighs other considerations for retaining the yearly vaccinations.  I respectfully request that Putnam County follow the State of Tennessee guidelines to require the three year rabies vaccination protocol for the well-being of our dogs.  Please contact me if you require more information.
     
    Respectfully,
     
    Jan Casey, Dog owner, trainer, and Board Member of the Friends of the Cookeville/Putnam Co. Animals  
     
    Resources for more information:
     
    [1] Center for Disease Control’s National Association of State Public Health Veterinarian's Compendium of Animal Rabies Prevention and Control http://www.nasphv.org/Documents/RabiesCompendium.pdf
    [2]The American Veterinary Medical Association’s 2007 RABIES VACCINATION PROCEDURES
    The 2006 American Animal Hospital Association's Canine Vaccine Guidelines are downloadable in PDF format at http://www.aahanet.org/PublicDocumen...s06Revised.pdf
    [3] What Everyone Needs to Know about Canine Vaccines, Dr. Ronald Schultz http://www.puliclub.org/CHF/AKC2007Conf/What%20Everyone%20Needs%20to%20Know%20About%20Canine%20Vaccines.htm 
    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)
    [4] IARC Monographs on the Evaluation of Carcinogenic Risks to Humans: Volume 74, World Health Organization, International Agency for Research on Cancer, Feb. 23-Mar. 2, 1999, p. 24, 305, 310
    [5] Fibrosarcomas at Presumed Sites of Injection in Dogs: Characteristics and Comparison with Non-vaccination Site Fibrosarcomas and Feline Post-vaccinal Fibrosarcomas; Journal of Veterinary Medicine, Series A August 2003, vol. 50, no. 6, pp. 286-291(6)
    Devil The 2003 American Animal Hospital Association's Canine Vaccine Guidelines are accessible online at http://www.leerburg.com/special_report.htm

    _______________________________________________________________________________________
  • Kris L. Christine
    • Gold Top Dog
    Kris L. Christine

    Posted : 5/12/2008 9:31:03 AM

    Below is a copy of the letter I have just sent to Tennessee's Governor and Attorney General regarding the state's rabies immunization protocol for dogs. 
     
    What You Can Do to Help
     
    Contact the following:
     
    Governor Bredesen phil.bredesen@state.tn.us Phone: 615.741.2001 Fax: 615.532.9711
    Attorney General Cooper Phone: 615-741-3491 615/741-5860   Fax: 615/741-2009
    Mr. Bernie Rhoades, Tennessee Department of Health Bernie.Rhoades@state.tn.us Phone: (615) 741-8539
    Dr. John Dunn, Tennessee Department of Health John.Dunn@state.tn.us  Phone: 615.741.7247
    Your Legislator Tennessee Legislature http://www.legislature.state.tn.us/ (full list of TN legislators e-mails in my original post above, just copy and paste)
     
    PERMISSION GRANTED TO CROSS-POST
     
    May 12, 2008
     
    Governor Phil Bredesen                                           Attorney General Robert E. Cooper, Jr.
    Tennessee State Capitol                                           P.O. Box 20207
    Nashville, TN 37243-0001                                        Nashville, TN 37202-0207
     
    RE:     Tennessee’s Anti-Rabies Law, Title 68 Chapter 8
     
    Greetings Governor Bredesen and General Cooper:
     
    Tennessee’s state anti-rabies law, Title 68 Chapter 8 Section 103 (i) declares that “Nothing in this section shall be construed to require more frequent rabies vaccinations or a greater number of rabies vaccinations than are required by the rabies compendium,” and defines the “compendium” under Section 102 (3) as “the most recent issue of the national ‘Compendium of Animal Rabies Prevention and Control’ published by the Association of State Public Health Veterinarians..”
     
    The National Association of State Public Health Veterinarian’s (NASPHV) Compendium of Rabies Prevention and Control promulgated in Tennessee’s anti-rabies law declares that “All vaccines must be administered in accordance with the specifications of the product label or package insert. …. Vaccines used in state and local rabies control programs should have at least a 3-year duration of immunity. ….. No laboratory or epidemiologic data exist to support the annual or biennial administration of 3- or 4-year vaccines following the initial series.”[1]  The American Veterinary Medical Association also endorses NASPHV’s Compendium[2] which is incorporated into Tennessee’s law.
     
