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 BHW Resident Surgeon
Posts: 25351
  
Location: Bastrop, Texas | BARRELHORSE USA - 2014-03-12 8:36 PM
FYI; Read and agree or disagree in your own mind ... this is not a poll ....
... this article and on-going research goes for all vaccines that DO CREATE IMMUNITY .... not the maybe so (recommended it may be best to do ) vaccines that DO NOT create any immunity ... just profits for the drug makers ...
Time for laws to change????
http://healthypets.mercola.com/sites/healthypets/archive/2011/06/21...
Mercola is a charlatan and has carved out a lucrative niche for himself.
I think there may be some evidence that suggests vaccinating for rabies need not be a yearly thing. I'm not sure but maybe every 2-3 years may be adequate. I'd have to look it up again. I think in some countries rabies vaccines are recommended every 2-3 years. | |
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 Expert
Posts: 2457
| Every year. Horses, dogs, and kitties .... :) | |
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 Expert
Posts: 1857
 
| TrailGirl - 2014-03-13 7:41 AM
Interesting article. Â My issue is the variable level of immune response based on the individual. Â My philosophy has always been that I should vaccinate regularly for those diseases that do not have a treatment (i.e Rabies). Â If I had the cash to run vaccine titers on all of the critters...I would do that instead and only vaccinate/booster those that needed it. Â HOWEVER...as the article pointed out...those tests are very cost prohibitive. Â Re-vaccination (other than VAS in cats) has a low risk of harm....therefore that's where I choose to spend my cash. Â For the adult dogs/cats they will get rabies every 3 years...other vaccines are annual to start...but once they are 3 years old I only give the DHLPPC once every 3 years. Â And I skip it altogether after age 9.
I guess I am not much of a risk taker. Â I may occasionally run with scissors...but in general I play it safe. Â Especially with the health/welfare of the critters. Â Â But I do feel that the vaccines do likely build immunity for longer than they can claim due to FDA approval status etc. Â The titer is the only way to know for sure.
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 The Bird Lady
Posts: 6440
Location: The end of the Earth, SE AR | Arkansas is has ben experiencing record detections of rabies in bats and skunks.
Regardless of what your beliefs or thoughts are about immunity, vaccine safety, etc, it is VITAL you familiarize yourself with your state's rabies law.
Here in AR, domestic animals that the Health Dept. determines have had contact with the rabid animal must be quarantined for up to 6 months or euthanized and tested. If the domestic animal has an up-to-date was vaccine given by a license vet (with records at his office) they may be revaccinated and just quarantined for 45 days. (you pay for board unless the Dept. of Health approves home containment).
If there is no record of the vaccine (such as you bught the vaccine and gave it yourself) the domestic animal is treated as if it was never vaccinated and it must be quarantined for 6 months (and you pay for board for 6 months at a vet clinic)or euthanized.
I am on a mailing list from the Health Dept.veterinarian and the emails and stories she relates regarding the rabies cases are fascinating in the truth-is-stranger-than-fiction kind of way. And scary:
. We finished 2013 with a record-breaking number of animal rabies cases, 152—triple our normal yearly average.
The first one of 2014 is a dog from Conway Co., and definitely NOT a good way to begin the year.
A homeowner has, to put it mildly, a large number of dogs, many inside, some outside. The particular dog in question was perhaps 10-12 years old, and she had inherited this dog from a deceased relative around six years ago. It normally was a friendly, mild-mannered dog. One day, seemingly out of the blue, it ‘jumped’ on another of her dogs and was attacking it. After the attack, the aggressive dog ran off and couldn’t be found. The dog it attacked was found dead later in the day. The following day, the errant dog returned and attacked a neighboring relative’s dogs, biting at least two of them, one fairly seriously. He next went back home, wagging his tail and acting normal. The homeowner was outside and she talked to the dog; all seemed OK. But when she turned her back, the dog attacked her, biting her severely in her leg and both hands. She screamed for help and two relatives next door came running. They were able to kick the dog off her, one called 911 and the other got a gun and shot the dog. First responders carefully got the dog into plastic bags and it was taken to a veterinarian for submission. The dog tested positive for rabies.
There are a number of people as well as animals exposed. Naturally, the dog’s owner, who got bitten will need the post-exposure preventive series. Two other relatives, who handled dogs after they had been bitten by this one are concerned about saliva contact, and are receiving prophylaxis also. And although the vet wore protection during the preparation for submission, when his gloves were removed, there was a hole in one of them, so we have a potential exposure here also.
