3 Year Rabies Booster - help me decide - Page 2

Well I would probably just call her and explain your situation particularly with your older girl that had lymes.  As the reaction to rabies is usually physical mobility issues so maybe start her on doxy now and vaccinate when due and follow up with more doxy.  My older girl that I mentioned had Rocky Mountain Spoted Fever in 2007;  and you will never convince me that the fever did not have something to do with her nasal/sinus tumor but the vet at  that time was too stupid to run the tests on her so wasn't diagnosed properly or treated properly until a month of hell with her;  at that time she was 9 I think;  so from that point on I was VERY careful what I pumped her body with and SHE was my reason for going totally raw because as she aged her mobility was being compromised;  after going raw she totally turned around and lived to be a few months shy of 15 years old.  SO, had I not seen that with my own two eyes  you couldn't probably convince me of the improvement the raw diet made for her.  Guess I got lucky in her case.  Have a great day,  Nan

I feel for you and your dilema. I too hate the thought of over vaccinating or giving unnecessary vaccines. I would have the 6 year old vaccinated, but look into your options for the 11 year old. As Nan suggested, consulting with Dr. Dodds is a good start. Dr. Dodds may be able to recommend a vet in your area, whose philosophy on vaccines is in keeping with hers. It has been my experience that a vet who is more cautious about giving vaccines and promotes doing titers is also up to date on the local laws and will give you the proper guidance.

I know a dog who had Lyme's and is now totally negative despite not being able to tolerate the doxy. This was accomplished via a combo of natural remedies. Might be something to look into for the female, AND a good reason not to vaccinate!!! I don't why vets seem to forget that vaccines are for TOTALLY HEALTHY ANIMALS ONLY. 

My girl has EPI and I too, dread the thought of giving her the rabies vaccine. However, she runs all over our farm and chases everything. At some point, you do have to realize our dogs are animals, not our children, and animals need to have vaccinations that protect us, our friends, our family and our neighbours from contracting rabies. I think a lot of dogs are over vaccinated, however, I believe a three year rabies vaccine is one that should be given. Maya is due for hers and I will be taking her in, and I pray that she handles it well. I am scared, though.

I had been on the fence about rabies mostly with my aussie who is an mdr1 dog.  She will be 14 this month! Still full of life even tho she is stone cold deaf right now..She was due last Spring. 

We are required by law to booster every 3 years.  If a dog without the updated vac were to bite someone, they would be treated as a dog without a rabies vac and subject to either euthanization or quarantine, depending on the cirucmstances..I also have ALOT of wildlife around here, and she is a critter chaser even tho my yard is fenced and she is never out unsupervised, there is a chance I could let her out some nite and have her run into a racoon:(

With that, I  discussed it long and hard with my vet..I went with 1/2 a dose and was able to get the rabies certificate. 

My other dogs (as well as her),,I have always done rabies, but go with Thimerisol free single dose vacs which my vet gets.

My dogs are chronic positive for anaplasmosis as well. 

I should add none of them have ever had a reaction to the rabies vac, I stopped with other vac's years ago, and only titer.
Diane

A few states will recognize protective rabies titers. If your state isn't one of them, then there are only two options - vaccinate in accordance with the law or don't and take the chance of having your dog killed if it bites or scratches someone. You don't vaccinate most dogs against rabies every year/3  years to keep their titers at a protective level, you do it to satisfy antiquated dog laws.

If I had a dog with a chronic disease that had no chance whatsoever of ever being given the opportunity to bite anyone, there is no way I would continue to vaccinate it against rabies even if it did have a chance of coming in contact with a rabid animal. I would do a titer first.

 

Bad reactions to rabies vacs are most likely long-term and may not always be recognized as such. More research is needed and that is what makes Dodds'  rabies challenge so important to the dog world. 

Some examples based on personal experiences: I've owned a dog that had annual rabies vacs that developed lymphosarcoma, he only lived 7 1/2 years. Ditto my daughter's cocker and a friend's sheltie. All were given annual rabies vacs and got sick within 3 months of their most recent vacs. 2 had every vac known to man every year of their lives; they both died within 6 months of their diagnoses. 

The cocker received rabies, distemper/parvo, lyme, bordatella - all the same day, got sick the next day with a fever, developed a sterile abcess at the site of one of the vacs. A few weeks later she was diagnosed with lymphoma and died a few months later.

My dog also developed a chronic bacterial sinusitis within a month of receiving  a nasal kennel cough vac. 2 surgeries, biopsies and trips to a soft tissue surgeon failed to cure or find the source of this condition. The surgeon finally said he was attributing it to the nasal vac and the fact that this dog had inhalation allergies that were signalments of an overactive/crippled immune system. Too many vacs? Can't prove it, but I think so.

I now follow Dodds' protocol with my current dog and if I thought I could get away with no more rabies vacs, I do it in a heartbeat. She's soon 6 and there will be no kennel cough or lyme vacs ever and no more distemper or parvo.
 

Agree Blitzen:  I obviously have to follow the CA. law protocal for rabies but follow Jean Dodds vaccine for Distemper/Parvo/Adino, blah, blah blah;  now that 16/17 week vaccine is optional;  where it used to be the last vaccine was supposedly needed to be given after the 16 week age.  Not so now, that vaccine is optional.  Man it is no wonder our dogs are dying by 5 years old with the many forms of cancers out there, we used to vaccinate sometimes 2 times per year and when parvo first came on board, we used feline vaccines.  JHC, what were we thinking.  Bet the vaccine manufacturers got rich off that ordeal.  Very sad though what the vaccines have done to our animals.

Have great days everyone,  Nan

Your vet can exempt your dogs should he wish to. I too would not vaccinate the 11yo. At this stage, it isnt worth it. I would however vaccinate the male. As was previously stated, should something happen (whether he bites or not) you have no proof .... your stuck.

What I do find kinda scary is that you don't vaccinate at all? Other than puppy shots? I am a strong believer of titering to make sure the dog has ample protection from disease but taking your dog out and about among other dogs without any protection is presumptuous and ill advised. Right now in my state distemper and parvo are rampant. Why open the door of a possible contamination? You didnt state if you titer. While your own dogs may be well cared for, certainly doesn't mean others do the same. You could pick up parvo from the bottom of your shoe and contaminate the dogs yourself. Just something to think about.

Barb