rabies vaccine good for 3yr relabeled good for only 1 yr

[malernee]

from colorado vet school vaccination website

"Rabies vaccine is the only commonly used vaccine that requires that duration of immunity studies be carried out before licensure in the United States. Even with rabies vaccines, the label may be misleading in that a three year duration of immunity product may also be labeled and sold as a one year duration of immunity product."
****
Prevention and Treatment Of Injection-Site Sarcomas
J Feline Med Surg 3[4]:169-170 Dec'01 Proceedings 4 Refs
* DW Macy, C Guillermo Couto
* Colorado State University, Fort Collins, Colorado 80523
. ... The ethics of the profession and how we manage this problem are being watched by many, including the media. How we act on this issue is likely to have a profound effect on how our profession is perceived by the public for some time in the future.
... More legislative support is also needed and required in truth in labelling of veterinary vaccines that have been associated with vaccine site sarcoma development. Currently, a 3-year rabies vaccine may be relabelled as a 1-year rabies vaccine. . [Proceedings of AAFP/ESFM Symposium at WSAVA Congress 2001]

[whistle blower]

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SECTION 11. DOG AND CAT RABIES/LICENSE TAGS.

A. Adult dogs and cats

1. Every person who is the owner of any adult dog or cat shall secure from the Division or an authorized veterinarian/clinic an adult dog or cat rabies/license tag. The Division shall provide suitable tags for sale through authorized veterinarians/clinics.

2. No adult rabies/license tag for dogs or cats shall be issued or renewed until evidence of vaccination for rabies by a licensed veterinarian has been presented. Upon vaccinating a dog or cat against rabies, authorized veterinarians/clinics shall have available for purchase by the dog or cat owner, a Palm Beach County rabies/license tag. The rabies/license tag shall be valid for one (1) year from the date of vaccination and must be renewed annually. No adult rabies/license tag shall be valid after the expiration of the rabies vaccination, regardless of the date of issuance.

3. Failure to secure and purchase a new adult tag within thirty (30) calendar days after the previous tag expires will result in a late penalty. The Board is hereby authorized to establish by resolution the cost for the late penalty.

4. All adult dogs shall be required to wear a valid county tag, except as provided for in Laws of Florida, Chapter 69-1432, Section 1. Any person to whom a tag has been issued shall cause the tag to be securely fastened about the dog's neck by a collar, harness or other substantial device so as to be clearly visible at all times. Dogs housed in a secure enclosure may be exempt from wearing the required tag while kept in the enclosure, as long as the tag is securely fastened to a collar/harness and that device is attached to the enclosure. Dogs participating in a registered field trial, obedience trial and confirmation show and/or match are not required to wear such tags during the time of the event.

5. All adult cats shall be required to:

a. Wear a valid Palm Beach County tag, except as provided for in Laws of Florida, Chapter 69-1432, Section 1. Any person to whom a tag has been issued shall cause the tag to be securely fastened about the cat's neck by a collar, harness or other substantial device so as to be clearly visible at all times; or

b. Be tattooed on the inside right ear with a number that is not to exceed six (6) digits. Such number shall be tattooed at the owner's sole expense. Each number is to be at least one-quarter inch (1/4") in height and be clearly visible. Such number is to be provided by the owner on all official county vaccination and tag certificates; or

c. Be implanted with an electronic animal identification device (EAID).

6. Every person who owns an adult dog or cat in the county shall be required to secure a dog or cat rabies/license tag pursuant to the following schedule:

a. Within thirty (30) calendar days after becoming an adult; or

b. Within thirty (30) calendar days after a juvenile tag expires; or

c. Within thirty (30) calendar days of acquiring a dog or cat; or

d. Within thirty (30) calendar days after entering the jurisdiction of this Ordinance.

7. All authorized veterinarians/clinics shall have Palm Beach County rabies/license tags available for purchase by dog or cat owners or their agents who present evidence to the veterinarian that the dog or cat has been vaccinated against rabies pursuant to Section 10 - RABIES VACCINATIONS. For a one (1) year vaccination, the effective date of the license tag shall be the date on which the dog or cat was last vaccinated against rabies. For a three (3) year vaccination, the effective date will be one (1) and two (2) years following the date of vaccination. In no case shall the rabies/license tag be effective for more than one (1) year.

B. Juvenile dogs and cats

1. Every person or entity that is the owner of a juvenile dog or cat shall secure a juvenile license tag from the Division, an authorized veterinarian/clinic or an authorized representative. The Division shall provide suitable juvenile tags for sale through an authorized veterinarian/clinic or authorized representatives.

2. Every person or entity that obtains a juvenile license tag shall have the dog or cat vaccinated against rabies by three (3) months of age, but no later than four (4) months of age. The juvenile tag shall expire fourteen (14) months from the date of issuance if the owner obtains a rabies vaccination before the animal becomes an adult. Failure to obtain a rabies vaccination before four (4) months of age will void the juvenile tag after the dog or cat is an adult. In such cases, the owner must obtain an adult license. After the fourteen (14) month period, all owners of dogs and cats with juvenile license tags must comply with the adult license tag requirements.

3. No person shall be issued a juvenile tag for any animal over four (4) months of age.

4. Failure to secure and purchase a new adult tag within thirty (30) calendar days after the juvenile tag expires will result in a late penalty. The Board is hereby authorized to establish by resolution the cost for the late penalty.

5. All authorized veterinarians/clinics and authorized representatives shall have Palm Beach County juvenile license tags available for purchase by dog and cat owners or their agents.

