Charlie's Nose Work

[kristen_acri]

Quick update -- Charlie began his Intro to Scent Work class this past week. He loved it, no surprise! Rabies vaccine given two days before class. Had to have it in order to participate. I waited until he was worm-free and his BEAM was good across the board before taking him in for the vaccine. He had to get the one-year shot though because he was overdue. Didn't realize this would be the case.

 

[Dr. Sara]

Glad Charlie is enjoying his Nose Work!
Rabies vaccination protocol is governed by local regulation. In some states / countries / provinces, only the first Rabies vaccination in dogs is one year, and all subsequent vaccinations are valid for three years, even if they are overdue. In other jurisdictions, only one year vaccines are recognised, or out of date dogs are treated as not vaccinated.

Scientifically, this study indicates that only the initial Rabies vaccination should be one year, as the anamnestic (memory) response to vaccination is robust in out-of-date animals

Comparison of anamnestic responses to rabies vaccination in dogs and cats with current and out-of-date vaccination status.
J Am Vet Med Assoc. January 2015;246(2):205-11.
CONCLUSIONS AND CLINICAL RELEVANCE:Results indicated that dogs with out-of-date vaccination status were not inferior in their antibody response following booster rabies vaccination, compared with dogs with current vaccination status. Findings supported immediate booster vaccination followed by observation for 45 days of dogs and cats with an out-of-date vaccination status that are exposed to rabies, as is the current practice for dogs and cats with current vaccination status.

Local laws differ in how long the vet can indicate vaccine validity for repeat Rabies vaccinations in out-of-date animals. You can check your local regulations, as it is possible that your vet was not aware of the local regulation.
Hope this helps,
Dr. Sara

 

[Dr. Jeff]

Fantastic that doing nose work helps Charlie to be happier!

Sniffing and happiness are two great ways to help maintain his internal balance.??

 

[LilF]

Quick update -- Charlie began his Intro to Scent Work class this past week. He loved it, no surprise! Rabies vaccine given two days before class. Had to have it in order to participate. I waited until he was worm-free and his BEAM was good across the board before taking him in for the vaccine. He had to get the one-year shot though because he was overdue. Didn't realize this would be the case.

Just chiming in.... The one year and the 3 year vaxes are the same except for the label. So if you give the 1 year they will expect you to come back in a year. Why not get the 3 year? Giving the shot doesn't mean the immune system mounts a response (esp in old or sick pets), whereby titers will give you numerically the dog's level of immunity. Once my vet said the shot is cheaper than a titer. I was stunned at the ignorance. How much cheaper are potential side effects? I think there are homeopathics like lyssin to detox the vax but I am NOT a homeopath, just going by what I read from sites like Dr. Karen Becker Giving a booster to a dog already immune does not "boost" the immunity and may do harm. (I adopted a dog who lived a life with me for a year of intense itching he never had before his previous owner said to give him all the vaccines--he suffered beyond belief) Effects can be see up to 45 days but by then nobody relates it to the vax... just sayin.... The Rabies Challenge Fund is replicating a study done in France showing immunity lasts much longer than 3 years. I don't know what year they are in now but last I followed they showed immunity to 7 years. When I titered my dog for Distemper and Parvo she was immune after about 8 years still. The vaccine label also says: Only to be given to healthy animals yet it seems so many sick animals are given the shot. My dog used to go to doggy daycare and they accepted titers. My dog trainer was going to teach my dogs nosework without having to get the shots. JJ is getting rehab and they accept a letter from the vet. So long story short, I would not patronize any businesses that "require" them. Dr. Ronald Schultz's work and others seem to think that once immunity is conferred after puppy shots, then the immunological memory is set . I always say When was the last time we got our polio vaxes? Just thought I would point out the 1 and 3 year are the same but if they give the one year, then expect them to want another in another year. So that is why to get the 3 year... It is the same ...

 

[Dr. Sara]

You are correct, most one year and three year Rabies vaccinations are the same. Not all of them are. Some Rabies vaccines are only labelled for one year duration of immunity.
You are also correct, vaccines likely provide immunity far longer than it states on the label. In the case of Rabies, that is irrelevant when the local laws stipulate a certain vaccination interval.

The Rabies Challenge Study results are here:

Duration of immunity after rabies vaccination in dogs: The Rabies Challenge Fund research study

A prospective study of 65 research beagles kept in a rabies-free environment was undertaken to determine the duration of immunity after they received licensed rabies vaccines. The eventual goal was to extend mandated rabies booster intervals to 5 or 7 ...

www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov

Yes, the study dogs showed immunity to Rabies for longer than three years, and hopefully local governments (with taxpayer prodding) will respond and change the required Rabies vaccination interval.

Rabies is a deadly disease to all warm blooded animals, which is why laws legislate Rabies vaccination of dogs and cats. If an animal that is unvaccinated or overdue for its Rabies vaccine bites a person, some local laws impose serious penalties to the guardian and the pet.
Stay well,
Sara

 

[Dr. Jeff]

Thanks Lil and Dr. Sara for your great posts.

Lil, the rationale for the 1 year initial booster has to do with the greater immunity that may come from the booster.

As Sarah says, the state rabies laws don't give any "wiggle room".

However, you are still correct in saying that in the US (vs. India and Africa where there is lots of rabies), the risk may outweigh the benefit on a case-by-case (not community) basis.

That's why every state requires rabies vaccination (but no other vaccines).

IMHO, the best pet parents can do is to energetically (with homeopathy, TCM or Ayurveda) optimize their pets balance both before and after vaccination.

The preventing and managing vaccinosis ebook and videos have lots more about this.

 

[kristen_acri]

Wow...thanks everyone for the continued conversation and information about this.

I do understand how it all works...bummed that if I want to continue fun activities at training centers that require the rabies vaccine Charlie will have to get another one next year. I waited as long as I could to get the vaccine so he'd be as close to balanced as possible. He got it two days before the class started!

I had my 15-minute call with Dr. Jeff today. I'm going to re-dose him this evening. Nux Vomica, 200C -- a few things cropped up since the vaccine.

Thanks again!

Kristen