Rabies, Why Vaccinate your pet?
by Dr. Faith Hughes, D.V.M.
When
was the last time you heard of a case of rabies in a pet in Wakulla
County? I've been here since 1992 and haven't seen one yet.
So you ask yourself, "Why do
I need to vaccinate my pet?"
One
reason is so that that we can continue to live in a society that isn't
plagued by rabies. Talk to your elderly
friends and relatives, they may remember the days when many domestic
animals contracted rabies. Back then it was called hydrophobia or
mad dog. Signs of rabies are a change in personality, laryngeal
paralysis which causes change in voice and inability to swallow
(drooling and
foaming at mouth), some dogs are aggressive and have hallucinations (mad dog), some dogs
progress to the weak and paralytic stage (dumb rabies).
Don't think people aren't exposed to
rabies anymore? Go to www.cdc.gov/rabies
to get specifics, but the bottom line is that more than 30 people
in the United States contracted rabies from 1995-2006.
This is a big improvement from an average of 100 cases/year that
was seen a century ago. Of the U.S. citizens bitten
by rabid dogs, most came into contact with the rabid dog while
traveling in foreign countries (Mexico, Ghana, Nepal, Haiti,
El Salvador). Thousands of people die from rabies
each year in Africa and Asia. If we don't continue to
vaccinate our dogs and cats, we will begin to see rabies cases
at high numbers again. We will start experiencing
the statistics of a third world country. Think about how
the polio vaccine of last century has almost eradicated polio from
the world. It could be the same with rabies.
Did you know that, by law, all dogs and
cats over 3 months of age are required to have a current
rabies vaccine? If your pet doesn't have proof of current
vaccination, animal control authorities can issue a
fine to you or impound your pet at the animal
shelter. If your unvaccinated pet bites a person, it may
be quarantined at the shelter for 10 days to watch for
signs of rabies. If rabies signs develop, if will probably
be euthanized and
tested for rabies. You may be
looking at legal consequences. Also, by law, a
rabies vaccine must be given by a licensed veterinarian. If
you give your own rabies vaccine that was purchased from a pet
catalog or a feed store, your pet is considere "unvaccinated" in the eyes of the law.
So, what happens if your unvaccinated
pet has signs of rabies and it has bitten someone?
Just a simple blood test to find out, right? No.
There is only one way to test an animal for rabies...send it's brain to
a lab for a direct fluorescent antibody test. That
means euthanizing the pet and removing it's head. This
is a disgusting and
emotional situtation for everyone
involved (pet, pet owner, animal control officer, veterinarian,
health department). Believe me, I've had to remove the head
of several
beloved pets and I don't enjoy it at
all. It's like being in a horror movie.
A simple rabies vaccine (costs less
than $20) given once yearly (3 year vaccines are available)
can save everyone a lot of problems. The vaccine has
minimal pain involved, has few side effects, is safe, is 100%
protective, and will give you peace of mind.
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