We have many clients who prefer to avoid many, or all, vaccines for their pets. While we take a minimalist approach to vaccines, we consider rabies vaccine to be essential.
Rabies can infect any mammal.
Rabies virus infection is uniformly fatal.
Rabies virus is endemic in wildlife.
According to the World Health Organization and the Global Alliance for Rabies Control, 60,000 to 70,000 people dies of rabies virus every year around the world.
99% of human rabies deaths are a result of domestic dog bites.
Rabies is 100% preventable.
In Ohio, the two predominant wildlife species that carry the virus are bats and skunks. It has been estimated that 1-2% of bats have rabies. Bats can be found almost anywhere, including suburban and urban areas, and we see skunks in rural and suburban areas. Bat bites are especially problematic
because they can be difficult to see. Because their teeth are so small, there is the potential for exposure without any apparent wound. Occasionally, bats get into homes and apartments, so even indoor cats could be exposed.
Rabies virus enters the skin through a break in the skin – most commonly a bite. However, even a scratch that breaks the skin can inoculate the virus into the skin. (Many animals will lick their feet/paws which can lead to virus being present on the nails.) Once under the skin, the virus travels into the small peripheral nerves up toward the spinal cord, up the spinal cord to the brain. Once in the brain, it travels down the nerves to the salivary glands, causing the virus to be present in the saliva. The virus can be present in the saliva for up to a week before an animals shows signs of illness. The long trip to the brain can take months from the initial exposure until illness begins. This often makes the initial bite or scratch long-forgotten by the time illness starts. Unfortunately, once an animal shows signs of rabies virus-induced encephalitis, death soon follows. This is a unique virus that has a 100% case/fatality rate.
Because of these unique features of rabies virus (long incubation period and virus in the saliva up to one week before clinical disease), we are very cautious about potential exposure to animals that either have not been vaccinated, or not shown to have immunity to rabies virus by measuring an antibody titer.
Even though the veterinarians are vaccinated for rabies, we don’t want to test that immunity by being exposed to rabies virus. Also, the staff has not been vaccinated for rabies and would be susceptible to infection.
When we do a general anesthetic procedure, the first thing the veterinarian or technician does is place an endotracheal tube to secure the airway and provide oxygen and anesthetic gas. This puts the staff in contact with the animal’s saliva. When we perform a teeth cleaning, the ultrasonic scaler produces a large mist of water and saliva. Many tooth extractions require the use of a high-speed handpiece and
burr which also produces a large mist of water and saliva. This fine mist is not a likely vehicle for virus transmission but we want to be extra cautious to avoid exposure.
Decisions about vaccines are based on several factors:
We know that the risk of your pet being exposed to rabies is small, but it is real.
The risk of the disease is 100% fatal.
We have been using Merial Imrab 3 thimerosal-free vaccine for 29 years and it has proven to be reliably free of adverse reactions.
Rabies vaccine must have proven duration of immunity by surviving viral challenge…unlike most other vaccines.
Because of vaccine laws, stray animal control, awareness, and availability of post-exposure prophylaxis, we don’t see many human or domestic animal rabies cases in the United States and we want to keep it that way. That is why we recommend the rabies vaccine for all cats and dogs, and insist on rabies immunization before we perform general anesthetic procedures.