                Confusion ensues and Tennessee dogs are inappropriately vaccinated when counties, towns, and veterinarians arbitrarily override the directives of Title 68 Chapter 8 by requiring annual rabies boosters after the initial puppy series.  In a May 9th phone conversation, Mr. Bernie Rhoades of the Tennessee Department of Health told me that the media is responsible for spreading the fallacy that Tennessee law requires annual rabies boosters.  While speaking later that day with Dr. John Dunn, State Medical Epidemiologist and DVM, he stated that he and the public officials favor the 3 year protocol in Tennessee’s law and that veterinarians are responsible for overriding the law in Davidson County.  Random compliance with the state law means that some Tennessee dogs are subjected to a rabies vaccination protocol that directly conflicts with the recommendations of two of the country’s top veterinary medical associations -- the National Association of State Public Health Veterinarians and the American Veterinary Medical Association.
     
                Medically unnecessary annual rabies vaccinations put dogs at needless risk of adverse reactions without boosting immunity, and it obligates Tennessee pet owners to pay for veterinary procedures from which their animals derive no benefit, and which may cause permanent harm. The American Veterinary Medical Association's 2001 Principles of Vaccination state that “Unnecessary stimulation of the immune system does not result in enhanced disease resistance, and may increase the risk of adverse post-vaccination events.”[3]
     
                Many, if not all, annual rabies vaccines are the 3 year vaccine relabeled for annual use -- Colorado State University's Small Animal Vaccination Protocol for its veterinary teaching hospital states: “Even with rabies vaccines, the label may be misleading in that a three year duration of immunity product may also be labeled and sold as a one year duration of immunity product.” According to Dr. Ronald Schultz, Chair of the Department of Pathobiological Sciences at the University of Wisconsin School of Veterinary Medicine, “There is no benefit from annual rabies vaccination and most one year rabies products are similar or identical to the 3-year products with regard to duration of immunity and effectiveness.”[4]
     
    Immunologically, the rabies vaccine is the most potent of the veterinary vaccines as well as being a “killed,” adjuvanted vaccine associated with clinically significant, sometimes lethal, adverse reactions (death was reported to the Center for Veterinary Biologics in 5.5% of dogs experiencing adverse reactions to the rabies vaccine between 4/20/04 and 3/31/07)[5].  In 1999, the World Health Organization "classified veterinary vaccine adjuvants as Class III/IV carcinogens with Class IV being the highest risk,"Devil and the results of a study published in the August 2003 Journal of Veterinary Medicine documenting fibrosarcomas at the presumed injection sites of rabies vaccines reported, “In both dogs and cats, the development of necrotizing panniculitis at sites of rabies vaccine administration was first observed by Hendrick & Dunagan (1992).”[7]  According to the 2003 American Animal Hospital Association’s Canine Vaccine Guidelines, "...killed vaccines are much more likely to cause hypersensitivity reactions (e.g., immune-mediated disease)."Music
     
             Adverse reactions such as polyneuropathy “resulting in muscular atrophy, inhibition or interruption of neuronal control of tissue and organ function, incoordination, and weakness,”[9] auto-immune hemolytic anemia,[10] autoimmune diseases affecting the thyroid, joints, blood, eyes, skin, kidney, liver, bowel and central nervous system; anaphylactic shock; aggression; seizures; epilepsy; and fibrosarcomas at injection sites are linked to the rabies vaccine.[11] [12] It is medically unsound for this vaccine to be given more often than is necessary to maintain immunity. 
     
                Tennessee state law, Title 68 Chapter 8, should be consistently enforced statewide.   Individual veterinarians, town and county officials should not arbitrarily override the section of the law pertaining to the rabies immunization protocol for dogs.  Not only is it medically inappropriate, but the practice of vaccinating dogs annually against rabies after the puppy series may violate Tennessee’s Consumer Protection Laws; and veterinarians promoting such procedures may be engaged in Unprofessional Conduct as defined in Rule 1730-1-.13 (9) under the General Rules Governing Veterinarians disseminated by the Tennessee State Board of Veterinary Medical Examiners, as well as breaching Rule 1730-1-.02 (c).
     
