[mudpuppymama]

I am still in shock over this. It appears California has a rabies exemption law. Certainly Boo would qualify. If not, it makes you wonder who would.

 

[BoosDad]

Poor Boo! I was actually shocked that your vets decided to vaccinate a dog of your advanced age. There is zero chance that you did not have adequate antibodies at this point without boostering… even if you had any access to wild animals.

I am very sorry to hear that Boo is suffering. I never in a million years thought that they would give a rabies shot to a 20 year old dog with multiple health issues who is already immune to rabies anyway.

Here, it seems unless your pet is being treated for cancer, they decline to give an exemption from the rabies vaccine. I was told that advanced age was not a factor in receiving an exemption.

I thought long and hard about vaccinating, and simply not renewing his license. However, after receiving several notices from the County, I finally caved after talking to his vets.

I guess I was worried that, if he got real nervous and accidentally bit his groomer one time, it might become a real problem. Since he had no reactions in the past, I was hoping for the same.
Since he had no reaction after the first 48 hours, I thought we were in the clear. I was most concerned about a serious respiratory reaction, as that is what they emphasize, which didn’t happen.

Today, he seems his normal though somewhat mellower self. Hopefully, he won’t have any lasting issues.

 

[BoosDad]

I am still in shock over this. It appears California has a rabies exemption law. Certainly Boo would qualify. If not, it makes you wonder who would.

But for his age, Boo’s current medical records look pretty good. As such, I was told that it was unlikely he would qualify for an exemption, as they were, typically reserved for dogs undergoing cancer treatment or ones with serious prior reactions.

Dr. Dodds did do a study to try to change rabies laws in California, some years ago (to change vaccination requirement to every 5 or 7 years) However, I don’t think this went anywhere.

 

[Jackie from Concrete WA]

Oh poor Boo. So sorry to hear about your hard day. Hope you are on the mend. I believe our state also requires vacs for rabies.

 

[Heather's]

Poor little Boo... I hope he is feeling better soon!

 

[mudpuppymama]

Here, it seems unless your pet is being treated for cancer, they decline to give an exemption from the rabies vaccine. I was told that advanced age was not a factor in receiving an exemption.

I thought long and hard about vaccinating, and simply not renewing his license. However, after receiving several notices from the County, I finally caved after talking to his vets.

I guess I was worried that, if he got real nervous and accidentally bit his groomer one time, it might become a real problem. Since he had no reactions in the past, I was hoping for the same.
Since he had no reaction after the first 48 hours, I thought we were in the clear. I was most concerned about a serious respiratory reaction, as that is what they emphasize, which didn’t happen.

Today, he seems his normal though somewhat mellower self. Hopefully, he won’t have any lasting issues.

Well that confirms what I suspected about the rabies exemption. So unless a dog has cancer or has almost died from a previous rabies shot, it will most likely be impossible to get an exemption. Trying to prevent further immune system damage in an elderly dog who already has autoimmune disease (warning flag) is not considered a good reason. Not surprising at all. Very sad but goes along with the whole medical and veterinary philosophy of NOT trying to prevent bad things from happening in the first place.

I am certainly glad I learned to groom my own dogs. I would encourage others to consider this also. It is not that hard. One of the main reasons I learned to groom mine was to avoid vaccines.

 

[BoosDad]

Well that confirms what I suspected about the rabies exemption. So unless a dog has cancer or has almost died from a previous rabies shot, it will most likely be impossible to get an exemption. Trying to prevent further immune system damage in an elderly dog who already has autoimmune disease (warning flag) is not considered a good reason. Not surprising at all. Very sad but goes along with the whole medical and veterinary philosophy of NOT trying to prevent bad things from happening in the first place.

I am certainly glad I learned to groom my own dogs. I would encourage others to consider this also. It is not that hard. One of the main reasons I learned to groom mine was to avoid vaccines.

You’re correct.

