Let's talk rabies vaccs...

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Postby pitbullmamaliz » January 31st, 2012, 9:51 am

Inara is due for her three-year rabies vacc in February. I don't want to give it to her. The more I read/hear about vaccinations, the more positive I am that she isn't getting any more, and it seems like rabies has the most vacc reactions. I know titers for the DHLPP stuff is okay, but last I heard, rabies titers aren't accepted for licensing purposes. Inara already has her license for this year, and they don't ask for proof of rabies vaccs anyway. I don't anticipate her ever biting anybody, but with the hysteria in this country about this breed all she'd need to do is jump on somebody and scratch them to be accused of biting, at which point I'd need to show proof of vaccination.

So what do I do??? What medical purposes give valid reasons for not vacc'ing against rabies? My vet is super old school and humors me with the raw feeding, and will humor me with the normal titers, but I don't think she'd like and write a medical excuse for not doing rabies.

Thoughts? Advice? Do I just suck it up and do the rabies?
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Postby mnp13 » January 31st, 2012, 10:39 am

My honest advise? Find a vet that has the same feelings about chronic over-vaccination that you do. Rabies titers are not accepted anywhere, for anything. Well, except to prove that a dog being imported into the country is vaccinated, but evidently that's only "proof" to the government in that single situation.

Every titer we have ever done has come in WAY over the minimum recommended levels.
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Postby pitbullmamaliz » January 31st, 2012, 10:42 am

I would but my vet is so dirt cheap and doesn't harass me when I do things "differently." Inara's been going there since day 1 and her hours are great, so I'm loathe to leave.

I guess what I need to do is find out the procedure if Inara gets accused of biting somebody and doesn't have her rabies vacc - is she taken from me or quarantined at my house? I'm getting in good with the ACO's at the City Kennel, so maybe I'll talk to one of them.
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Postby Malli » January 31st, 2012, 3:32 pm

If she is suspected of having rabies, *my understanding* is that there is only one way to test her, and it does not involve her staying alive.

The vaccine debate is a whole other thing in itself. I'm going to hold off on commenting on the rest of the topic.
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Postby mnp13 » January 31st, 2012, 3:43 pm

I've been involved in two dog bite cases in NY. Both times the dog had a ten day quarantine at the owner's home. Your mileage may vary.
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Postby call2arms » January 31st, 2012, 10:53 pm

I would just suck it up. But then again I'm on THAT side of the fence, lol. There was a time when dhpp/rabies were done yearly, and it wasn't the end of the world.

The chance of your dog catching rabies are really slim, the chances of your dog biting someone while having rabies are even slimmer, but lots of diseases aren't endemic because we vaccinate for them nowadays (my own dog was euthanized due to distemper in the late 80's, she wasn't vaccinated, that disease has pretty much been wiped out by vaccination now).

At the e-vet where I work, a few dogs that aren't vaccinated for rabies are euthanized for behavior problems/biting every month. What the canadian food inspection agency comes to do with the body afterwards is not something you want to think about after you've had to put your dog down.

There's my 2 cents!
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Postby Tubular Toby » February 1st, 2012, 1:31 am

I always stayed within the law and had it done yearly. With everything that's been going on with Toby, my vet now doesn't want to vaccinate him again just yet. We're going to titer test him. I guess it boils down to your risks. If there is a risk that the vaccination could in some way make Toby's behavior worse (and my vet believes it can), then it's ultimately leading him down an ugly road anyway, whether he ever got the chance to bite someone with or without the vaccination.

I'm with Michelle, I would look for a vet whose belief aligns with yours. But I also understand where you're coming from staying there. I think it's just an incredibly personal decision and what you feel most comfortable with. I would never have imagined that I would be so hesitant to vaccinate Toby, but this vet has helped him so much, that I'm starting to think she knows what she's talking about. ;)
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Postby amalie79 » February 1st, 2012, 10:48 am

Arkansas finally switched to the 3 year vax schedule, and apparently the state vet association would prefer people do titers, but local ordinances trump those recommendations.

I used to think the dog catching rabies was really slim. However, we've had around a dozen confirmed rabid skunks in the county, some within the city limits; we've had 2 neighbors within a couple of blocks catch 9+ skunks each, and they routinely spray our yard.

This is one of those things that I'm not sure how to handle. :|
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Postby TinaMartin » February 3rd, 2012, 2:22 pm

I find it "funny" that the powers that be insist that we vaccinate repeatedly. It has been shown time and time again that not only is it pointless but also harmful. The immune system has a memory. Once it has been exposed it is pointless to do it again. If people are ok with one time vaccine for stuff why not animals. When vaccines are given repeatedly the body quite ofter will give a hyper response.
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Postby Ino » February 4th, 2012, 10:11 pm

The process in our county is not fun if the animal is not up to date on rabies. That is the only vax required by law here. If the dog bites a human , it is a 10 day quarentine or if it is suspected to have it or is signed over and is decided to do the test instead of the quarentine or the animal is very sick, the animal is euthanized and the head removed. Where it gets tricky, is if the dog encounters "wildlife" and gets into a scuffle- it is a 6 month quarentine if the animal is not up to date on rabies vaccine. We have had 2 dogs stay with us for 6 months due to fights with raccoons, and our south shelter has had a lengthy quarentine due to bobcat attack on a dog. One of the dog's owners actually killed the raccoon and sent it off for testing and it came back positive. I am pretty sure the previous owner of the dog had vaccinated her, as she took some nasty marks to her head from it and did not get rabies, but it cost them a pretty penny for not having her shot done. They had to pay the impound fee of $35.00 + transport by animal control for $30 + $16.00 county license as they were not up to date with that +$6.00 per day board for the whole 6 months the dog was in the shelter. We did allow them to visit the dog, but they could not touch the dog at all. They could talk to them or throw biscuits but no touching or allowing them to take treats from their hands, as rabies is transferred through saliva. It was torture for the people going through it. That is the main drive for me to keep Ino up to date- they do not play here and I won't risk it. I would check the local laws on wildlife along with human bites. I know the wildlife incidents here happened on the owners property, but with the risk of the possibility of disease, they were not offered a home quarentine- had to be done through the shelter with no contact with people at all. Even we are not allowed to interact with the dogs.
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Postby SLS61185 » March 8th, 2012, 11:55 pm

Just seen this. But, owning a dog and going through what I did with Patch, and him biting the little girl back on Oct/Nov... I can't and won't say don't give the shot. That is one of the few things that saved him from NOT being able to come home. Hit shots being up to date.

Some places will let you do the quarantine at home because it's less stress on the animal. Some places will not. Our AC officer that delt with my case asked her boss if we could do it at home and he said no. Then that ten day quarantine turned into a month for court.

None of us ever expect our dogs to bite a person or an animal. Including me. I'm now a person with a dog that has bitten a person. I can not and will not take that chance of never having his shots done. That was one of the hardest and longest months that I've had in a LONG time.
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