AVMA Passes Rabies Waivers

[Kris L. Christine]

AVMA (American Veterinary Medical Association) EXECUTIVE BOARD PASSES ANNUAL RABIES VACCINATION WAIVER http://www.avma.org/about_avma/governan ... _Final.pdf
"...AVMA recognizes some animals might require a waiver from rabies vaccination because the vaccination poses an unacceptably high risk to the health of the individual animal..."

Permission Granted to Cross-Post

[Barb Wright]

THANKS BE TO THE DOG GODDESS, and all the people who continue to fight the fight!!!!! Finally the AVMA is walking the walk !!! At least on this issue. Now, if ALL the vets will just face the truth, and administer the truth. The only thing left is to admit that the initial, or in some cases the second rabies vaccination does it for the LIFETIME of the dog !!! I have a 14 year old dog that had not had a rabies vacc since 8 months old and still titered acceptable immune response at 10 YEARS old. Because of moving to a new state I did get a current rabies vacc to "be legal", but since that my vet has voluntarily issued a waiver so she does not ever have to have another rabies vacc. I do not believe that my dog is "unusual" but rather the norm.

Progress is being made, but sometimes it just seems to be at snails pace. But, each step forward is at least forward.

[kat]

My vet told me that Colorado accepts titer for Rabies, but, if there's a bite incident, we might have problems. Copper is due this summer, with our history of bats, I'm still trying to decide. More investigation and probable conversation with animal control due I think.

[Barb Wright]

Kat, I understand your concern, BUT, the whole point of the Rabies vaccination is to make your dog immune to a bite from a rabid creature, or inadvertanly coming in contact with excretions from what ever creature that might be. Administering more vaccinations does not imbue more immunity....for almost all dogs once immune from the first vaccination, forever immune. If you think your dog falls under the small faction of a failed immune response to a rabies vaccination, THAT is when you titer to make sure your dog had the proper, and IMMUNIZED, response. At that point your concerns are baseless!!! It's not a "have faith" issue....it's scientifically verifiable 99.9% of dogs are immune to rabies after the second vaccination. Acutally, most are immune to rabies after the first vaccination.

If you titer often (yearly if you are really paranoid) then a "bite incident" will mitigate a panic response from officials. As you can see, states are finally coming around to admitting that vaccinated dogs are not a threat even with a bite incident.

[Kris L. Christine]

Progress is being made, but sometimes it just seems to be at snails pace. But, each step forward is at least forward.

The AVMA is one of the nation's leading associations setting the standard for veterinary medical care. Official recognition by the American Veterinary Medical Association that there are cases in which rabies vaccination "poses an unacceptably high risk to the health of the individual animal" provides a powerful boost to our legislative efforts to incorporate medical exemption clauses into the 35 state laws/regulations which currently do not have them.

[Sooz]

Does Ohio have an exemption law? Just curious.

[kat]

Sooz, ask your vet, that's who told me about CO. Barb, thanks, you always give me the courage (and the knowledge) to stand up for my dog!

[Kris L. Christine]

Does Ohio have an exemption law?

No, but your local authorities may accept them anyway.