Hi Everyone - I have my GSD Sampson set up for a appt saturday to get his rabies shot. I've already rescheduled it once. I am getting myself worried sick about it! He has enviromental allergies and just the last week or so I noticed him starting to lick paws and scratch more (usually during the winter the symptoms subside)- I know vaccinations are only to be given to a healthy dog, so is a dog with allergies considered not healthy for a vaccine? Will a dog with allergies automatically have a reaction to a vaccination? I ordered some Lyssinum 30C rabies nosode to give to him 2 days before and a week or so after, i'm not sure exactly how that works but read alot that it can help with any reactions

Guess I'm just looking for some input from the experienced people here -

I am worried for him not having a rabies shot because if he ever did get rabies-its fatal - we do alot of camping - plus if he ever bit anyone(dont see that happening but never say never) he would be quarantined for months if not pts.

He had puppy shots,no boosters and a rabies before he was 1 year old - he'll be 3 in July.

One part of me says I'm being overly protective and the shot will probably be fine then I'll be legal and he'll hopefully be protected - the other part says this is ridiculous to have to do this to him and what if he has a bad reaction and maybe I should take my chances and not do it.

Bumping - there was alot of threads moving today thru recent posts so maybe I got missed, hoping for some input

Kathy

I would keep him legal if I took my dog camping. JMO.

And this is from someone with a lot of atopy experience.

However, you might want to find out what "legal" means where you are. Three years? Titers?



http://docs.google.com/viewer?a=v&q=cache:ZHqSbwctTRoJ:www.zbirdbrain.com/VAX/RabiesLaws.pdf+nebraska+law,+titers,+dog,+rabies&hl=en&gl=us&pid=bl&srcid=ADGEESjRY4gCa1Pm47qgY2ZeJLgqTg0H3mg63pJGwsvgiKuJSSXbAQ90HIO8tsCJs1zp8_Nq4Q1v91iKxehu28CR_M2DlzbvthLC6Jut16gE391ArqtkAe02qRUBKdr5oEiBk_vwqSyg&sig=AHIEtbTw4HAe36m2vkYc8B5D-KimnpgGFA

http://www.animallaw.info/statutes/stusnest71_4408.htm

Or maybe you have a very open minded vet that would listen to your concerns about existing allergies and vaccinosis. Waiver maybe?

Very good question, though. Wish I could help more.

Hi Kathy,

This is one of those situations where there is not "right or wrong" answer. There is a risk either way.

In my own life I see it like this. I prefer to opt on the side of control. I can control and treat allergies and minor after effects due to a vaccine, my dog will very likely live through the process and be 100% ok. After all millions of dogs receive this shot yearly and the percentage of problems across the scope is very minor.

On the flip side in the off chance that your dog has had a rabies exposure without a vaccine which is confirmed your dog by law in many places is a dead dog. Rabies is nothing to screw with and there is no cure. You adjust these odds by the way you live your life. For my housedogs it is very unlikely that they would ever encounter a rabies carrying animal. I would put in the realm of opportunity of being struck by lightning inside your house. For my lab who does field work the opportunity is much greater for her to stumble across something carrying rabies like a near dead bat, a raccoon, or a fox.

I guess in the end... weigh the risks and bite the bullet one way or another.

If your dog is outside of your home on camping trips, hikes, then the dog is at risk for encountering a rabid animal especially in the state of Nebraska, where more than 50 animals tested positive for rabies last year. While he may probably still be immune to the virus from the initial series of vaccinations, studies have not yet proven that that is the case. They are only just now looking to see if longer than 3 years is OK for the current vaccine. There is no guarantee if titers are high, that there is protection from contracting the virus, if exposed. So, being unvaccinated is risky to the dog.

Now for the pragmatics of the law. At the very least, if the dog is not current on the vaccine, then quarantine is enforced if the dog becomes exposed. Most states require at least 3 months of quarantine, even if the dog was previously vaccinated but has expired. It can be a home quarantine: still not pleasant: your dog cannot go ANYWHERE off of your property. Worse yet, if the dog is impounded for any reason, then it could be quarantined for a period if it is not current on rabies.

Was your dog given a 3yr vacc when he was one? If so, then you can put off the worries a bit longer. I also prefer to err on the side I can control, and make every attempt to stay legal. Annual vaccines are still the requirement here, regardless of whether a 3yr vax is given, and repercussions for not following the rule can be pretty stiff.