3 Year Rabies Booster - help me decide - Page 1

Hi All -

Well, it's that time again. My male will be 6 in February and my female just turned 11. They are both due for their 3 year rabies booster at the end of October and I am absolutely dreading it. My vet and I had a disagreement about my hesitation to vaccinate them for rabies the last time around but I eventually relented. Besides puppy shots I do not vaccinate for anything else - they get heartworm tabs in the summer but that's it. I live just outside Washington DC and take my dogs all over creation as well as spend my days with them outside as I work on a horse farm. Unfortunately, I feel it is a necessary evil to revaccinate them both. However, I would really rather not. Can you all give me your experiences?

I am well aware of the Rabies Challenge Fund and that's great and all but if/when a raccoon or bat ends up in my house or at the barn and I need to show proof of valid rabies vax, my dogs are going to be SOL! What am I supposed to do then? Just hope it doesn't happen?  It is my understanding that they impound dogs for several weeks and then decide to either destroy them or vaccinate and release. This happened to my next door neighbour a few years ago who has a Westie but did not keep a current tag on the collar or good records. A bat got into their house and when animal control came they seized the dog when they couldn't show proof of vax. A few days later the dog was released and all was fine. But if my dogs were not current on their boosters the outcome may have been different and I would never forgive myself. 

If you DO NOT do a rabies booster, have you ever had a situation where you needed to show proof of rabies vax and had to talk your way out of it? Do you just cross your fingers and pray to god that nobody finds out your dog hasn't been updated in however many years? Have you ever had your dog(s) taken away from you by AC for not having proof of current rabies vax? How do you sleep at night, if so? I feel like I am tormented over this decision. My vet is understanding and doesn't say a word when I decline Distemper/Kennel Cough/Etc. boosters. Rabies is a BIG DEAL here and I need some help from all sides of the equation.

Thanks in advance.

I suggest that you stay within the law where you live.

I can see being against over vaccination, but really, being against doing it even once every 3 years? Are you even getting titers done, or just writing off vaccinations?

You are so screwed if your dogs are accused of biting someone and they aren't current. Usually, they will quarantine a dog if it's currently vaccinated, but an unvaccinated dog will most likely lose it's head. If your dogs haven't had an adverse reaction to the rabies vax in the past, I would bite the bullet and just do it. Would you be able to live with yourself if your dogs were put down due to your decision not to vaccinate?

Once every 3 years is not going to do your dogs any harm. And if you live in a state like i do with several active rabies cases already this year and lots of critters. Then you should make sure your dogs are vaccinated. It's not worth having to kill the dog to check the brain for rabies. And i've seen heads going out to the CDC when i worked for a vet.
I keep my dogs current. And i'm not anti vaccines or am i pro, vaccinate the crap out of them every years either.
Better safe then sorry.
Fry

You can try to get a medical exemption, at least for the 11yr old.  Your vet doesn't own your dogs; you do. Research the law. Do titers. A titer may not cover you if the dog bites someone, but just for general "proof" it should be fine- just check your county and weigh the risks. 

To say once every 3 years isn't going to do any harm is not true; no one has any way of knowing that. Some dogs seem "fine" and some dogs have a horrible reaction to just one.  If you could tell when a dog was going to have a vaccine reaction, or when the immune system will decide it's had enough and start going haywire, we wouldn't have any dogs w/problems, would we? No way would I revaccinate dogs that old. You're immune or you're not. You don't get "more immune" with more boosters. That's just ridiculous and ancient thinking. A vet arguing with you over that is not an enlightened vet and needs to get current on recommended protocols and the reason behind them. 

Know the laws BEFORE you get there, wherever you're going. Having Pit Bulls, I learned to check everything rather than be caught in a bad situation. 

You say you travel all over with your dogs.
If you ever plan to visit a New York State Park, be prepared to show a rabies certificate. They record the number.
If you ever drive to Canada, be prepared to show a rabies cert and the same when crossing back into the U.S. They don't always ask at the border but when they do and you can't produce, your dog is quarantined.
Rightly or wrongly, the law requires the vaccine at a minimum of every 3 years. As SitasMom said, stay within the law.
 

I would talk to Jean Dodds regarding your older dog;  I would probably NOT vaccinate that dog again at that age;  see if you can get a health exemption; and she will tell you how to go about doing that.  Your 6 year old should be OK with many years ahead hopefully so you would want to have that dog covered and a certificate in tow.  JMHO  good luck  Nan

PS:  My old guys both had some serious health issues 12.5 kidney failure;  and 14.8 years old with a nasal/sinus tumor ready to erupt.  I did not vaccinate either for about the last 3 to 5 years of their lives due to health issues.  Just a choice I had to make although we are in a residential area they were seldom out unless for a short walk on leash, sooooo...I chose not to take any chances with the vaccines.  BUT, have never had an issue and neither were a protection breed so not as much of a chance to get into trouble.  Nan

Thanks very much so far for the info and opinions. I do appreciate it. Every 3 years is not the end of the world and I should probably just bite the bullet but wanted to first ask about other experiences with this stuff. I have until the end of the month to bitch and moan about it and then do it and/or try to get my older female an exemption - if that means her head won't end up in a freezer, but if there's a chance she may then I will just give her the shot and be done with it.

Forgot to add that the female had Lyme disease 3 years ago and that has caused lingering problems ever since. Nobody wants to treat for chronic lyme so unfortunately all we got was 4 weeks of doxy. Female is very spunky but her body is slowing down and has been through the mill.

To answer some questions:
- I am not anti-vaccine. Have had some friends lose dogs due to bad vaccine reactions both young and old so I am understandably wary. I almost lost my now-11 yr old female when she was a puppy due to a severe reaction to Frontline. She had to be immediately rushed to the ER and was on her deathbed and somehow pulled through. It is because the majority of people vaccinate that there is somewhat of a herd immunity with this stuff and for that I am thankful. I do puppy shots and 2 yr boosters so it's not like they've never been touched. Yes, I do pull titers on both dogs.

- I would never be able to live with myself if something happened and my dogs had to be PTS due to some circumstance where I couldn't show acceptable proof of rabies vaccination. This is something I want to prevent which is why I was asking for thoughts from those who do not vaccinate and how they deal with it. It is safer to be law-abiding and get the vax but I don't want to risk the health of my dogs either, and yes I do feel that the majority of pets are over-vaccinated. It is a fine line to walk and up until this point I have followed all rules.

- I will see if I can contact Jean Dodds, however what will something from her say that would prevent something from happening to my female if the city needs to see proof? Her website was a little overwhelming for me.