 |
This information was supplied by:
Kris L. Christine
Founder, Co-Trustee
The Rabies Challenge Fund
(May 8, 2008)
|
Tennessee dog owners have launched an effort to change the annual rabies immunization laws required by various counties in Tennessee to the 3 year standard recommended by the CDC's National Association of State Public Health Veterinarians and The American Veterinary Medical Association (see letter below from professional dog trainer, Jan Casey). I will be writing in a letter of support soon as well.
What You Can Do to Help
Send an e-mail to the contacts below -- it's easy to copy and paste addresses into an e-mail. If you're ambitious, please phone some of the contacts or fax them a letter, and circulate this message to all of your dog-owning contacts and ask them to help the dogs of Tennessee by sending an e-mail to request a change in rabies immunization protocol from a 1 year to the national 3 year standard.
Cookeville Contacts http://www.cookeville-tn.org/ Mayor Sam Sallee mayor@cookeville-tn.org Phone: 931-520-5241 City Manager Jim Shipley jshipley@cookeville-tn.org Phone: 931-526-9591 Fax: 931-526-4897 Cookeville City Council Members: mayor@cookeville-tn.org; jshipley@cookeville-tn.org; jdavis@cookeville-tn.org; rshelton@cookeville-tn.org; aanderson@cookeville-tn.org; rwilliams@cookeville-tn.org; clm@cookeville-tn.org
Putnam County Contacts County Executive: Kim Blaylock debby@putnamco.org 300 E. Spring Street Room 8, Cookeville, TN 38501 Phone: (931) 526-2161 Fax: : (931) 528-1300 County Attorney Jeffrey G. Jones, 1420 Neal Street, Cookeville, TN 38501; Phone: 931-372-9123, Fax: (932) 372-9181
Many thanks for assisting the dogs in your own and other states! Your efforts helped defeat a proposed change in Maine's laws and are making the change to a 3 year protocol in Cheyenne possible and may also result in Wichita switching to the 3 year standard (negotiations are encouraging on that front). Excellent work!
Regards, Kris
Kris L. Christine
Founder, Co-Trustee
The Rabies Challenge Fund
www.RabiesChallengeFund.org
PERMISSION GRANTED TO CROSS-POST THIS MESSAGE
From: jan casey
To: mayor@cookeville-tn.org; jshipley@cookeville-tn.org; jdavis@cookeville-tn.org; rshelton@cookeville-tn.org; aanderson@cookeville-tn.org; rwilliams@cookeville-tn.org; debby@putnamco.org; rep.henry.fincher@legislature.state.tn.us
Cc: ron.wilson@state.tn.us; bob.mcmillan@herald-citizen.com
Sent: Thursday, May 08, 2008 12:06 PM
Subject: rabies vaccination protocol
Dear Sirs/Madams:
I am writing to you to request a change in the rabies immunization requirements in Cookeville and Putnam County. Having recently changed veterinary services from Overton County to Putnam County, I was astounded to find that this county still mandates a yearly rabies vaccination rather than the three year of surrounding counties. I am writing to you to request you review and change this policy and adopt the national 3 year standard. As a dog trainer, board member for the Friends of the Cookeville/Putnam County Animals, and advocate for healthy dogs, I ask you to review the current facts available on this topic.
I will begin with the fact that the State of Tennessee, after thorough review of studies done nationwide by leading veterinary vaccine research scientists and universities, has deemed the three year rabies vaccination to be effective in preventing the spread of rabies. The annual rabies vaccine now given is simply a three year vaccine that has been relabeled for 1 year use. The University of Wisconsin School of Veterinary Medicine and Dr. Ronald Schultz of this school have determined There is no benefit from the annual rabies vaccination and most one year rabies products are similar or identical to the 3-year products with regard to duration of immunity and effectiveness. Likewise, the CDC's National Association of State Public Health Veterinarian's 2008 Compendium of Animal Rabies Prevention and Control states "Vaccines used in state and local rabies control programs should have at least a 3-year duration of immunity. ....... No laboratory or epidemiologic data exist to support the annual or biennial administration of 3- or 4-year vaccines following the initial series. ....All vaccines must be administered in accordance with the specifications of the product label or package insert."
My request for the change in the vaccination protocol stems from the fact that the rabies vaccine carries significant adverse reactions due to its potency. According to a review of literature by the Rabies Challenge Fund, autoimmune diseases may result that affect the thyroid, joints, blood, eyes, skin, liver, kidney, bowel, and central nervous system; anaphylactic shock; aggression; seizures; epilepsy; and fibrosarcomas at the injection sites. All have been linked to the rabies vaccination.
Also noted is the fact that rabies vaccines include aluminum hydroxide, aluminum phosphate, and aluminum potassium. These ingredients are listed as Class III/IV carcinogens with Class IV being the highest risk. The August 2003 Journal of Veterinary Medicine documents fibrosarcomas at the presumed injection sites of rabies vaccines. The 2003 AAHA Canine Vaccine Guidelines state
killed vaccines are much more likely to cause hypersensitivity reactions (e.g., immune-mediated disease.)
