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Originally Posted by 107barney  80% effective after 7 years seems like it's not effective. This is why I just vaccinate every 3 years. In my state, if you don't have paperwork then the dog can be quarantined in a state shelter (and not even at your vet). I'd rather vaccinate than risk quarantine. |
I agree, 80% does seem like it's not good enough, plus the study only included 5 dogs, so this percentage could very well be off. Challenge studies are very difficult to do, because you have to follow a large number of dogs for a long period of time, and then expose them to rabies, which could result in death. But until they develop alternatives that are proven to be as good as challenge studies, challenge studies are the way to go in proving immunity. Nine years is definitely too long to go without a rabies vaccination, and seven years doesn't look that great. Maybe they will eventually settle on a shorter time like five years, but they need to collect more data first. Basically, they need to come up with a length of time where the risk of catching rabies is less than the risk of adverse effects from vaccination, and balance that with the risk to humans and other animals of having a dog with rabies running around. They thought they could get around doing challenge studies by measuring antibody titers, but as Wylie's Mom points out, titers don't tell the whole story--hence the existence of animals with high titers that are not immune to rabies. I've been blessed that Bella does not have a bad reaction to rabies vaccine, so for now, we're content to have her vaccinated every three years.