Rabies Shots Revisited - Why Are Dogs Being Over Vaccinated?

Rabies vaccination is required by law in nearly all areas. Even though protection from rabies is documented to last at least three years, current law in some states or areas still requires that boosters be given annually or biannually rather than the standard policy of every three years. However, vaccination against rabies virus is occasionally associated with debilitating adverse effects. According to the CDC domestic animals account for less than 10% of the reported rabies cases, with cats, cattle, and dogs most often reported rabid.

Scientific data indicate that vaccinating dogs against rabies every three years, as most states require, is unnecessary. Studies have shown the duration of protective immunity as measured by serum antibody titers against rabies virus to persist for seven years post-vaccination. By validating the 'true' life of rabies virus immunity and moving to five and hopefully seven years, we will decrease the risk of adverse reactions in our animals and minimize their repeated exposure to foreign substances.

Killed vaccines like those for rabies virus can trigger immediate and delayed adverse vaccine reactions (termed "vaccinosis") While there may be immediate hypersensitivity reactions, other acute events tend to occur 24-72 hours afterwards, or up to 45 days later in the case of delayed reactions.

Reactions that have been documented include:
Behavior changes such as aggression and separation anxiety

Obsessive behavior, self-mutilation, tail chewing

Pica - eating wood, stones, earth, stool

Destructive behavior, shredding bedding

Seizures, epilepsy

Fibrosarcomas at injection site

Autoimmune diseases such as those affecting bone marrow and blood cells, joints, eyes, skin, kidney, liver, bowel, and central nervous system.

Muscular weakness and or atrophy

Chronic digestive problems

Rabies Exemptions and Waivers
Rabies Vaccination is required by law. In some instances, it is possible to secure a written waiver for exemption from rabies booster vaccination. A letter justifying the medical reason for such exemption needs to be obtained from your primary care veterinarian. When seeking a waiver, a rabies serum antibody titer should be performed. Adequate serum rabies titers are at least 1:5 by the RFFIT method. Waiver requests are not generally accepted based on serum antibody titers alone, but may be granted on a case-by-case basis with justification. Waivers are not granted as a matter of personal preference, and localities often do not permit waivers and exemptions regardless of the justification.

Letter from a friend:

Many dog caregivers across the country are becoming more and more aware of the possibility that over vaccination can have harmful effects on dogs - and the rabies vaccine is no exception.

The incidence of rabies exposure in companion animals and humans, though very low today, still remains a distinct possibility. Consequently, the Federal and state governments require every dog to be vaccinated triennially (still even annually or biannually in a few states) against rabies. However, the veterinary community is increasingly concerned that rabies vaccination given this frequently is not only unnecessary but also responsible for inducing adverse reactions that lead to both acute and chronic immunological and other disorders. Although a French medical study completed in 1992 showed that rabies vaccine is protective for at least five years, Federal and state legislatures have not accepted this finding. Thus, the health and well-being of millions of dogs in the United States remain threatened by the potential for adverse vaccinal events.

Surprisingly, formal, credible research has yet to be performed by either the manufacturers of rabies vaccines or U.S. academic institutions. The Federal and state legislatures want to see the results of such research before any relevant, existing policy or statute regarding rabies vaccination can be modified. Because of the complexities of politics and bureaucratic mindsets, the best way to change the rabies protocol is to prove through a challenge study that dogs not revaccinated for five and seven years after their first two vaccinations remain as protected against rabies as they were at the age of one year.

Facilities and staff to commence this important research have been graciously offered by the University of Wisconsin/Madison under the auspices of Ronald D. Schultz, PhD, Professor and Chair of the Department of Pathobiological Sciences, School of Veterinary Medicine. W. Jean Dodds, DVM, is both the organizer and supervisor of this project. A world-renowned veterinarian in the fields of hematology, immunology, endocrinology, nutrition and holistic medicine, Dr. Dodds in 1986 established Hemopet, the first nonprofit national blood bank program that benefits dogs throughout North America.

Forty dogs will be involved in the study at the University of Wisconsin/Madison. Twenty will be used for a five year study and the same number for a concurrently run seven year study. Because Drs. Dodds and Schultz believe through monitoring of rabies serologic studies and other experiences that the two rabies vaccinations a dog receives by one year of age are fully effective for life, they want to initially prove that effectiveness over a five-year as well as seven-year span. The successful completion of this research conducted according to Federally mandated guidelines should allow USDA licensing and state legislative acceptance of the tested rabies vaccine for more than three years.

The University of Wisconsin will provide all of the necessary overhead for these studies free of charge and Dr. Schultz, the Principal Investigator, has volunteered his time involved in the formal conduct of the research. Dr. Dodds and her staff are donating their efforts as well in support of this project. A proforma of the direct expenses needed to complete both studies entails $177,000 for year one, $150,000 each for years two to five and $90,000 each for years six and seven.

Dr. Dodds, Supervisor of this project, has established THE RABIES CHALLENGE FUND CHARITABLE TRUST to solicit, receive and distribute funds to the University of Wisconsin Foundation in order to initiate, maintain and complete Dr. Schultz's research studies. Kris L. Christine, a leading pet vaccine disclosure activist, is the co-founder and co-trustee of this Trust. All gifts made to this charitable trust are deductible for Federal tax purposes and will be distributed in full to the University of Wisconsin Foundation.

Donations to The Rabies Challenge Fund Charitable Trust may be sent to The Rabies Challenge Fund Charitable Trust, c/o Hemopet, 11330 Markon Drive, Garden Grove, CA 92841. Any questions for Dr. Dodds may be emailed to Hemopet@hotmail.com and for Ms. Christine to LedgeSpring@Lincoln.midcoast.com. You can also make a donation directly from this site using Paypal. Just go to the Donate page.

I hope that many of you will seriously consider making as generous a donation as possible to support this worthy project. The successful completion of these two studies will greatly benefit all dogs, which is, after all, the sole purpose of this undertaking.

Thank you, -- Tunia and Bill Hyland -- Friends of The Rabies Challenge Fund

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