Comments on: What are the Rationales Behind Rabies Vaccine Schedules?

By: Susan

Susan — Sat, 22 Aug 2009 14:38:10 +0000

Still the question; is the 1-year RV the SAME as the 3-year? I have a 2-pound chi pup, 17 weeks old, worried about the effect of the shot on her as she is so tiny. I am considering waiting till she is a year old and go for the 3-year then.

By: liz

liz — Wed, 20 May 2009 19:52:40 +0000

these vaccines are VERY importane as i found out.we woke up with a sick bat that had gotten in our house,my entire family had to go through rabies prophalaxsis shots.our oldest dog had been vaccinated for rabies but not our puppy.(too young)we had the choice of putting our pup down or starting the rv, both dogs were vaccinated several times and were under quarrentine for 6 months.which has now passed.and our dogs are fine and healthy.our vet wasn’t as worried about our older dog,as she was vaccinated but was very worried about our lil one,cause we didn’t know if anyone or the dogs had been bitten.(we were asleep) our older dog had the protection of the rv but not the pup,if we KNEW for certain the pup had been bitten she would have had to have been put down as she had no rv protection,the older dog would have been in quarrentine with more shots.
people think if they keep their animals in the house they r protected ,but as our experience shows,things happen.r u sure a bat could NEVER get into your house? a crack, a hole small as a pencil,open door/window.don’t be complacent. for your pets and your safe health get the shots for them.

By: Jo

Jo — Sat, 16 May 2009 02:40:28 +0000

Sadly, I was vaccinated for Rabies myself after being bitten by an infected kitten I was trying to rescue. As Kat noted, kittens CAN carry the virus as was one thought to be improbable and strays are unfortunately becoming a larger breeding ground for the spread of this killer. In my case, in a less populated area, people are more likely to allow their beloved animals to spend time outdoors, so it is VITAL that they receive the rabies vaccine. A rabid animal whether it be a raccoon, fox, skunk, bat, dog or a cat may display odd behaviors during the daytime when your pet is more likely to be outside or where YOUR CHILD may be playing. All it takes to transmit this virus is a scratch from the infected host OR if your pet becomes infected, a kiss (a lick) from them to you. VACCINATE your pets and be cautious about odd behavior in the animals that shouldn’t be out during the day if you should see them.
PLEASE EDUCATE yourself about this virus! It’s a painful, agonizing virus for a human to endure, any animal must feel the same. It’s 100% fatal if contracted and not treated. VACCINATIONS can help prevent the spread and the benefits outweigh any negatives.

By: Animal Lover

Animal Lover — Fri, 15 May 2009 20:27:05 +0000

These places like China and Bali need to focus on trying to get these dogs spayed or neutered….that will cut down on the pet overpopulation problem!! Its pretty simple… get them spayed/neutered and also give them their rabies shot at that time. They need to focus on the problem of over population….but most in China are cruel so it is probably easier for them to just kill them with sticks…..how horrific is that!!

By: Lisa

Lisa — Thu, 14 May 2009 18:27:49 +0000

I just want to say that I lived in the far north (Yellowknife, NWT) for three years and my then 10 year old GSD, who had never had a rabies shot when she came to Canada from Germany at 3 years of age (as part of the police dog breeding program), was given one for the first time. In the north, rabies is rampant as is the propensity for the fox population to wander about town. Many beloved pets and homeless dogs became infected with rabies – very sad. I am glad my vet advised me to vaccinate. We continue to do this with our second retired brood GSD, although in Canada, it depends where you live. (My first girl died peacefully in my arms at the age of 12).

By: Kat

Kat — Thu, 14 May 2009 08:00:02 +0000

The reason why indoor cats should be vaccinated against rabies is that if you bring a new kitten into your home and it turns out to have rabies, which has happened, and your other cats are in danger of being euth and tested. If your cat escapes and is attacked by another animal, they are also in serious danger of being euth and tested for the safety of humans. Any possible case of rabies in a domestic animal is reported to the health dept.

By: Charli

Charli — Thu, 14 May 2009 03:58:19 +0000

One of my dogs has had two serious allergic reactions to the rabies vaccine. He will not have another – I refuse to have him vaccinated for this again. Our vet agrees that too dangerous and has written him a medical waiver. He cannot get a city license tag, be boarded (except at our vet) or travel but that’s ok with me. If he does bite someone, he will need to be held for 10 days observation which our vet has agreed will be in her facility if it can’t be in our own home. Personally, choosing between the 100% chance of him having another reaction (and possibly dying) and the less than 1% chance of him contracting rabies is a no-brainer.

By: Emmy

Emmy — Thu, 14 May 2009 00:07:52 +0000

I strongly feel that we are over vaccinating our pets. Not to mention the use of all these combo shots. One can’t boost immunity. Giving these shots year after year aren’t making our pets anymore immune. I would never use a vet who blindly recommended all vaccines for all pets. I’ve had pets who were incorrectly diagnosed with HOD when in reality it was a vaccine reaction.

If we ever use a breeder again we’re going with a natural rearing one. One who raw feeds and believes in minimal or no vaccines.

Vets can’t help it they are like doctors in a certain sense. Their only interest is sustaing the business (not all but I’m talking about an industry not an individual). Medications, and vaccines are a big part of their business. Sad but true, they can’t help it. This is why I’m so happy I have found a holistic vet who is also classicaly trained (doesn’t really practice that way anymore though).

We are over vaccinating our pets and it is changing who they are. It’s nice to see many owners, vets (Dr. Dodds), breeders, and others speaking out about the dangers that vaccines cause.

By: Bobbie Cellon

Bobbie Cellon — Wed, 13 May 2009 23:00:13 +0000

I’m sorry, can someone explain to me why my cats should have rabies shots when they NEVER go outside. oh, yes, a bat could fly down my fireplace. hmmm well i have a screen up and glass doors. next?

my beautiful ragdoll Tony was fine until he got shots. he now has allergies for which i give him medication and he will suffer with these the rest of his life.

i can’t believe indoor cats need those vaccines! as far as giving the three year vaccine yearly- why would you give an animal three times the dose he needs? and yes, they do this, it happened to us before i got smart enough to say no.

By: Kristen

Kristen — Wed, 13 May 2009 22:49:32 +0000

We have the 3 year vaccine at our office and I am a big fan of it personally. I think extending to 3 years is much better than vaccinating every year. If a group were to come out with research proving the titer lasts longer, I would hope that the Government and Vets offices would consider changing the vaccination protocols.

In our county, the dogs are registered with their Rabies Vaccinations. You must send in paperwork proving they’ve had their Rabies, and the County will send you a tag. I used to think it was just the County trying to collect their “pound of flesh” for everything since it was a pain to Send off money annually (extra $$ for un-neutered/unspayed) for a little tiny tag that needed to be renewed every year whether you got the 1 yr or 3 yr vaccine but now they have changed protocol and it’s actually cheaper to send off for their 3 year registration tag then to do it each year (about 15 bucks total for the 3 year).

With 4 pets recieving RV in the household, the 3 yr vaccination comes in handy (saving about 25 bucks per pet per annual visit for 2 years) and saving county tag registration fees for all 4.

It’s not perfect, but I’ll take what I can get! :)