Rabies Certificates vs rabies titer results

[chivas]

Anyone know why the local cites wont take a rabies titer result as proof of rabies protection?? With the possible connection between over vaccination and links to certain diseases, I would much rather titer and show a favorable titer result then give vaccines over and over. Anyone have any insight on how we may be able to change this???
Kim

[Rottlva]

Well..... Logistically I think it could be a good idea, except there is such an intense fear of rabies world wide that it is likely NOT to be changed. I have my rabies titer done every 4 years.... 12 years after my first shot, my titer is STILL high enough..... So, I wonder what our pets' titers look like being vaccinated anually and every 3 years.

[RottiMomCT]

I live in a fairly rural area...and see way too many dogs at the local pound who must stay there SIX MONTHS in quarantine after a scrap with a rabid animal because the dog was not UTD on rabies vacs. Even if animal tests negative for rabies, damn dog must still stay there 6 months - as what, punishment to owners?? Grrrrrr........on the up side, those dogs LOVE me because I can go play with them and let them out of their 'cell' twice a day as I've had my rabies series.

Ben & the other dogs get rabies vacs every 3 yrs. They get titer tested every year at annual exam and vacs if anything other than rabies are not sufficient. In CT, I know rabies must be given either annually or every three years. My vet gives the 3 yr rabies only if the dog is up to date on rabies. If I bring any of the dogs in late, they get a 1 yr vacs...so, worth it to keep up to date on that one.

[Judi W]

That is one of the items I was going to mention. If your dog is ever involved in an incident regardless of fault or degree of severity, if it is vaccinated you can usually quarantine at home, but if it is not, it must be impounded by animal control. Something I certainly would not risk with one in my charge.

[spidey]

Even if animal tests negative for rabies

Is there a rabies test they can do without brain tissue now (i.e. on a live animal)? The CDC doesn't say anything about one, but it would be great if there were. Do you know anything more about it? When last I worked in the vet industry the only choices were quarantine of sufficient length for symptoms to show up or killing the animal and sending off the head for brain testing, there was no reliable test for rabies in a living animal.

[RottiMomCT]

Originally posted by spidey
Is there a rabies test they can do without brain tissue now (i.e. on a live animal)?

Yes - wait and see if the animal shows signs of rabies. That's all we can do at the animal shelter with rabies impounds. We're told if, within 2 weeks, the dog shows no symptoms, it does not have rabies. WHY the 6 month impound, I have no clue!

Owner MUST agree to visit DAILY (which they NEVER DO), and has to PAY for 4 months of the 6 month impound. So, shelter volunteers (mainly me) visit and keep dog as sane as we can while imprisoned...

Dog must receive rabies vaccine within 7 days of release back to owner & provide proof to town. Most of the time the owners take the dog immediately to the vet that the shelter uses shelter and get vaccine done...we make arrangements for the vet to vaccinate the dog for a reduced fee, so it helps a bit.

[spidey]

RottiMomCT: ah, that makes sense - it was just when you said "tests negative for rabies" I thought there was some new test out there I hadn't heard of. Thanks for the explanation. :)

I believe that the incubation period can be quite long in some animals, and that's where the six months comes from. I don't know where that two weeks figure comes from. The most common time mentioned in the literature between infection and clinical symptoms is anywhere between two weeks and two months, but some infected animals are asymptomatic for even longer than two months, so it's probably not reliable enough to assume that animals asymptomatic after two weeks aren't infected. Given that it's rabies we're talking about here, it's probably better to be safe than sorry. :)

[chivas]

we are getting off the subject yall. I am wondering why animal control (of any other state dept) wont take a good rabies titer as proof of protection against rabies. After losing 2 dogs to osteosarcoma, I am a bit leery of alot of things now.

[moondog]

chivas, It may have to do with titers being indicators and not guarantees of immunity. The interpretation of the result is subjective....I received two different opinions from two different vets on the same results of Luna's titers. One said she was protected, the other said she was not.

[mmgy]

Keep in mind that when dogs get many of the diseases that we traditionally vaccinate against, there can still be medical treatment available to them. Parvo, for instance, can be cured once symptoms are shown. Rabies, however, cannot.

I think SC requires annual rabies shots, but NC allows 3 year shots for adult dogs.

I asked this with my dog Rocky a few years ago. He was ten, with his third bout of cancer, and the vet had excused him from his regular vaccines. I questioned him about the rabies vaccine, and he said that you could get exceptions, but you had to go through NC State vet school, where they worked closely with the state. Unfortunately, Rocky died before his vaccine came due.

In Gaston county next-door, the current policy is to put down all animals with no known vaccine. Rabies has been very invasive in NC over the last couple of years.

Mary Mac

[MARYDVM]

The two week(or ten day) waiting period is used when a human is bitten by a dog. If the dog does does not show signs of rabies within that time, then he could not have been infectious at the time of the bite, and the human does not have to undergo the post-exposure vaccination series. The rabies virus is in the saliva of an infected dog only in the endstage of the disease, basically the last 5 days of its life. They double that time for the quarantine to be absolutely safe.

The 6 month quarantine is used when an unvaccinated dog is bitten by an animal of unknown or suspicious status. It can take up to 3 months for symptoms of rabies to develop after exposure to the virus. Again, they double the known incubation time to be completely safe.

A rabies titer, on a given date, does not guarantee that the dog is still protected 10 months later. It would be more reasonable to get all the states to agree to accept the three year rabies vaccine as a standard. That would mean a total of 4 rabies vaccinations for a dog with a 10 year lifespan.

[nynewbie]

I spoke with one of the sanitarians in Environmental Health about this, bc our cat Melvin had a horrible reaction to his second rabies, minor to his first, but now I am leary of his revaccination when the time comes. Titer shows the level of immunity at the time the titer is drawn, and an animal coming due or just past due for a 3 yr could have a good level and then drop off or may maintain a good level for an indefinite period or an unknown finite period, and that's the problem.. the unknown finite period. Early in Feb, I will find out more (committee meeting) and will let you know if they come up with anything.

[spidey]

nynewbie: I suggest you try and find out what brand of vaccine he had the first two times and make sure you use a different one the next time. Reactions are always worse the second time, because the body has built up antibodies after the first exposure. You could also try contacting a vet who specialises in allergies and see what other recommendations they might have.

[nynewbie]

The vaccine mfr is Merck (I work the clinics). The vet said he really didn't think Melvin should have another one which is why I'm trying to work with Env Health before his next one comes due. Thanks for the heads up on the allergies. Children have reactions to vaccine bases, so why not animals!?