Some truths about rabies

Acouple of weeks ago, a 55 year old man died from rabies. The 55 year old southern Missouri man died six weeks after being bitten by a bat.

The tragic death, was the first human rabies death in the state of Missouri since 1959.

It's really amazing when you think about it.  There is so much talk about rabies in dogs, and the importance of rabies vaccinations in this country -- and the last death from rabies in this state happened amost 50 years ago.

In fact, last year, the CDC declared canine rabies dead in the U.S.  Dogs can still contact rabies from other animals such as bats, skunks and racoons, but overall, rabies in adogs in the United States is a very small concern.

In fact, from 1995-2006, there were 37 instances of rabies in human in the United States -- 29 were because of bat bites, 1 from a racoon, and 7 were from dogs -- but none of the dog bites actually occured in the United States. So there hasn't been a single case of a US dog biting a human being and causing rabies in at least the past 13 years.

Popular novels like Old Yeller and Cujo continue to make rabies a scare in the U.S.  It shouldn't be.

Now this doesn't mean that we should quit giving vaccinations to our dogs...however, it DOES mean that all of the cities out there that still require annual vaccinations should review their policies. Most veterinarians any more perscribe to the three year rabies vaccination (many vets I talk to think this vaccination lasts for up to 5 years) -- because it is healthier for the dogs to not be over-vaccinated.

Any city that currently requires vaccinations yearly should immediately change their policy to require dogs to be "up-to-date" on their vaccinations.  This will allow for owners to use the 3-year vaccination -- and no doubt 5 and 7 year vaccinations that come in the future.  This will improve the overall health of all of our pets.

Comments

[EmilyS]

My town just changed to the 3 year protocol. Despite the resistance of our conservative ( and yes, moneygrubbing) vets, a local activist convinced one of the "good old boys" on the City Council that all the science verified the 3 year protocol as safe and effective, and that was all we needed, as the world works here. So now our dogs are safe from overvaccination, even if our purses are not safe from being overcharged (we still have to buy annual tags from vets who are not prevented from ALSO requiring for annual exams at the same time)

[Selma]

We go 3-year here in Ontario pretty much everywhere. My vet gives me the current year's tag for free.

My guys are on 2-year distemper, etc, as well. Some will say it's not necessary blah blah but in truth, I've always vaccinated annually until the new protocols came in with absolutely no problems.

My former vet said some clinics use low-quality vaccines which creates the problems you hear about.

Oh and of course, stay away from Fort Dodge.

I'm already bringing them in for their other shots and the heartworm test, etc when they get their shots so I guess they don't mind giving me a 2-cent tag gratis.

Rabies is well under control but that might be due to high compliance with vaccinations, much like heartworm.

[Christopher]

Excellent post. It's worth noting that the Rabies laws are a major tool that the local governments have to use against what they perceive as problem situations.

Sort of like how Al Capone wasn't brought down by any laws against murder or extortion or rum running, instead they got him on tax laws!

For instance, in the recent dog hoarding situation in Montana, police had intervened before using the rabies laws.

I don't know how I feel about this... it seems to me that it's prone to be abused. I'd prefer carefully tailored laws that get directly at the problem. Rabies laws shouldn't be the "ace in the hole" for the government to play when they want to interfere in an area where other laws are insufficient.

I.e. if we can't have BSL, we'll just harass people with dogs we don't like with selective enforcement of rabies tags checks.

[btoellner]

Seems like most hoarding cases would be easily solved with cruelty/neglect laws.

I don't have a problem with people needing to vaccinate their dogs -- the last thing we need to do is open the door to create a problem. However, the resistance to the 3 year vaccine is just crazy IMO.

[MichelleD]

The resistance to the 3 year vaccine is about money -- look no further than the ridiculous setup they have in Emily's town.

In Raytown the vet protested the 3 year vaccine - saying people wouldn't bring their dogs into the vet except every 3 years and that could lead to other health problems. Oh, and that he had to make his Hummer payments. Over-vaccinating is a great way to promote animal health!?

The reality is if your dog isn't sick and properly cared for it really doesn't need to see the vet every year. I'd rather see people save their coin to afford a vet visit when the dog really needs it AND for these people to be able to afford HW meds, decent food, etc.

[Dog Health Information]

Rabies is a life-threatening viral disease that causes inflammation to your pet's nervous system and eventually results to madness and death. Do proper precaution in protecting your pet dog as well as your health and life.

You can check our site at http://edoghealth.blogspot.com/ to know more on how to protect your dog and yourself from rabies.

[C. E. May]

We are considering a move to the KC area in the future. I am having difficulty with some of the various city ordinances -- many are vague about the required frequency of rabies vaccinations. Do you have any suggestions, besides phoning each municipality, on how to find out this information? Is there a web site that includes it?

[Brent]

CE,

It's a really mixed bag in the Kansas City area on the rabies tags. I believe most cities allow for the 3 year vaccine now, although a few, like Raytown, do not. We've been pushing most cities to move to a "current rabies vaccination" -- so when a 5 or 7 year vaccine becomes the norm, the law will already reflect that. I'd much rather have our veterinarian community in charge of making the decision for what's healthiest for my pet vs the city government.

But the short answer is, it varies quite a bit, and I don't know of a single source that has that information available (I'm going to put that on our to-do list). So you'll likely have to contact the city you plan to move to to find out for sure.