On the animal side, there are an unbelievable number of animals between these family members who all live next door to one another. The original homeowner has 10 inside dogs, four inside cats, and possibly four or five outside dogs. The relative down the road has six inside dogs and three outside dogs. There are some cats next door, but it sounded like they are all inside. The burning question is—how many of these animals have had a rabies vaccination? A variety of them are supposed to have had a ‘coop’ vaccine purchased over-the-counter, including the rabid dog. But naturally there are no records and while they think it was last year or maybe a year and a half ago, it could be four years ago! The only ones vaccinated by a veterinarian, as our state law requires, have been some of the inside dogs. Near as I can tell, only three of the inside dogs are current on rabies vaccinations.
The outside dogs will be euthanized rather than quarantined. The inside dogs were not exposed, but they will have to get them current on their vaccinations.
We can only presume that this dog was exposed to a rabid skunk weeks ago, but when questioned, family members pulled the ‘we live in the country’ excuse, and say there are numerous skunks but they have no idea whether this poorly observed yard dog was bitten by one.
Edited by rollingrfarm 2014-03-13 10:05 AM
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 Hugs to You
Posts: 7551
Location: In The Land of Cotton | I never used to do my horses. I do now. We have had too many incidents of wildlife having rabies in surrounding counties. I have had a stray dog come to our house and tear one of my dogs up. We had to do the 45 days of quarrantine. Not fun.
One of my friends had a horse in training that developed rabies two weeks after it left her place. She had to go through the shots. Said horse was destroyed. Nothing to play with. | |
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 Pork Fat is my Favorite
Posts: 3791
Location: The Oklahoma plains. | I have a close friend who lost one due to rabies- and it was awful to hear about as well as hear about the folks that handled the horse having to take shots for several weeks. We have always vaccinated. | |
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 The Vaccinator
Posts: 3810
Location: Slipping down the slope of old age. Boo hoo. | 3canstorun - 2014-03-13 10:11 AM
I never used to do my horses. I do now. We have had too many incidents of wildlife having rabies in surrounding counties. I have had a stray dog come to our house and tear one of my dogs up. We had to do the 45 days of quarrantine. Not fun.Â
One of my friends had a horse in training that developed rabies two weeks after it left her place. She had to go through the shots. Said horse was destroyed. Nothing to play with.
We began vaccinating our horses for Rabies several years ago. We have seen Rabies cases steadily increase in Arkansas and we have, like you, too many wild critters wandering around to take a chance. We have grandchildren and other children who visit the barn.... just not willing to take a chance - ever. | |
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 I Don't Brag
Posts: 6960
| 3canstorun - 2014-03-13 10:11 AM
I never used to do my horses. I do now. We have had too many incidents of wildlife having rabies in surrounding counties. I have had a stray dog come to our house and tear one of my dogs up. We had to do the 45 days of quarrantine. Not fun.Â
One of my friends had a horse in training that developed rabies two weeks after it left her place. She had to go through the shots. Said horse was destroyed. Nothing to play with.
If I recall correctly, can rabies take up to a year before horses become symptomatic? Seems like I read that recently. If so, the horse may have been exposed LONG before it was sent off for training.
I have not begun to give rabies shots to my horses, but I do check to see reported cases of rabies in the states and bordering states. IN the meanwhile I reconsider it every year. | |
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Extreme Veteran
Posts: 551
Location: NE WY | Just started doing so about 4-5 years ago after an out break in skunks and coons in our county. My dogs always have been, didn't even know horses were at risk until I learned about it thru the out break. We can give the shots ourselves but must be bought thru the vets office. And my vet sells them for $8.00 - To me that is crazy cheap and worth every penny. My dogs now only have to have Rabies every 3 years and unfortunatly it is much more expensive because dogs and cats must also have the certificate filled out by the vet so they charge more, but still worth it, we love our pets and I have young children, not taking that risk!! | |
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Industrial Srength Barrel Racer
Posts: 7265
| CYA Ranch - 2014-03-12 10:20 PM nance - 2014-03-12 8:08 PM I do. It has to be given by a vet though. The others I give myself. Not around here. I give them myself.
Same here. My vet told me the reason the vets give the dogs and cats rabies shots is so you will have a record of it in case they bite someone as horses are less likely to bite people. | |
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