Obviously, the dangers involved in over-vaccinating our dogs far outweighs other considerations for retaining the yearly vaccinations. I respectfully request that Putnam County follow the State of Tennessee guidelines to require the three year rabies vaccination protocol for the well-being of our dogs. Please contact me if you require more information.
Respectfully,
Jan Casey, Dog owner, trainer, and Board Member of the Friends of the Cookeville/Putnam Co. Animals
Resources for more information:
1] Center for Disease Controls National Association of State Public Health Veterinarian's Compendium of Animal Rabies Prevention and Control http://www.nasphv.org/Documents/RabiesCompendium.pdf
[2]The American Veterinary Medical Associations 2007 RABIES VACCINATION PROCEDURES The 2006 American Animal Hospital Association's Canine Vaccine Guidelines are downloadable in PDF format at http://www.aahanet.org/PublicDocumen...s06Revised.pdf
[3] What Everyone Needs to Know about Canine Vaccines, Dr. Ronald Schultz http://www.puliclub.org/CHF/AKC2007Conf/What%20Everyone%20Needs%20to%20Know%20About%20Canine%20Vaccines.htm
Duration of Immunity to Canine Vaccines: What We Know and Don't Know, Dr. Ronald Schultz http://www.cedarbayvet.com/duration_of_immunity.htm
World Small Animal Veterinary Association 2007 Vaccine Guidelines http://www.wsava.org/SAC.htm Scroll down to Vaccine Guidelines 2007 (PDF)
[4] IARC Monographs on the Evaluation of Carcinogenic Risks to Humans: Volume 74, World Health Organization, International Agency for Research on Cancer, Feb. 23-Mar. 2, 1999, p. 24, 305, 310
[5] Fibrosarcomas at Presumed Sites of Injection in Dogs: Characteristics and Comparison with Non-vaccination Site Fibrosarcomas and Feline Post-vaccinal Fibrosarcomas; Journal of Veterinary Medicine, Series A August 2003, vol. 50, no. 6, pp. 286-291(6)
[6] The 2003 American Animal Hospital Association's Canine Vaccine Guidelines are accessible online at http://www.leerburg.com/special_report.htm
_______________________________________________________________________________________
Tennessee Legislature http://www.legislature.state.tn.us/
Tennessee Senators and Representatives e-mails: sen.mae.beavers@legislature.state.tn.us; sen.andy.berke@legislature.state.tn.us; sen.diane.black@legislature.state.tn.us; sen.dewayne.bunch@legislature.state.tn.us; sen.tim.burchett@legislature.state.tn.us; sen.charlotte.burks@legislature.state.tn.us; sen.rusty.crowe@legislature.state.tn.us; sen.lowe.finney@legislature.state.tn.us; sen.raymond.finney@legislature.state.tn.us; sen.ophelia.ford@legislature.state.tn.us; sen.thelma.harper@legislature.state.tn.us; sen.joe.haynes@legislature.state.tn.us; sen.douglas.henry@legislature.state.tn.us; sen.roy.herron@legislature.state.tn.us; sen.doug.jackson@legislature.state.tn.us; sen.jack.johnson@legislature.state.tn.us; sen.bill.ketron@legislature.state.tn.us; sen.tommy.kilby@legislature.state.tn.us; sen.rosalind.kurita@legislature.state.tn.us; sen.jim.kyle@legislature.state.tn.us; sen.beverly.marrero@legislature.state.tn.us; sen.randy.mcnally@legislature.state.tn.us; sen.mark.norris@legislature.state.tn.us; lt.gov.ron.ramsey@legislature.state.tn.us; sen.steve.roller@legislature.state.tn.us; sen.steve.southerland@legislature.state.tn.us; sen.paul.stanley@legislature.state.tn.us; sen.reginald.tate@legislature.state.tn.us; sen.jim.tracy@legislature.state.tn.us; sen.bo.watson@legislature.state.tn.us; sen.john.wilder@legislature.state.tn.us; sen.micheal.williams@legislature.state.tn.us; sen.jamie.woodson@legislature.state.tn.us; rep.joe.armstrong@legislature.state.tn.us; rep.william.baird@legislature.state.tn.us; rep.eddie.bass@legislature.state.tn.us; rep.mike.bell@legislature.state.tn.us; rep.robert.bibb@legislature.state.tn.us; rep.stratton.bone@legislature.state.tn.us; rep.willie.borchert@legislature.state.tn.us; rep.rob.briley@legislature.state.tn.us; rep.harry.brooks@legislature.state.tn.us; rep.kevin.brooks@legislature.state.tn.us; rep.tommie.brown@legislature.state.tn.us; rep.frank.buck@legislature.state.tn.us; rep.stacey.campfield@legislature.state.tn.us; rep.glen