Some questions for you about your dog's rabies shots

[Pugpillow]

Question 1: Does your pug get an annual rabies shot? Every 2 years? Every 3 years?

Question 2: What type of vaccine are they given? Is it a one year or a 3 year vaccine? It will say on the label which is attached to the vet's records (which you can and should ask to have a copy of). If you don't know if it is a 1 or 3 year, PM me and I will tell you (with proof from the manufacturer). For instance, Defensor 3 is a three-year vaccine whereas Defensor 1 is an annual vaccine.
http://www.pfizerah.com/product_over...=EN&species=CN;

http://www.pfizerah.com/product_over...=EN&species=CN

Question 3: Is your vet vaccinating your dog in accordance with the manufacturer's approved uses? i.e. not giving a 3-year vaccine more frequently than every 3 years

Question 4: Is your vet immunizing your dog even though it is unhealthy? (If your dog is on, for instance, long-term steroid use or thyroid medication, etc., they are not healthy.) If so, you should stop them from doing so. Note that in the links above, these vaccines are (as are those manufactured by other companies) approved only for healthy dogs. You should be able to get a health exemption from the vet so you comply with local laws. I wish I had known to do so with Kim-Soo for all those years of extreme allergies and atopic dermatitis. Note also that your dog should not be immunized immediately before, during or after surgery.


I have recently become alarmed at the number of incidences of vets giving rabies vaccines more frequently than the manufacturer's specs outline. Some vets are giving 3 year vaccines annually or every alternate year as a matter of course. If your vet is doing this, you might want to question why. They may think that they are being more conservative and it's better to be safe than sorry, but this is not the case. One either has protection or not. Doubling up on the frequency does not increase protection; you literally can have too much of a good thing. Maybe the vet is insufficiently educated on the latest veterinary guidelines or maybe they are simply ignoring them. In either case, I would not tolerate further abuse.

The easiest way to stop this madness is for us, as dog companions, to find out what type and duration of vaccine our pug is getting and ensure boosters are not administered any more frequently than what the protocol suggests. In lieu of annual vaccines, in many jurisdictions the vet can issue certificates stating that the dog is immunized until the end of three years.

I have just started writing to vets who ignore the manufacturer's labels. Here is the letter that I sent out to a vet yesterday. Names have been removed for confidentiality. Feel free to use parts of this letter, amending it for your own circumstances.

..................

Attention: [vet's name], D.V.M.

Subject: Rabies Vaccinations

Dear Dr. [....] –
.... I am in possession of a copy of a vaccination certificate for a former patient of yours, a 14 lb. female pug named xxxxxx. Xxxx was vaccinated with, among other vaccines, a Merial Imrab 3 TF killed rabies vaccine on July ..., 2007. The Expiry Date showing on the certificate is July ..., 2008. According to information at http://www.drugs.com/vet/imrab-3-tf-can.html, this vaccine is a 3 year vaccine and revaccination is not required until July, 2010. ...

Vaccinating every year with a 3-year vaccine is not a benign decision. It puts an otherwise healthy dog in potential danger. Some breeds, like pugs and other brachycephalics, are particularly susceptible to the respiratory problems which are frequently induced by vaccine reactions. I know this from personal experience and from the incidences of anaphylactic shock in so many of our rescued pugs and friends’ pugs, even though some of them were given Benadryl beforehand. These reactions can be fatal, even in healthy dogs. And as for unhealthy dogs such as those with compromised immune systems, they just shouldn’t be vaccinated. In fact, the manufacturers of vaccines stipulate that only healthy dogs should be vaccinated; again I know from personal experience that many vets do not take the dog’s health into account and just automatically vaccinate. Vaccinating a dog whose immune system is not healthy not only assaults an already impaired system, but probably will not be effective in generating the desired antibodies that the vaccine is supposed to trigger.

To exacerbate the situation, a vaccine labeled 3 years may last 4, 5 or even 7 years. CVMA [the Canadian Veterinary Medical Association] stated in July, 2007, “existing serologic and challenge data, as well as expert panels, suggest that vaccination may provide immunity that lasts beyond the label recommendation of vaccines for some viral diseases.” Injecting a dog every year with a vaccine that may last 5 years or longer puts a lot of excess toxin into that dog’s body for no incremental benefit and a lot of potential risk.

Besides the short-term risk of anaphylaxis, there are potential longer-term risks as acknowledged by many veterinary experts such as Colorado State University's College of Veterinary Medicine who stated there is “increasing documentation showing that over vaccinating has been associated with harmful side effects." More and more veterinary practitioners and educators are switching from annual to 3 year vaccines for this reason. In recent times, the AVMA has published several papers supporting a move to three-year protocols. The World Small Animal Veterinary Association, the American Animal Hospital Association, The American College of Veterinary Internal Medicine and many veterinary schools are among others now recommending 3 year rather than annual boosters. Personally, I first found out about 3 year vaccines a few years ago from my former vet, Dr. xxxxxxxxx, who is a member of the Council of the College of Veterinarians of Ontario and is on the Learning and Development Committee of the American Animal Hospital Association. Prior to switching to Dr. xxxx, my long-time vet routinely gave my pugs annual vaccinations, despite the fact my second pug was severely immune compromised.

