Rabie shots.

[Mutt]

Is it necessary to vacinate a dog for rabies every year. I have read a few articles that state that the vacine will stay in a dogs system from 3 to 5 years. I have also read that there is some concern that to much of the vacine can lead to seizers. I am wondering if it is possible that I am over medicating my dogs vacinating them yearly. I have a 3 year old BC and a 4 year old Golden ret. The GR has taken two mild seizers in the past year and my parents dog has been having serious seizures over the past 3 years. Does any of the members of this list have any ideas on this subject.

 

Thanks

[juliepoudrier]

Mutt,

I am a firm believer in vaccines not being needed yearly after the initial series of shots. I think rabies vaccines are fine at three-year intervals BUT in the case of rabies vaccines, here in the U.S. we are legally required to vaccinate our dogs for rabies, and how often the dog is vaccinated depends on the laws of individual states. Some states require yearly rabies vaccines, and other states allow the vaccines to be given every three years (except for the first-ever rabies vaccine, which in Virginia at least, is good for just one year).

 

My vet recently started going to yearly rabies vaccines for cats. When I asked why, I was told that vets now believe that the tumors that sometimes develop in cats at rabies vaccination sites are due to the adjuvant in the traditional rabies vaccines. My vet has gone to adjuvant-free rabies vaccines for cats. The trade-off, according to my vet, is that the adjuvant works to "heighten" the animal's immune response the the vaccine, and so lack of adjuvant makes the vaccine they now give to cats less "potent" than the old-style vaccine. Thus their reasoning for now giving cats yearly rabies vaccines. Frankly, I plan to use a vet closer to home who still uses the old three-year vaccine for my cats....

 

In any case, how often you vaccinate your dog for rabies should be governed either by the Canadian government or by the government of the province in which you live.

 

J.

[trailrider]

One of the important requirements before giving rabies vaccine is to examine the dog to ddecide whether there may be illness. The vaccine is not to be given unless the animal is in good health. As far as I can determine, it would not be advisable to give rabies vaccine to a dog with seizures, since that dog is not in good health.

 

Another route would be to do blood titres to determine the amount of rabies immunity is in the animal and thus rule out the necessity for a further vaccination.

 

There are some websites that give some background.

 

 

The following is the Vaccine Assessment statement that goes out with

results for Vaccinial Titer requests from the Cornell Veterinary

Diagnostic

Laboratory - this was written by our Virologist, Dr. Edward Dubovi.

 

(NOTE: THESE TITER RECOMMENDATIONS ARE FOR THOSE REPORTED BY OUR LAB

WITH

OUR TEST PROCEDURES - my comment)

 

Vaccination Assessment

Vaccines under the best of circumstances prevent the development of

clinical disease but do not prevent infection. Protection from clinical

disease is a coordinated effort between humoral immune responses

(antibody)

and cell-mediated immune responses. In general, high serum neutralizing

antibody titers infer good protection. Protection is also impacted by

the

environment in which the animal resides, i.e. nutritional stress,

overcrowding, etc, and by the age of the animal. All of these factors

should be assessed in the process of making decisions regarding

re-vaccination

 

Protection and antibody titeres are difficult relationships to firmly

establish from available literature.

 

For canine distemper virus, we offer the folloing guidelines using our

test

values: The vast majority of vaccine titers range from 1:64 -1:640. For

animals below 1:32, a booster vaccination should be considered with a

titer

check after 4 weeks.

 

For canine parvovirus, we offer the folloing guidelines using our test

values: The vast majority of vaccine titers range from 1:160 -1:640. For

 

animals below 1:80, a booster vaccination should be considered with a

titer

check after 4 weeks.

 

For canine adenovirus (infectious canine hepatitis virus), we offer the

following guidelines using our test values. The vast majority of vaccine

 

titers range rrom 1:32 - 1:512. For animals below 1:16, a booster

vaccination should be considered with a titer check after 4 weeks.

 

For canine parainfluenza, we offer the following guidelines using our

test

values. The vast majority of vaccine titers range rrom 1:32 - 1:256.