 

[krandall]

Oh poor Boo. So sorry to hear about your hard day. Hope you are on the mend. I believe our state also requires vacs for rabies.

Our state require vaccination for Rabies too, but will exempt extremely old animals with a longstanding record of vaccination.

 

[Jackie from Concrete WA]

Our state require vaccination for Rabies too, but will exempt extremely old animals with a longstanding record of vaccination.

I just Googled to see if our state (Washington) has any exemptions for rabies vaccinations. Looks like the answer is no.

 

[mudpuppymama]

I just Googled to see if our state (Washington) has any exemptions for rabies vaccinations. Looks like the answer is no.

Should Willow ever develop a condition where you feel she is not healthy enough for a rabies shot, you should be able to find an understanding vet who will support that decision, especially given the fact she most likely has had multiple rabies vaccines. A good vet knows that vaccines are only intended for use in healthy individuals and good vets believe in “doing no harm”. Mia had a bad reaction to a rabies shot so I quit vaccinating her even though there are no exemptions in my state. I have never had a problem with this. In addition, where I have lived dogs who bite someone are quarantined regardless of vaccine status so it doesn’t really make any difference if they get the shot or not. Only difference is that the owner may pay a fine which is a small price to pay for a healthy dog.

 

[Sheri]

I didn't give vaccinations to Tucker, either, after he was about 5 years old because he was already showing signs of being at risk. He became deathly ill at 7 with IBD and the vet never did force the issue with us.

 

[Sheri]

Boos Dad, how is Boo doing? I keep thinking of him and hoping he's been able to recover from that rabies shot. I send gentle pats to him.

 

[BoosDad]

Boos Dad, how is Boo doing? I keep thinking of him and hoping he's been able to recover from that rabies shot. I send gentle pats to him.

Boo is doing much better today. He had well formed, solid poop with good color and no signs of blood last night and this morning. He has been eating well the past few days. He seems to be mostly back to his former self. I am fortunate that, so far, he always seems to bounce back from any glitch. We recheck with his specialist in 10 days. Looks like he is out of the woods.

 

[BoosDad]

From BoosDad -

Seems like the pet licensing agency is particularly aggressive in LA County. Today, I received a notice on my door about the need to provide rabies vaccine compliance information for Mr. Boo. Funny, that they have money to actually send people out to your residence, when they are constantly begging for donations from me every few months. Crazy!

 

[mudpuppymama]

From BoosDad -

Seems like the pet licensing agency is particularly aggressive in LA County. Today, I received a notice on my door about the need to provide rabies vaccine compliance information for Mr. Boo. Funny, that they have money to actually send people out to your residence, when they are constantly begging for donations from me every few months. Crazy!

It is very sad that they do not have something more productive to do. I suppose this is mainly about getting their registration fee? I was wondering what they do if you do not comply. If they come to my door I will tell them Mia will only get a rabies vaccine if it is over my dead body.

 

[krandall]

They never do this in our town.

 

[mudpuppymama]

They never do this in our town.

Some people in my other groups have mentioned this happening. Different areas must be different. Since California has the most regulations of any state in the entire country I am not surprised,

 

[BoosDad]

It is very sad that they do not have something more productive to do. I suppose this is mainly about getting their registration fee? I was wondering what they do if you do not comply. If they come to my door I will tell them Mia will only get a rabies vaccine if it is over my dead body.

I think you are correct.

 

[krandall]

I think you are correct.

They've got to pay for their job!

 

[BoosDad]

Dear Diary,

I visited my specialist today for a recheck. She did not see any blood in my stool. She also said my blood pressure was good, and I had gained a little weight. I am eating better now, since I am feeling better.

Dad was very happy with the news. After we got home, Dad let me go outside to explore, while he watered. After I was done exploring, I walked to the back door, and waited for Dad to take me inside. Dad was very surprised, as I usually just wait on the grass for him to carry me inside. Guess I showed him I’ve still got all my marbles.

Boo