                I strongly urge you to review Tennessee’s Anti-Rabies Law and draft legislation to close any legal loopholes in the language which allow for arbitrary adherence.  If you have any questions or would like further information, my contact information is below.
     
    Respectfully submitted,
    Kris L. Christine
    Founder, Co-Trustee
    THE RABIES CHALLENGE FUND
     
    cc:       Mr. Bernie Rhoades, Tennessee Department of Health
                Dr. John Dunn, Tennessee Department of Health
    --------------------------------------------------------------------------------
     
    [1] National Association of State Public Health Veterinarian's 2008 Compendium of Animal Rabies Prevention and Control, pp. 3, 6-7
    [2] American Veterinary Medical Association  2007 RABIES VACCINATION PROCEDURES, p. 11
    [3] AVMA, Principles
    [4] Schultz, R.; What Everyone Needs to Know About Canine Vaccines and Vaccination Programs, October 2007, p. 3
    [5] Frana, T. et als, Postmarketing Surveillance of Rabies Vaccines for Dogs to Evaluate Safety and Efficacy, Journal of the American Veterinary Medical Association April 1, 2008 issue, Vol. 232, No. 7, p. 1001
    Devil IARC Monographs on the Evaluation of Carcinogenic Risks to Humans: Volume 74, World Health Organization, International Agency for Research on Cancer, Feb. 23-Mar. 2, 1999, p. 24, 305, 310.
    [7] Vascelleri, M. Fibrosarcomas at Presumed Sites of Injection in Dogs: Characteristics and Comparison with Non-vaccination Site Fibrosarcomas and Feline Post-vaccinal Fibrosarcomas; Journal of Veterinary Medicine, Series A August 2003, vol. 50, no. 6, pp. 286-291(6)
    Music Report of the American Animal Hospital Association (AAHA) Canine Vaccine Task Force: 2003 Canine Vaccine Guidelines, Recommendations, and Supporting Literature, p. 16
    [9] Dodds, W. Jean Vaccination Protocols for Dogs Predisposed to Vaccine Reactions, The Journal of the American Animal Hospital Association, May/June 2001, Vol. 37, pp. 211-214
    [10] Duval D., Giger U.Vaccine-Associated Immune-Mediated Hemolytic Anemia in the Dog, Journal of Veterinary Internal Medicine 1996; 10:290-295
    [11] American Veterinary Medical Association (AVMA) Executive Board, April 2001, Principles of Vaccination, Journal of the American Veterinary Medical Association, Volume 219, No. 5, September 1, 2001.
    [12] Vascelleri, M. Fibrosarcomas 286-291(6)
  • Kris L. Christine
    • Gold Top Dog
    Kris L. Christine

    Posted : 5/20/2008 5:25:23 AM

     
    This list is intended for those interested in taking action to prompt the State of Tennessee close the loophole in the law that allows counties and veterinarians to override the state's anti-rabies law, Title 68, Chapter 8 which specifies a 3 year rabies vaccine to be given no more often than once every 3 years. This group seeks to raise awareness about the known duration of immunity of the rabies vaccine, the adverse reactions associated with it, and to ensure that Tennessee's anti-rabies law calling for a 3 year rabies vaccine is consistently enforced statewide.
  • Kris L. Christine
    • Gold Top Dog
    Kris L. Christine

    Posted : 9/30/2008 7:35:36 AM

    To update you on the change in Cheyenne, Wyomning's rabies ordinances to adopt the national 3 year protocol, there is an article in the September 27, 2008 issue of the Wyoming Eagle Tribune entitled  Council Mulls Less Frequent Rabies Shots http://www.wyomingnews.com/articles/2008/09/27/local_news_updates/20local_092708.txt by Jodi Rogstad.
     
