While this isn't directly being released by the Rabies Challenge Fund they are huge opponents of this proposed legislation and are trying to spread the word about it to pet owners around the country.Please take a moment to read this press release and pass it along to everyone you know even those not currently living in California. What happens in one state can happen across the country and this would be horrible even the companies that make the Rabies Vaccination are against this proposed bill because they recommend only vaccinating healthy animals and this law would pressure everyone to vaccinate whether healthy or not.
Permission to Cross-Post has been granted by the author of the press release.
California Rabies Bill Seeks Lifetime Quarantine for Sick DogsAn amendment currently being considered by the California Legislature wouldforce dog owners whose dogs are too sick to be vaccinated to either quarantinethose dogs or vaccinate them, despite their illnesses. This would include dogswhose illnesses have been caused or aggravated by the rabies vaccine itself. Forthose dogs, and many others with chronic diseases, the amendment wouldeffectively create either a requirement of lifetime quarantine or force the dog toreceive a life-threatening vaccination.
Vaccine-induced illness, or vaccinosis, comes in a variety of forms and is usuallyautoimmune in nature. Typically, dogs that develop vaccinosis never fullyrecover, and it is usually recommended that they not be vaccinated again. Theyoften receive a medical exemption in the form of a letter from a veterinarianadvising against future vaccination. A medical exemption letter can be given formany reasons, if a veterinarian determines that a dog is too sick to toleratefurther vaccination. In fact, the labeling instructions on vaccine productsinstruct veterinarians to vaccinate healthy dogs only.
In California, several changes to the rabies vaccination laws are currently underreview, including this language:“A dog exempt from the canine antirabies vaccination shallbe kept quarantined as directed by the local health officer,until the dog's medical condition has resolved and theadministration of the canine antirabies vaccine occurs.”
For those dogs that are exempt due to vaccinosis or other chronic conditions,this proposed amendment means owners must choose either lifetime quarantineor vaccinating unhealthy dogs against both veterinary and labeling advice. Forsome of these dogs, vaccination would be deadly.
What is the actual likelihood of rabies in California dogs? According to datapublished by the California Department of Health Services, Veterinary PublicHealth Section, bats and skunks are far more likely to carry rabies than dogs.During the past four years, only one rabid dog has been reported in the entirestate of California. Of the six human cases reported during the period from1997 to 2006, four are known to have contracted rabies outside of the UnitedStates. (http://www.cdph.ca.gov/healthinfo/discond/Pages/rabies.aspx).Dr. Bonnie Sorensen, Chief Deputy of the California Department of Public Health(CDPH), wrote in 2008: "Bats and skunks are the most common animals found tobe rabid in California. Rabies is rare in dogs, cats, and other domestic animalsin California due to vaccination programs and animal control efforts."(http://www.cdph.ca.gov/Pages/NR2008-50.aspx).In other words, the vaccination program that currently exists in California isalready working.
According to Jean Dodds, world-renowned California veterinarian and Co-Trustee of the Rabies Challenge Fund Charitable Trust*: “I am definitely alarmedabout the negative impact this proposed legislation would have on the healthand longevity of dogs legitimately deserving of rabies booster exemptions. Themandate of permanent quarantine as the alternative to forcing these dogs toreceive rabies boosters would cause untold pain, suffering and hardship notonly for the pet but also the pet owner.
“This proposed legislation is a significant setback to current advancements instandardizing rabies laws nationwide and providing uniform requirements forissuing exemptions, where appropriate, on a case-by-case basis. It would beironic indeed, if the State of California, believed to be progressive, was to take a big step backwards and enact unwise and unjustified legislation!”
Laura Bates Sterner of Sacramento, the owner of Louie, a Chinese Crested with along history of health problems related to the rabies vaccine, is worried thatpeople will not understand what this law would mean for dogs like hers withchronic illness. “Another part of the same amendment defines and clarifieswhat qualifies as a medical exemption under the law, and that is a good thing,”she says, “but pet owners who fail to look more closely at the rest of theproposed legislation may not realize that it also contains this additionallanguage that will force quarantines. Until now, dogs with medical exemptionshave been allowed to simply live out their days. If the new language passes inits entirety, those animals deemed exempt under the law will have a far differentfuture.”
Sterner, along with Cynthia Jeremica of Sacramento, is hoping to make otherdog owners aware of the proposed change to bill AB2000. They support analternative proposal written and endorsed by the co-trustees of the RabiesChallenge Fund which would eliminate the quarantine requirement, and makeother important changes. For more information about what you need to do inorder to speak out against this amendment (amendment 2 to bill AB2000),please visit http://savelouie.blogspot.com/2010/05/california-action-alertproposed-ca.html .
*The Rabies Challenge Fund is in the third year of concurrent 5- and 7-yearresearch trials to determine the long-term duration of immunity of the caninerabies vaccine with the goal of extending state mandated rabies boosters to 5,and then 7 years. The purpose would be to extend the interval required forrabies booster vaccination after the initial 2-dose series beyond the 3-yearinterval now followed. See www.rabieschallengefund.org for additionalinformation.
Additional background/resources:• http://www.rabieschallengefund.org/ (background on the RabiesChallenge Fund)• http://www.dogs4dogs.com/alerts (Breaking information about thepending amendment to AB2000)• http://savelouie.blogspot.com/2009/07/part-5-rabies-vaccineinduced- ischemic.html (Story of “Louie’s” struggle with vaccinosis)• http://www.dogs4dogs.com/blog4dogs/2009/07/01/rabies-vaccineskin- reaction-ischemic-dermatopathy/ (Story of “Peaches” struggle withvaccinosis)• http://www.dogs4dogs.com/blog4dogs/2009/10/28/vaccine-injectionsite- tumors/ a dog with a vaccine induced fibrosarcoma at the injectionsite.• High-resolution images of vaccinosis:• http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_JUyW_qYq4tI/SnJsAILeN4I/AAAAAAAAAB8/Uo TKpKjYEdw/s1600-h/IMG_1220.JPG (Erosion of skin and open lesions onLouie’s ear, more than a year after his injection - image also attached)• http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_JUyW_qYq4tI/SnJr_4q51SI/AAAAAAAAAB0/NA 8F9f8hQok/s1600-h/IMG_1218.JPG (Crusting and hyperpigmentation atLouie’s injection site, more than a year after his injection)• http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_JUyW_qYq4tI/S0VA7If_B5I/AAAAAAAAAEo/WI QEm50E0bQ/s1600- h/Peaches+from+Feb.+08+to+Feb.+09+skin+changes+002.jpg(Peaches’ ischemic dermatopathy due to rabies vaccine)• http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_JUyW_qYq4tI/S0VBBnhqiEI/AAAAAAAAAEw/_F E7kzTTwgA/s1600- h/Peaches+from+Feb.+08+to+Feb.+09+skin+changes+007.jpg(Another image of Peaches showing the damage at the injection site –Image also attached)