.casada@legislature.state.tn.us; rep.curt.cobb@legislature.state.tn.us; rep.jim.cobb@legislature.state.tn.us; rep.kent.coleman@legislature.state.tn.us; rep.jim.coley@legislature.state.tn.us; rep.barbara.cooper@legislature.state.tn.us; rep.chris.crider@legislature.state.tn.us; rep.charles.curtiss@legislature.state.tn.us; rep.vince.dean@legislature.state.tn.us; rep.john.deberry@legislature.state.tn.us; rep.lois.deberry@legislature.state.tn.us; rep.tom.dubois@legislature.state.tn.us; rep.bill.dunn@legislature.state.tn.us; rep.jimmy.eldridge@legislature.state.tn.us; rep.joanne.favors@legislature.state.tn.us; rep.dennis.ferguson@legislature.state.tn.us; rep.henry.fincher@legislature.state.tn.us; rep.craig.fitzhugh@legislature.state.tn.us; rep.richard.floyd@legislature.state.tn.us; rep.dale.ford@legislature.state.tn.us; rep.george.fraley@legislature.state.tn.us; rep.brenda.gilmore@legislature.state.tn.us; rep.dolores.gresham@legislature.state.tn.us; rep.jim.hackworth@legislature.state.tn.us; rep.ga.hardaway@legislature.state.tn.us; rep.bill.harmon@legislature.state.tn.us; rep.mike.harrison@legislature.state.tn.us; rep.beth.harwell@legislature.state.tn.us; rep.david.hawk@legislature.state.tn.us; rep.joey.hensley@legislature.state.tn.us; rep.matthew.hill@legislature.state.tn.us; rep.john.hood@legislature.state.tn.us; rep.curtis.johnson@legislature.state.tn.us; rep.phillip.johnson@legislature.state.tn.us; rep.sherry.jones@legislature.state.tn.us; rep.ulysses.jones@legislature.state.tn.us; rep.brian.kelsey@legislature.state.tn.us; rep.mike.kernell@legislature.state.tn.us; rep.john.litz@legislature.state.tn.us; rep.ron.lollar@legislature.state.tn.us; rep.jon.lundberg@legislature.state.tn.us; rep.susan.lynn@legislature.state.tn.us; rep.mark.maddox@legislature.state.tn.us; rep.debra.maggart@legislature.state.tn.us; rep.judd.matheny@legislature.state.tn.us; rep.jimmy.matlock@legislature.state.tn.us; rep.joe.mccord@legislature.state.tn.us; rep.gerald.mccormick@legislature.state.tn.us; rep.steve.mcdaniel@legislature.state.tn.us; rep.michael.mcdonald@legislature.state.tn.us; rep.steve.mcmanus@legislature.state.tn.us; rep.larry.miller@legislature.state.tn.us; rep.richard.montgomery@legislature.state.tn.us; rep.gary.moore@legislature.state.tn.us; rep.jason.mumpower@legislature.state.tn.us; speaker.jimmy.naifeh@legislature.state.tn.us; rep.frank.niceley@legislature.state.tn.us; rep.gary.odom@legislature.state.tn.us; rep.doug.overbey@legislature.state.tn.us; rep.phillip.pinion@legislature.state.tn.us; rep.joe.pitts@legislature.state.tn.us; rep.mary.pruitt@legislature.state.tn.us; rep.jeanne.richardson@legislature.state.tn.us; rep.randy.rinks@legislature.state.tn.us; rep.dennis.roach@legislature.state.tn.us; rep.gary.rowe@legislature.state.tn.us; rep.donna.rowland@legislature.state.tn.us; rep.charles.sargent@legislature.state.tn.us; rep.johnny.shaw@legislature.state.tn.us; rep.david.shepard@legislature.state.tn.us; rep.janis.sontany@legislature.state.tn.us; rep.park.strader@legislature.state.tn.us; rep.eric.swafford@legislature.state.tn.us; rep.john.tidwell@legislature.state.tn.us; rep.harry.tindell@legislature.state.tn.us; rep.curry.todd@legislature.state.tn.us; rep.joe.towns@legislature.state.tn.us; rep.larry.turner@legislature.state.tn.us; rep.mike.turner@legislature.state.tn.us; rep.nathan.vaughn@legislature.state.tn.us; rep.eric.watson@legislature.state.tn.us; rep.ben.west@legislature.state.tn.us; rep.kent.williams@legislature.state.tn.us; rep.john.windle@legislature.state.tn.us; rep.leslie.winningham@legislature.state.tn.us; rep.eddie.yokley@legislature.state.tn.us
_______________________________________________________________________________________
More information and regular updates on The Rabies Challenge Fund and the concurrent 5 and 7 year challenge studies it is financing can be found at the funds website designed by volunteer Andrea Brin at:
The information contained on this site is in no way intended to replace that of proper veterinary advice, diagnosis or treatment.
It is meant to provide resource, so that we can better understand canine health related issues.