[107barney]

Originally Posted by Ellie May

OP: I've been thinking about this and this is probably what I'd do (which shouldn't be taken as medical advice). I would never give rabies again unless my vet could show me some good research about Benadryl and/or steroid premed always working. I probably would not do DHP either. But I'd be more concerned about a dog getting this diseases than rabies, so I'd think long and hard about it. Because she had two reactions and they weren't that bad (as long as the second wasn't worse than the first), then I'd maybe consider it just once more. If no rabies is given, then I'd say leash walk only and not in wooded areas. If no DHP is given, then it's probably not safe for her to touch the ground at all (it would reduce some risk by carrying) if her titer does not stay high. But again, that's jmo.

This probably won't be popular, but whatever. If I get bit by a dog, I want to know that yes, they have been vaccinated for rabies or no, they have not been. Okay, easy enough if they haven't been. I can follow the path that the health department has laid out. And if they have been vaccinated, I also have a path to follow. There is no path to follow if the owner and their vet say the dog has been vaccinated, but yet it was only a small portion of it! So now I'd be told the dog has been vaccinated, but it's such a serious problem. What if the titer drastically fell between the last reading and my exposure to this dog? As much as some may count on rabies titers, this would now be my life we're talking about and I'd want to know if the whole thing wasn't given (or at least most of it). I'm all for medical exemptions and all of that (and even in states where they aren't offered...vets can help you around that). In fact, I may end up getting one for Ellie someday. But giving a small amount wouldn't exactly be considered legal and I just wonder why people don't just skip it altogether? If it's b/c the dog is healthy but the dose is perceived to be too large, I totally understand; but unless somebody can show me peer reviewed info that that is the case and an appropriate amount was given (and not an amount decided on by just an individual vet), then I would not be comfortable. And honestly by that I don't mean a quote from Dr. D (although I really respect her). I mean actual studies. jmo.

I could not agree more on the rabies vaccine issue. I'm planning to NOT do rabies in Barney and Daisy again, but we will have titers to show immunity has been conferred. I have a real problem with half rabies vaccines and making it up. A certain amount is required to generate an immune response physiologically -- I would like to see some research or clinical trials that show a dog has an approrpriate immune response to half or 1/4 doses. I have a problem with vets who make it up. It's called quackery.