RABIES warning!
 

Just euthanized an unvaccinated cat that ended up being a CONFIRMED case of rabies. I was the lucky technician that had to collect the "sample". If you don't know how a sample is collected from an animal for rabies testing, it's not pretty OR pleasant :sick:

This is just a warning for people who feel that vaccines are unwarranted. Now not only is an EXTREMELY sweet young cat dead, but everyone exposed must now go through rabies injections to prevent catching the disease.

Skip all other vaccines if you want, but DON'T mess around with rabies! IMHO, that's one of the stupidest things you can do as an owner.

I"m sorry for the cat, the owner, you and anyone involved. However, I don't think anyone here has ever advocated not vaccinating at all. I have seen people advocate minimal vaccination and titers.

There are some here that STRONGLY advocate against the rabies vaccine. And although we have made peace, it is still information posted that I feel is very dangerous advice to be giving. And just an example here of why.

But they also advocated for titers. And the one person almost lost her dog to a reaction, thus the strong argument for her dog...not for all dogs.

I absolutely agree with you. Rabies is not optional. If I lived in a state that would accept titers, I would do that. However, one way or another, people must make sure their dogs are protected.

I also think it's important to note that you need to see what your state's position is on titers. According to people I've spoken with (who are government but not top level) in NYS a titered dog is considered one that has been vaccinated in the past but is not up to date, and will be considered as such if it gets bitten by a rabid animal or bites someone. So you have to take that into consideration too - are you prepared to follow your state law for an animal that is not up to date on rabies in those situations?

Here is a good example someone posted in the past: http://www.michigan.gov/documents/rabies_pets_flowchart_134247_7.pdf
but titers need to be addressed...

2 rabid bats in my fenced suburban yard convinced me. Rabies is everywhere.

We, in PA, do not have the rabies exemption. When discussing titers with my vet on Saturday, he pointed out that titers are not considered legal in states with exemption. So, given that, titers will give you an idea of immunity but will not hold up in court. People need to use their brains when weighing the risk and not get caught up in paranoia. Yes, rabies is everywhere and all animals need to be protected so it doesn't reemerge as a widespread disease.

RABIES warning!
 

In my local county, 4 confirmed cases of rabies in 3 months. 4. Crazy. Vaccinate your dog.


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This is odd: http://www.wadsworth.org/rabies/mont...jan2013rpt.pdf in January in Erie County NY 15 dogs were "examined" at the lab (so all 15 were dead). No cases but wonder what happened...

How was it confirmed? The only way to confirm rabies is to remove the head to autospy the brain and that has to be sent out...so I assume this is and educated/clinical observation/diagnosis, not yet a CONFIRMED diagnosis if the cat was "just euthanized"...

Now a cat with rabies is a perfect example of why people should NOT let their animals roam...here we have laws regarding cats at large - they have to be contained to the owners property, but they never are and since AC never bothers with cats then the public is at risk of negligent owners.

If signs suggestive of rabies develop, postexposure prophylaxis should be initiated. The animal should be euthanized and its head removed and shipped, under refrigeration, for examination by a qualified laboratory
CDC - Exposure: Testing animals - Rabies

How will I know if an animal is rabid?
The only conclusive way to know if an animal is (was) rabid is to identify the virus in brain tissue after the animal is dead
Rabies