# My vet has me questioning the rabies vaccine.



## stewartselena (Apr 30, 2013)

Hello everyone, I was at the vet Monday with Buddy my almost 12 week old lab/husky pup for his second round of vaccines while I was there I asked her what she thinks of vaccines and are they safe, she told me she was all for puppy vaccines however she also said she was on the fence about the rabies vaccine. According to her there is a 1 in 10 000 chance of your dog developing cancer at the injection site. This frightened me immensely and I asked her If I should just bypass the vaccine altogether. Her response was this, there are no known issues of rabies in our province and given the risk factors the vaccine is not really necessary. I live in Newfoundland, Canada and have myself never heard of any type of rabies issues. It is also not a law that your dog needs the rabies vaccine. She said in the future there may be an issue regarding rabies due to wolves and coyotes coming to our island via ice floats, but for now it a non issue. Im confused and don't know what I should do? Any advice? Did you vaccinate your dog for rabies? Any adverse reactions? I just want whats best for my furbaby.


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## Willowy (Dec 10, 2007)

There is a risk of cancer or anaphylactic reactions with all vaccines. What you have to do is weigh the risk of the vaccine against the risk of the disease, and decide which risk is lower. This totally depends on the endemic diseases in your area and what kind of exposure your dog will get.


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## Flaming (Feb 2, 2013)

I lived in NFLD for 18 years and haven't seen rabies but have heard there were a few cases in my old home town as well as a few others recently (last 3 years). Mostly around the south coast of NFLD though and a little around the St.Johns area. 
Rabies kills both animals and humans and it has been reported on the island. I vaccinated all my dogs and cats while I was there. 

I personally never had any overly harmful reactions (one dog had light diarrhea for 24 hours ) And I have never met a dog with cancer from it, though there are reports that it does happen with all vaccienes. 

Willowy is right about the risks

I would personally get the first one at least and ask for the shot that can be taken on a 3 or 5 year booster instead of the yearly one. 
By chance is your vet practising in Grandfalls-Windsor? you don't have to answer me if you don't feel comfortable, but there was one vet we had an issue with there in the past, I know back home can be a bit limited so I hope you can get what you need.


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## Gogoclips (Apr 27, 2013)

I did because it is the law here. When you're out walking the city has the right to ask you for your dog license information and rabies cert I think. They also give out little tags after getting the rabies vaccine so there is no question that the dog got it. Our's got his rabies shot at 4 months and developed a lump on the injection site half a week later, but it went away within a week.


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## Kyllobernese (Feb 5, 2008)

I live in B.C. and it is not mandatory to get Rabies vaccine here. The only dogs of mine that have had it are Susie and Remmy and that was only because I wanted to take them across the Border into the States. It was one shot, a second shot a year later and then not for three years. That was several years ago and I never did it again after the three years as have not gone to the States.


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## stewartselena (Apr 30, 2013)

I live in st. John's and as such our vet is located here, she is relatively young and seems very bright and informed, very helpful at answering all my questons, so I think she knows what she is doing  ( I hope) Im going to have to have to seriously think about this. And just so people know, (if you don't already), if your dog bites someone and hasn't had the rabies vaccine and the bitee says it has rabies, then your dog is automatically destroyed and their brain sent off for testing. This is the number one thing that really makes the vaccine worth while.


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## Flaming (Feb 2, 2013)

though rabies isn't common there, it has been reported 
http://www.nr.gov.nl.ca/nr/agrifoods/animal/animal_health/rabies.html


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## MrsBoats (May 20, 2010)

It's the law...so I do rabies vaccines on my dogs every three years. You do hear about rabid wild animals biting people here in New England more often than you would think. I have seen racoons acting strangely in the daytime by the side of the road here in RI on occasion and I would suspect rabies. Our fenced in yard has had raccoons, opossums, foxes, and skunks in it. For me, the benefits of a rabies vaccine outweigh the risks.


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## Amaryllis (Dec 28, 2011)

I always do the first rabies shot. I don't do boosters. But rabies does occur in wildlife in PA, so my risks may be different from yours.


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## CoverTune (Mar 11, 2007)

http://www.thedogplace.org/VACCINES/Reaction-LP-Dr.Jordan-136.asp

My dogs have had vaccines in the past before I knew better, but I will not be giving them any more vaccines for the rest of their lives. I'm also very seriously considering not giving any vaccines to my future puppies/dogs.


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## BorderGal (Nov 29, 2008)

I live in a rabies quarantine county in California so I have vaccinated my dogs (and cats) always. In 12 days I will be celebrating my 40th year in Rescue and I have never (knock on nylabone) had a dog develop problems from a rabies vaccine. I cannot say that dogs who have left us too soon, at age 8-9, with other health problems, have not had done so from underlying complications from past vaccines, however I would rather err on caution than deal with rabies in either my animals or myself!


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## Miss Bugs (Jul 4, 2011)

no law requiring it here, I base giving the Rabies vaccine on the dog in question. I don't have an issue with boarding since I work in a kennel, and its not required, so I evaluate the risk..Baby dog and Gypsy are on a 3 year schedule for Rabies because they bite, Baby get nervous of people when I am not beside her and she WILL bite someone who tries to touch her, she has also bitten not on purpose, but just being a spaz, I have to be careful not to let her get too hyper because she will bite HARD without even realizing it. for this reason I keep her UTD with a Rabies cert, just in case she bites the wrong person, she would get a 10 day in home quarantine vs a 10 day quarantine in some strange place with strange people with no me..ya know the exact situation she bites in.

Gypsy simply enjoys biting lol, we are working on it, but like Baby, I keep her with a legal Rabies Cert just to be safe! 

Misty is 10, she has never had a rabies vaccine in her life and never will, Happy is 12, she had one rabies vaccine at 4 months old..which she reacted very poorly too, and she was never vaccinated again for anything and never will be. Rusty..I have had him for 6 years, and he has never had a rabies vaccine with me..his old owners had him since 6 months and they never gave me any vaccine records with all his stuff, given their situation I seriously doubt they vaccinated him for Rabies(or anything else lol) so as far as I know, he has never had a Rabies, and he wont get one with me. Gem I do every once in a while for the sole reason that I do a lot of classes with her and I am not long a member of any clubs, I am just a regular student..meaning I need proof of vaccines lol. our clubs are very liberal on the issue though, so I take it easy on the vaccines and do just enough to say she has "been vaccinated"


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