Here are some links and references discussing this issue:
· http://www.newvaccinationprotocols.com/
· http://www.cedarbayvet.com/duration_of_immunity.htm
· http://www.itsfortheanimals.com/RABI...LENGE-FUND.HTM
· Cohen, A.D. and Shoenfeld, Y. Vaccine-induced autoimmunity. J. Autoimmunity 9: 699-703, 1996.
· Duval D, Giger U. Vaccine-associated immune-mediated hemolytic anemia in the dog. J Vet Intern Med 10:290-295, 1996.
· Flemming DD, Scott JF. The informed consent doctrine: what veterinarians should tell their clients. OJ Am Vet Med Assoc 224: 1436-1439, 2004.
· Grubb DJ, Chapman C. The vaccine quandary. AAHA Trends Magazine Dec 2003, pp. 35-38.
· Hogenesch H, Azcona-Olivera J, Scott-Moncreiff C, et al. Vaccine-induced autoimmunity in the dog. Adv Vet Med 41: 733-744, 1999.
· Hustead DR, Carpenter T, Sawyer DC, et al. Vaccination issues of concern to practitioners. J Am Vet Med Assoc 214: 1000-1002, 1999.
· Paul MA (chair) et al. Report of the AAHA Canine Vaccine Task Force: 2003 canine vaccine guidelines, recommendations, and supporting literature. AAHA, April 2003, 28 pp.
· Schultz RD, Ford RB, Olsen J, Scott F. Titer testing and vaccination: a new look at traditional practices. Vet Med, 97: 1-13, 2002 (insert).
· Smith CA. Are we vaccinating too much? J Am Vet Med Assoc 207:421-425, 1995.

Dr. Jean Dodds, DVM, a graduate of the Ontario Veterinary College now practising in California, is an acknowledged expert on immunology and is spearheading the Rabies Challenge initiative http://www.rabieschallengefund.org/about%20the%20RCF.html). She is holding a one-day seminar in Barrie, Ontario on September 21, 2008 addressing Canine Immunology. If you or any of your colleagues are interested in attending, you can provide me an email address and I will forward the email I received which contains all the details.

In the meantime, I urge you to rethink your vaccinating protocol based on the information above and, in place of revaccinating within the coverage period of the last vaccination, issue certificates of coverage.

Yours truly ....

[Puglove2]

thanks for the information, hilary. i am going to double check with my vet in 2 weeks, when violet is due for her yearly physical. i know my vets do the 3 year rabies shot, but i never thought to check if it was the right vaccine. i'm hoping it is...

[ZoeZoesmom]

Every 3 years here. They have to get rabies to be licensed. It's the only shot we do once all the puppy shots are done.

[puglover22]

Louie got a 3 yr rabies and 3 yr DHP

[HomerNMarge]

Homer and Marge both had the 3 year in 2006.... I took them this year for the heartworm tests.. and they re-did the rabies for 1 year!! I asked why they did that... and she said because they didn't do the rabies vaccine before, so they have to do it again for their records!!! I was soooooo mad about that!

[shaynapug]

I don't allow vets to give more shots than necessary.

I actually put it in my contracts when I sell a pup now!

[Daisy's Daddy]

Daisy and Huckstable both just received their 3 year rabies shots. We specifically requested the 3 year and their files are noted that they are not due again until 2011.

While I thought I was fairly knowledgeable about vaccines, after Daisy's recent allergic reaction I've committed myself to being even more vigilant and conservative with regards to future vaccinations.

[jessica]

I also wanted to share some personal experience with rabies shots/tests.
As I work abroad I have to travel quite a lot of course my sweet Jessie is a permanent hand luggage and actually most of the times we are in transit or residing in the European community, now since 2004 they require all pets ( dogs and cats, etc) entering the community (even in transit) to have a rabies antibody certificate. This is a test to be carried out from a certified laboratory demonstrating that your dog/cat is developing antibody to the rabies disease.
I had my Jessie tested when he was very young and scored bellow the threshold then after a while ( which implies several vaccinations) he tested o.K. ( above 0.5 UI). This tells me that vaccines get the point to develop dog immunity to rabies but then after the animal has tested OK why we shall continue vaccinating them?
just a tought...............

[Pugpillow]

I also wanted to share some personal experience with rabies shots/tests.
As I work abroad I have to travel quite a lot of course my sweet Jessie is a permanent hand luggage and actually most of the times we are in transit or residing in the European community, now since 2004 they require all pets ( dogs and cats, etc) entering the community (even in transit) to have a rabies antibody certificate. This is a test to be carried out from a certified laboratory demonstrating that your dog/cat is developing antibody to the rabies disease.
I had my Jessie tested when he was very young and scored bellow the threshold then after a while ( which implies several vaccinations) he tested o.K. ( above 0.5 UI). This tells me that vaccines get the point to develop dog immunity to rabies but then after the animal has tested OK why we shall continue vaccinating them?
just a tought...............

Are you referring to the titers test?

[LittleFrog]

I'm fortunate in that I have a holistic vet who will do titers rather than just vaccinate every year. I've also found that many cities will accept titer tests now in place of vaccinations for licensing.