Re: RC: Rabies

["C.M.Newell" <reshan@deyr.ultranet.com>]

>I recently heard that once horses have been vaccinated twice for rabies,
they 
>don't need to be immunized again.  Is this true or false?
>

False on two fronts. First, the legal ramifications of vaccination
intervals dictate that an animal not vaccinated within the constraints of
the licensing  of the vaccine are considered to be unvaccinated. So it is
conceivable that one could face the choice of a 6 month quarantine or
euthansis if said horse were exposed.
	Secondly, titers only measure part of the immune response, and even those
titers decline over time.
	(Personally, I had the initial series of pre-exposure vacinations, and I
had a shortened series of post-exposure vaccinations after handling a rabid
skunk a couple years back.)

	I consider the small expense of the vaccine to be well worth it,
especially in a rabies endemic area like mine.

				--CMNewell, DVM


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