    "Good news for dog and cat owners: Instead of the annual rabies shot for your furry friends, that requirement may change to as little as once every three years."
  • Kris L. Christine
    • Gold Top Dog
    Kris L. Christine

    Posted : 10/13/2008 5:11:24 AM

    CHEYENNE, WY RABIES ORDINANCE -- MEETING 10/13/08 CITY COUNCIL 6:00
     
    Posted with Permission, Permission given to Cross-post
     
    YOUR HELP IS NEEDED!
    The proposed rabies ordinance will be given second reading before the City Council at the meeting tomorrow night.  Members of the audience will be given a chance to speak on the new ordinance, then the council members will discuss and vote on whether to adopt the new ordinance.  If the council votes in favor of the ordinance, it will be scheduled for a third, and final, reading at the next council meeting.  If passed at the third and final reading, it will be adopted and pets will be permitted to be vaccinated for rabies once every three years instead of every year and, if we are successful, there will be a provision for a vet to provide a written waiver of vaccination for an unhealthy animal.  Your attendance at the council meeting tomorrow night is so very important.  I cannot stress enough how much we need you to be there and let the council know you are in favor of the new ordinance, as proposed and amended.  I know many of us are not great public speakers, but all that is needed is for you to go to the podium, state your name and address and say you are in favor of the new ordinance and ask that the members of council vote in favor of it.  That's it!  PLEASE, if you able to do that, your help will be truly appreciated, not just by me, but the many pet owners out there, as well as the pets themselves who cannot speak, and trust us to do our best for them.  Please show up and show that care, and be part of creating better health and longevity for pets.  We could not have gotten this far without those of you who wrote letters and made phone calls.  NOW IS THE TIME WE NEED YOU THE MOST!  I, and others, have worked very hard the past couple of months to provide information and research to city officials in order to get this issue before the City Council with a new ordinance.  Now, we need your help to get it finished.
     
    The council meeting takes place in the Council Chambers at the Municipal Building located at 2101 O'Neil Avenue.  There is on-street parking as well as a parking lot directly across from the Municipal Building on O'Neil.  We are currently number 12 on the agenda, however there are really only 3 issues ahead of us, with one being a 3rd reading which should be done fairly quickly, the other 2 are second readings, one of which may well be tabled.  In light of this, we would ask everyone to be there between 6:15 and 6:30 pm, to be on the safe side.
     
    When the audience is asked for comments, I am planning to speak, giving the council the same information I provided to the Public Services Committee.  Judy Johnstone will also speak, giving further facts and research.  We also have a vet scheduled to speak to the issue and answer any medical questions the council may have with respect to the 3 year vaccine.  I will then provide the council with a packet of research and information which will provide the back up for what we have discussed.  (If anyone else is interested in giving a detailed discusion, citing facts, please let me know as soon as possible so I can include your research/back-up in the packet I am providing).  Following this, we need as many residents as possible to step forward and let the council know they are in favor of the new ordinance.  The more people who voice their opinion in favor, the more likely the council is to vote in favor of the changes.
     
    Please pass this on to anyone you know in Cheyenne who has a pet or may be interested in this issue.  We can only get this done with your help!
     
    Thank you, I look forward to seeing many of you tomorrow evening.
     
    Karon L. Volk
    KARONTARA IRISH WOLFHOUNDS
    3560 Horse Creek Rd
    Cheyenne, WY  82009
    307-637-8999
  • Kris L. Christine
    • Gold Top Dog
    Kris L. Christine

    Posted : 11/15/2008 8:09:20 AM

    There's an article in today's Wichita Eagle on the city's rabies ordinance, comments I've submitted are below. Now is the time for concerned pet owners to give the City Council (http://www.wichita.gov/Government/CityCouncil/ phone: (316) 268-4331) about the city adopting a 3 year protocol.

    PERMISSION TO CROSS-POST

    City Seeking Vets' Input on Rabies Wichita Eagle 11/15/08 http://www.kansas.com/759/story/597614.html The city of Wichita is asking area veterinarians if it should change its ordinance requiring dogs to be vaccinated yearly against rabies.

