ridecamp@endurance.net: Re: Rabies

Re: Rabies

Trish Dowling (dowling@skyway.usask.ca)
Thu, 16 Oct 1997 09:22:09 -0700 (PDT)

I gotta delurk and jump in on this discussion:

BTW since rabies vac. is
> not legislated for horses is this something you give only every 2 or 3
> years?
>
> I hope you keep informing all of us on this list.
>
> Teresa

There ARE liscensed vaccines for horses, cows and sheep (sorry, not for goats). Horses and cows are to be
vaccinated annually and sheep may be vaccinated every 3 years with one product and annually with the
others. The vaccines for horses are: Rabguard TC, RM Imrab, and Rabvac.
>
> Thanks to Duncan for his CDC post of confirmed rabies cases in the U.S.
> The CDC report is for confirmed cases. Incidentally, no human that has
> actually contracted the disease has survived it and the downward spiral
> to death is devastating.

Not exactly true. There have been cases in humans that have survived - BUT they are very rare. The Journal
of the American Veterinary Medical Association publishes the rabies incidence by state every year. I haven't
kept the articles, but if you search Medline you should be able to find the articles if you're interested in the
stats. Skunks are the most efficient carriers of the virus - they can be infectious for a long time before they
die. Racoons and foxes die much quicker, but still are responsible for spreading the virus. Unvaccinated
cats are a major problem in the US with human exposures. Also, I am unaware of any published reports of
rabies being transmitted from a horse to a human. The horse is not a very good multiplier of the virus it
seems. However, I do not want to be the first case. I was vaccinated through vet school and still have a good
titer 10 years after my last booster. The human vaccines are fairly expensive, but the real expense is if
you've not been vaccinated and have been exposed, they will give you an immunoglobulin shot (direct
anti-rabies antibodies) which is very expensive. Rabies in large animals can look like any other disease - I've
had them brought in as lameness cases. But I agree that it is highly unlikely that one would show up
competing at an endurance race - so I think the vets are safe examining mucous membranes! I also
consider the rabies vaccines to be very safe. In all my years of administering the vaccines to animals, I've
only seen one adverse reaction (a dog whose face swelled). On the other hand, there a lot of reactions to the
human vaccines - my classmates and I had lots of sore, itchy arms.

Cheers,
Trisha

Trisha Dowling, DVM, MS, Diplomate ACVIM & ACVCP
Associate Professor, Veterinary Clinical Pharmacology
Western College of Veterinary Medicine
Saskatoon, SK S7N 5B4
306-966-7359/FAX 306-966-7376

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