May 20, 2011
Our dog is old and due for his rabies shot, but he is a fear biter and we're afraid he'll get hurt trying to give him his shot. What are your thoughts?
Full Question:
Dear Cindy,We have a 14 yr old Jack Russell mix who is a fear-biter. He is due for a rabies shot but we are thinking of omitting it for fear of harming him. Three years ago we gave him tranquillizers that he fought off, everyone in the vet office wore cat gloves and tried to pin him with a shield. He was given a sedative that didn't work until we brought him home when his eyes rolled back and his limbs went stiff. We thought he was dying. Back to the vet where he was given his shot finally. He is old now, mostly sleeps, has a bad back/hip and we are afraid he will be injured if this ordeal plays itself again. Some states allow 5 years between rabies shots but our state (MA) says 3. My daughter wants to say he died but we will not be able to get medication for him should he need it. Any thoughts on this. We have a fenced-in yard and he is always near us when out at night. A vet couldn't come here as he would hide and I can not just pick him up as he would bite me as well. We love him and he has a sweet side. We were his 3rd home and he definitely had issues when we adopted him.
Kathy
Cindy's Answer:
I would never vaccinate an old dog for anything, especially a 14 year old dog. I would take my chances with the legal aspects of it, but that’s just me. :-)
With his issues and at his age, I can’t see any good reason to put him through it. Legally, I know you are supposed to do it, but as long as he doesn’t get into trouble and bite someone this should not be an issue. Here in Wisconsin, if a dog that hasn’t been vaccinated for rabies bites there is a mandatory quarantine. In some states, however, the dogs are euthanized. I would check the laws in your state and weigh the pros and cons.
Would your vet be willing to write a waiver for him due to his age? You may want to check that out too.
Cindy
With his issues and at his age, I can’t see any good reason to put him through it. Legally, I know you are supposed to do it, but as long as he doesn’t get into trouble and bite someone this should not be an issue. Here in Wisconsin, if a dog that hasn’t been vaccinated for rabies bites there is a mandatory quarantine. In some states, however, the dogs are euthanized. I would check the laws in your state and weigh the pros and cons.
Would your vet be willing to write a waiver for him due to his age? You may want to check that out too.
Cindy
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