Rabies shots for animals

[Sarrah]

DH and I were discussing Rabies tonight as there have been two foxes killed a few miles from here with Rabies and a couple of bats found in southern Oregon.

I said to DH makes me nervous about should I let the dogs out when they want to go get something at night. He said they can't get Rabies if they have their shots. Is that right? He said it was so. Huh, I guess I thought it would just make them live through it I didn't think they were immune after the shots.

So how does that work then?

[Brooks]

Any shots while pups are still nursing are probably useless.

After that, for the shots our pets get, one shot of anything is probably all they will ever need, probably more than they needed in the first place (they can develop natural immunity if exposed properly), and each one will contribute towards serious chronic illness, depending on the type of vaccine. Rabies is by far the worst, and responsible for most of the vaccine-related behavioral problems we have with our pets (timidity, aggression, an inability to control impulses).

The problem is that the vaccine manufacturers have only tested their vaccines out so many years, and that is all they are allowed to say they are good for. That's why you are required by law to revaccinate in either one year or three years, depending on where you live. (Actually, there is no difference at all between the one-year and three-year vaccine.) There is a controlled study going on to prove the rabies vaccine lasts for at least seven years which would be a large improvement. Unfortunately, titer levels don't prove or disprove immunity.