Rabies is the first vaccine we are going to talk about in our vaccine series. This is because rabies is the only vaccine that is required by law and is given to all species dogs, cats, horses, goats, sheep etc. There are one year and three year vaccines available for dogs and cats. The rabies vaccine for horses other large animals are one year. The is a risk associated with the three year vaccine in cats. The adjuvant (extender) has been associated with a very rare (2 or 3 in 10,000) type of cancer at the injection site. The one year rabies vaccine does not have the extender and does not have the associated cancer risk. The risk of not vaccinating your pet is steep. A pet that is not vaccinated that comes in contact with confirmed or suspected rabid wildlife has two options, be tested for rabies or be quarantined for six months. The first three months are isolation and then next three are strict confinement. The rabies virus lives in the brain stem. Testing for rabies requires euthanizing the animal and sending is brain to the state lab. This is hands down one of it not the least pleasant tasks the clinic has to perform. If your pet is vaccinated and comes in contact with unvaccinated wildlife or suspected wildlife, they are boosted for rabies and observed for ten days in your home. Once symptoms manifest you can not treat rabies it is 100% fatal. Animals infected with the virus (including humans) will spend the last moments trying to bite and spread the virus. This drive may lead them to biting themselves. If a human is exposed to the virus the protocol is post exposure vaccination which is 3 to 5 shots. These can only be administered at the emergency room and cost approximately 1000 dollars a shot. The rabies vaccine costs a little over 20 dollars at the clinic. This vaccine is also required to license your pet with the town.
Posted on: Wed, 05 Mar 2014 13:01:42 +0000