    Comments I've submitted:

    Wichita's rabies ordinance should be based on scientific data, not a poll of the veterinarians who profit from rabies vaccine income. An October 1, 2002 DVM Newsletter article entitled, AVMA, AAHA to Release Vaccine Positions http://www.dvmnewsmagazine.com/dvm/a...l.jsp?id=35171 reports "The statement stresses AVMA's stance on education, a reduction in the profession's dependence on vaccine sales, which account for a significant portion of practice income, ..........Veterinarians must promote the value of the exam and move away from their dependence on vaccine income. "

    The CDC National Association of State Public Health Veterinarians and the American Veterinary Medical Association both recommend 3 year rabies protocols http://www.nasphv.org/Documents/RabiesCompendium.pdf, and according to veterinary vaccine research scientist, Dr. Ronald Schultz, "There is no benefit from annual rabies vaccination and most one year rabies products are similar or identical to the 3-year products with regard to duration of immunity and effectiveness." What Everyone Needs to Know about Canine Vaccines http://www.puliclub.org/CHF/AKC2007C...20Vaccines.htm

    Concerned pet owners should contact the City Council and urge them to adopt a 3 year rabies protocol. For more information on the rabies vaccine, its known duration of immunity, and documented adverse reactions associated with it, see The Rabies Challenge Fund website at www.RabiesChallengeFund.org. To hear a radio interview with veterinary vaccine research scientist Dr. W. Jean Dodds, go to Duration of Immunity: The Rabies Vaccine Challenge - Show #185 Animal Talk Radio Show 7/30/08 http://www.blogtalkradio.com/animalt...lenge-Show-186
  • Kris L. Christine
    • Gold Top Dog
    Kris L. Christine

    Posted : 12/1/2008 9:17:37 AM

    Based on several questions I've recently received, it appears that dog owners in South Carolina and Mississippi are under the mistaken impression that their animals are required to have annual rabies vaccinations.  Links to the respective laws are below.
     
     
    Dogs and Cats**
    All dogs and cats shall be vaccinated against rabies at three months of age, revaccinated one year later and every three years thereafter, using a rabies vaccine approved as providing a 3-year immunity.
     

    SOUTH CAROLINA Rabies Control Title 47 http://www.scstatehouse.gov/code/t47c005.htm

    SECTION 47-5-60. Inoculation of pets; certificates and tags.

    A pet owner must have his pet inoculated against rabies at a frequency to provide continuous protection of the pet from rabies using a vaccine approved by the department and licensed by the United States Department of Agriculture. Evidence of rabies inoculation is a certificate signed by a licensed veterinarian.
  • Kris L. Christine
    • Gold Top Dog
    Kris L. Christine

    Posted : 12/9/2008 2:32:09 PM

    CHEYENNE – The City’s Dogs and Cats will No Longer Need to Get Rabies Shots Every Year Wyoming Tribune Eagle, Page A3, Tuesday, December 9, 2008 by Jodi Rogstad

    Pet owners now have the option to have their animal companions vaccinated once every three years. Monday, the Cheyenne City Council voted 8-2 to change the city’s rabies vaccine ordinance.

     
     
  • Kris L. Christine
    • Gold Top Dog
    Kris L. Christine

    Posted : 3/11/2009 6:53:48 AM

    Yesterday the Wichita, Kansas City Council voted in a 3 year rabies protocol.


    Wichita City Council Overhauls Animal Codes 3/11/09 Wichita Eagle http://www.kansas.com/news/story/728918.html by SUZANNE PEREZ TOBIAS

    "• Require rabies vaccinations every three years -- instead of every year -- for dogs, cats and ferrets."
  • SheridanMCCPC
    • Bronze
    SheridanMCCPC

    Posted : 2/1/2010 3:53:00 PM

    This thread caught my eye because I live in WY. Very informative. My dog got her first 3-year shot in 2008. I always wondered why they went to a 3 year rather than annual. Around here (Sheridan) rabies is found most commonly in skunks & raccoons.

  • calliecritturs
    • Gold Top Dog
    calliecritturs

    Posted : 2/1/2010 7:20:53 PM

    RAbies shots have the highest incidence of adverse reactions of all shots -- and they are linked to cancer and all sorts of things.  The one year shot and the 3 year shot are identical -- it's simply the certification.

    Even VETS take rabies shots but they are NOT required to take them over and over but rather they titer to make sure they are still protected. 

     But rather than try to control it in the wildlife, they will simply insist on over-vaccinating dogs.