For animals below 1:16, a booster vaccination should be considered with

a

titer check after 4 weeks.

 

Marg Pough

Veterinary Diagnostic Lab

Cornell University

 

 

http://svmweb.vetmed.wisc.edu/VetWeb/Deskt...emID=39&mid=164

[border_collie_crazy]

I have to add that a rabies vacc turned my beloved happy into a quiverering,frigtend,wreck :eek: she was origanally: sweet,happy,and friendly

after Rabies vax: scared,its rare to see her tail wagging,ears always folded back, overly submissive.

happy would have been awsome and rally-o,flyball,frizbee,agility,ect.... if only we could get her anywhere near a building containing dogs or people,she is 2 years old now.

 

we are so frightend about what happend to happy that misty will ONLY be receiving a killed Parvo(litterally in a few hours) and yes that is ok,since my flyball club is teaching the puppy classes,misty will soon be taking so we wont be checked not too mention she is a healthy pupper on BARF

[juliepoudrier]

Border Collie Crazy,

Although your dog may not be checked at your local club, please keep in mind that if she is not vaccinated against rabies and ever bites someone, her life may well be forfeit. I'm sure the laws vary by state, but you should educate yourself as to the possible legal (not to mention moral) consequences of not vaccinating your dogs against rabies.

 

I choose to vaccinate for other dog diseases on a non-annual basis, but I follow the law when it comes to rabies vaccines (fortunately i don't live in a state that requires yearly vaccines). Remember that rabies is incurable, and once and animal or human shows symptoms, there's nothing that can be done for them.

 

Just the other day I saw two raccoons wandering across a farm field in broad daylight, a red flag if there ever was one. Rabies is enough of a problem in the U.S. that I sure wouldn't take any chances....

 

J.

[Pam Wolf]

Border Collie Crazy, maybe it wasn't the vaccine, but the process which frightened your dog. Sort of like the guy who experimented about the effects of alcohol. He drank Scotch and water-got drunk, Drank Vodka and water-got drunk etc--determined water makes you drunk.

[border_collie_crazy]

first I am not in the states I am in Canada. our vet completly supports our decision, and, she is a holistic vet, and does sooooooo many seminares and is extremly well respcted. she will NOT give a rabies vax to her dogs until they are at least a year old, and that is the ONLY time her dogs receive it. as for happy, yes I am sure it was the vax and not the prossess, she was fine with the prossess, it was when we took her for a walk the next day, we see some people that normally she would have loved to greet and play with them, instead she freaked the second that came into view, my mom thought it was just a fear stage, but it never passed, 2 years later, same dog, not only scared of people, she is scared of the friggen guinea pigs, and other dogs, it took her a year and half to not freak out on my best friend whome she saw like everyday, and met even when she was a tiny puppy, happy still has not warmed up to my friends little sister though. happy is NOT the only dog the rabies shot has affected this way. we are afraid to rabies vax misty cuz we REALLY want her to be a flyball dog, we are really scared of giving her shot that could destroy any chance of that... so mosty likely rabies is a nono in my house. unless thi shas happend to you, your not going to understand why we will not rabies vax our dogs.

[Olivia]

border_collie_crazy,

 

No need to get all defensive. All the people here have done is point out possibilities. I bet that even in Canada if your dog bites someone and you cannot prove rabies vac. then your dog could possibly be in trouble..be it quarantine, etc. At a clinic I used to work at we had a dog in for rabies quarantine. He was kept in a cage and a rabies control stick used to move him around for weeks (i forget how long). The run he could be in was double fenced and he was fed with a sliding drawer. Sad.

I have never heard of a vac causing such a drastic behavior change (I work as a vet tech with an Animal Science degree) but i guess it is possible. Just don't put your dog in danger because of something that happened to your other dog...look how many dogs and cats are vaccinated every day with no ill effects.

 

Olivia

 

Also, if you (or your vet) only gives the vac once at age one you might as well not give it at all. Even if the titers stay high in some animals for 3 years or so there is no guarantee. If she is that worried she shouldnt worry arout it at all.