Here is just one of the many emails and letters we get about vaccine damage-this one concerns the rattlesnake vaccine.

"I was given your name by a fellow dog handler and he suggested I notify you of the problem I had with the snake vaccine.

I am a dog handler and work in south Georgia where there is a strong possibility of my dog or myself being bitten by a venomous snake.

I have three German Shepherd Dogs and the two older dogs had been vaccinated the year before and had the booster and had no ill effects. My new dog two year old healthy female was vaccinated also. About three days after the shot she showed signs of lethargy and lack of appetite which was very unusual for her. The following day I took her to my usual vet, not the vet who administer the shot as he did not carry the vaccine, and upon blood testing she showed her red cell count was down to 13% and I understand it was supposed to be a minimum of 45%.

The vet immediately sent her to The University of Georgia Vet School into intensive care. She was diagnosed with immune-mediated hemolytic anemia. She received blood transfusions and treatment. After a week I brought her home and was instructed to give her large doses of Prednisone. They also started a treatment for tick borne diseases (Doxycycline) while awaiting the results of the tick titer. This treatment was continued for the next 4 weeks. She did improve in blood count, at one time up to 28% but the drugs were very hard on her. Extreme thirst and continual urination. We thought she was coming back and were looking forward to the discontinuation of the drugs.

Shortly thereafter her condition deteriated rapidly. And by the time we got her back to the vet her blood count was down to 10%.

After consultations with several vets at UGA and our local vet they determined she could not be saved. She was put down 5 weeks after the vaccination.

I would be interested in hearing any other info you have heard about this vaccine.

I thought I was protecting her and had no idea of any side effects that would have fatal results.

I can send you detailed reports from the University about her treatment if that would be helpful in research into the case."

Wow! I posted this question late last night and just logged on. I LOVE THE RESPONSE YOU GET FROM THIS BOARD!!! This has given me a lot to consider. Even though we chose not to overload our JRT with vaccines I truely worried about this little dog getting bit by a 6ft rattler. I don't know if size matters,but if so he would lose. Last year we found these snakes everywhere. Once when opening the ranch gate one slithered under the truck. Luckily my son saw it before getting back inside. JRT's by nature are fearless,hardheaded,and into everything.The training would have to be very effective and perhaps would need more than one session. I took my labs for snake avoidance training when they were young but it was a one time shot and I am not sure if the training took. That being said who knows how effective the vaccine is right. It is a hard decision. But with the information given to me I will explore my training options,talk to the vet about emergency care,and in the meantime keep my JRT on a tight leash.Thanks again for all the info and research sent my way. You guys are THE BEST!
always learning,
Patty

I am sure Bob Scott will mention something about snakes and the JRT's.....

I know he has mentioned before knowing JRT's that have been bitten...but I cannot remember exactly what he said.

The big thing is....if the snake delivers a dry bite, a little venom or hits them with both barrels.....older snakes tend to regulate their venom as they know that they need to reserve their venom for food purposes and they also can tell what is too big for them to consider food.....little young snakes do not usually know how to regulate.