The Requirements for Pet
Rabies Vaccinations have changed
For Texas, including Harris
County, and Montgomery County
The New Law
1. Dogs and Cats must be vaccinated
for rabies by 4 months of age, again one year later and then every three
years. This law is retroactive.
2. Alternatively, to prevent
vaccine- associated fibrosarcomas in cats, cats can be vaccinated annually
with a non- adjuvanted one-year rabies
vaccine.
Your Dog
3.
Your dog was vaccinated last year with a rabies vaccine with a three-year
duration of immunity. (State law required all Veterinarians to use a three-
year vaccine on dogs.) The law is retroactive. If your dog has had
two rabies vaccines in its life, it is not due for another rabies vaccine
until 3 years after its last vaccination.
Your Cat
4.
If your cat was vaccinated by Critter Fixer Pet Hospital
or Low Cost Pet Vaccinations it received a one- year rabies vaccine.
You now have several options:
A.
Re-vaccinate
annually with the safer non- adjuvanted rabies vaccine.
B.
Wait
to vaccinate your cat again because a three- year license is pending on the
vaccine your cat received last year.
C.
There has not been a rabid cat in Montgomery
County, Fort Bend County or Harris County in over 30 years.
D.
If your cat bites someone and quarantine is
required Dr Rogers will quarantine your cat for
free. (Quarantine is required whether currently vaccinated or not.)
E.
We do not recommend or administer the
three-year adjuvanted rabies vaccine for cats because it has been shown to
be at a higher risk of causing a fibrosarcoma.
F.
The AVMA, the AAFP and Texas A&M University
feel it is safer to give three non-adjuvanted rabies vaccines than one
adjuvanted rabies vaccine.
If your cat was vaccinated at another clinic
it probably received a three- year adjuvanted vaccine and does not need
re-vaccination until three years after the last vaccination.
Why you should avoid unnecessary vaccines
1.
Although vaccines are relatively safe, Vaccines are not
benign. Vaccines have been shown to cause the following side effects.
A.
Dogs can develop
Immune Mediated Hemolytic Anemia.
B.
Cats can develop
injection site fibrosarcomas.
C.
Repeated rabies shots do not make your pet more
immune to rabies. You would be paying for something with no effect.
D.
Repeated rabies shots do make your dog more
allergic to the vaccine.
E.
Rabies shots have been shown to cause
antibodies against thyroid hormones. Their role in causing hypothyroidism
is under investigation.
F.
Rabies vaccines have been shown to cause
anti-kidney antibodies. Their role in causing chronic kidney failure
is under investigation
Why was the law changed?
1. 33 States
in the U.S. have had the three- year rabies ordinance for up to 25 years and
it has protected pets and the public effectively.
2. Newer
knowledge of immunology has proven that repeat
administration of rabies vaccine does not enhance immunity, but it does
expose the pets to the risk of adverse side effects.
3.
Rabies vaccine has been demonstrated to have
duration of immunity of 7 years.
If you are a little late
coming in for the next vaccine your pet is still protected.
4.
Although no vaccine is 100% effective, all rabies vaccine licensed by the
USDA showed 100% efficacy for three years in the data submitted.
We hope you
appreciate the fact that Dr. Bob Rogers and the staff of Critter
Fixer Pet Hospital have adopted vaccine recommendations based on the
latest scientific data and with the goal of
putting the safety of your pet first.
These recommendations
are based on:
The American Animal
Hospital Association, 2003 Vaccine Guidelines
The National
Association of Public Heath Veterinarians
The American Veterinary Medical
Association, Council on Biologic and Therapeutic Agents
The AVMA Vaccine Associated Sarcoma Task
Force
The American
Association of Feline Practitioners
Texas A&M University College of Veterinary
Medicine