C. All authorized veterinarians/clinics and authorized representatives shall remit payment for rabies/license tags sold according to procedures established by the Division. All authorized veterinarians/clinics and representatives are encouraged to issue one (1) business check monthly for rabies/license tags sold. Failure to follow the procedures established by the Division will result in the requirement that a business check from the authorized entity be issued to the Division on a monthly basis. A monthly rabies/license tag report form for purposes of tabulating tags sold and amount owed shall be supplied by the Division.

D. Schedule of fees and payments

The Board is hereby authorized to establish by resolution:

1. A schedule of fees for all license tag costs.

2. A schedule of payments or handling fees to authorized veterinarians/clinics and representatives who participate in the sale of dog and cat license tags.

E. General license tag requirements for adult and juvenile dogs and cats

1. The address of the owner shall be presumed to be the abode of the dog or cat. All changes of address must be reported to the Division within thirty (30) calendar days following such change.

2. Any changes of ownership of any dog or cat, be it by sale, transfer or otherwise, shall be reported in writing to the Division by the original or new owner within thirty (30) calendar days after ownership changes.



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© 2003 Palm Beach County Board of County Commissioners. Last modified: 03/22/2003 10:20 AM. Disclaimer

[guest]

Veterinarians Question Vaccination Procedures
Vaccinations can have adverse effects, studies show
By Rhonda L. Rundle
THE WALL STREET JOURNAL

July 31


After receiving a reminder in the mail from his veterinarian, Jim Schwartz
took his 11-year-old poodle, Moolah, for her annual rabies shot. A few
weeks later she fell ill and was diagnosed with an autoimmune disease. As
her suffering worsened, Mr. Schwartz put her down.

THERE’S NO PROOF that the rabies shot killed Moolah and Mr. Schwartz didn’t
immediately suspect any link. But when the retired financial planner
learned that some veterinarians are vaccinating pets less frequently
because of possible fatal side effects, he was furious. “No dog should have
to go through what Moolah did,” he says.
Evidence is building that annual vaccination of dogs and
cats performed for diseases such as rabies, distemper and parvovirus may
not be necessary and could even be harmful. Vaccines licensed by the U.S.
Department of Agriculture are tested to ensure they protect pets against
disease, usually for one year. But the tests don’t detect long-term side
effects, or measure the duration of a vaccine’s effectiveness. Recent and
continuing studies at several universities suggest that protection from
vaccines may last for years, which would make annual shots for some
diseases a waste of money at the very least.

Fears of vaccine-induced diseases date back more than 40 years. But a sharp
increase during the past decade in cancerous tumors among cats, between the
shoulder blades where vaccines typically are injected, has spurred studies.
Some have found a higher-than-expected incidence of side effects. “We see
health problems in dogs for which we have no explanation. The classic one
is autoimmune disease,” says Larry Glickman, professor of epidemiology at
Purdue University’s School of Veterinary Medicine in West Lafayette, Ind.,
who is studying possible links with vaccinations. “We see an epidemic of
hyperthyroidism in cats today, and we suspect that these are happening
because we’re over-vaccinating our pets.”

ACCUMULATIONS ARE THE DANGER
Dr. Glickman and his colleagues theorize that repeated vaccination
causes dogs to produce antibodies against their own tissue. The antibodies
are caused by contaminants in the vaccine introduced in the manufacturing
process. While the amounts are minuscule, they gradually accumulate with
repeated vaccinations over the years. But Dr. Glickman cautions that more
research is needed before a clear link can be established between antibody
levels and autoimmune disease.

Vaccination recommendations for cats and dogs vary around the country. Most
states require rabies vaccinations every three years, while a handful of
states as well as some individual cities and counties have mandated
annual shots due to local problems with rabies in wild animals. Some other
vaccinations are given only when a pet’s lifestyle or environment exposes
it to a particular risk, such as Lyme disease.

Pet diseases other than rabies aren’t a threat to people, thus vaccinations
aren’t required by law. But veterinarians and vaccine makers have
traditionally recommended annual booster shots against potentially fatal
diseases such as distemper and parvovirus in dogs and herpesvirus in cats.
In a policy statement last year, the American Veterinary Medical
Association acknowledged that the practice of annual vaccinations is based
on “historical precedent” and “not on scientific data.”
The emerging evidence of health risks is prompting some vets to
change their practices. “We’re now doing 40% less vaccinations than five
years ago,” says Kathleen Neuhoff, a veterinarian in Mishawaka, Ind., and
president of the American Animal Hospital Association, Lakewood, Colo.

FINANCIAL REASONS?
“My own pets are vaccinated once or twice as pups and kittens, then
never again except for rabies,” Ronald D. Schultz, chairman of the
University of Wisconsin’s Department of Pathobiological Sciences, wrote in
the March 1998 issue of Veterinary Medicine.

Some critics of annual shots accuse some vets of ignoring research
about vaccine risks for financial reasons. “Vets are afraid they will go
broke” without regular vaccines, which account for about 20% of their
practice income, says Bob Rogers, a Spring, Texas, veterinarian and
outspoken critic of current practices.
Other vets deny that financial motives are involved. (“No one who
is motivated by money would ever become a veterinarian,” Dr. Neuhoff says.)
“The concern is that if we move too quickly to decrease vaccine frequency
across the board, we may be opening the door for some animals to become
infected when we could have prevented the problem,” says Todd R. Tams,
chief medical officer of VCA Antech Inc.,in Los Angeles, the nation’s
largest owner of veterinary hospitals.”
No one truly knows how long protection from vaccines lasts. Vaccine
makers say that proving their duration would be expensive and would require
large numbers of animals to be isolated for years.
One company, Pfizer Inc., decided to test its one-year rabies
vaccine on live animals and discovered it lasted for at least three years.
It sells the identical formula simply packaged under different
labels Defensor 1 and Defensor 3 to satisfy different state vaccination
requirements.