Re: Rabies

["Susan Swope-Attardi" <Nagzarus@worldnet.att.net>]

I have vaccinated all of my horses for the past six years with no reactions
whatsoever.

In 1998 in the Commonwealth of Kentucky, there were more cases of rabies
among domestic animals than any other disease.  Scary, isn't it?

As for vaccinations in general, keep in mind that it is because of
vaccinations that many diseases HAVE been completely irradiated.  As Linda
pointed out, that's not likely with rabies, however, as one who went through
the treatment for exposure to rabies as a teenager, I am here to tell you it
is NOT something you or your horse want to go through.

Finally, as to death and rabies; I have a horse trainer friend whose brother
died as a result of rabies.  He didn't tell his parents about the bite and
by the time the symptoms became highly noticeable it was too late for this
boy.  It was sad and avoidable.

Susan Swope-Attardi
AERC #M17728
Southeast Region
Kentucky
----- Original Message -----
From: Linda Flemmer <bluwolf@earthlink.net>
To: <Trishmare@aol.com>
Cc: <reshan@deyr.ultranet.com>; <Dbeverly4@aol.com>;
<ridecamp@endurance.net>
Sent: Sunday, January 09, 2000 12:56 PM
Subject: RC: Rabies


> When we decide on whether or not to vaccinate our horses for rabies,
> let's think about the mode of transfer...
>
> At an endurance ride, the vets are handling horses all day, putting
> their fingers in the horses' mouths.  They are exposing themselves...
>
> When the next horse comes up, they may be exposing that new horse at his
> exam.  At one ride I saw the vets using a special disinfective for their
> hands between horses, but it was harsh on their hands.  Their hands were
> cracked & bleeding by the end of the day.
>
> One of my old geldings died of EPM (1980's).  Prior to a good diagnosis
> at the necropsy, the vet had to consider the possibility of rabies.  The
> only reason that Mike & I, all our barn help (teenagers), the vet, etc.
> didn't have to immediately start the rabies series was the fact that the
> horse had been vaccinated.  The horror & uncertainty was awful.
>
> Trish mentioned that very few people die of rabies - true.  They don't
> die because we have an effective treatment.  No treatment in a rabies
> case = certain death.  We will never eradicate rabies since it has
> resevoirs in wild animal populations, but we can minimize our contact by
> immunizing & monitoring our pets.  The rabies series is better than in
> the past, but certainly not pleasant.  It is also quite costly if your
> insurance doesn't cover it.
>
> We vaccinate all our animals for rabies on a yearly basis.  No reactions
> in the last 25+ years, and we felt that it was the responsible thing to
> do.  We have always lived in areas with a high incidence of the disease,
> so we can't be too careful!
>
> Linda Flemmer
> Blue Wolf Ranch
> Bruceton Mills, WV
>
>
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Ridecamp is a service of Endurance Net, http://www.endurance.net.    
Information, Policy, Disclaimer: http://www.endurance.net/RideCamp   
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