We have rabies outbreaks at least every few years. Usually it is only found after horses start turning up positive, from encounters with rabid wildlife, usually bats, skunks, squirrels, opossums or raccoons, usually skunks. They seem to be the most likely to be positive around here if they have a run-in with a skunk or bat they are the most common animals to be rabid here. I don't want to have to put my cats down because they aren't vaccinated. My ex-husband had to have his cat put down when he was a child after it got into a fight with a rabid skunk. If a rabid bat(or any bat they can't catch before release) ever gets in your house and your pet is not vaccinated you have sign their death warrant. If an unvaccinated animal is in a house with a rabid bat(or an encounter with any known or suspected rabid animal) they have to, by law, be put down, or at least they do here.
Paul had to shoot a paralyzed raccoon that showed up in Mitzi's wood bin. She actually called work and told them she'd be late until she could get her neighbor to come over and fix the problem since she was afraid to walk past it to get to her car. Now granted it could have been hit by a car and made it to the bin but it was sick. Paul used 2 pieces of wood to get it out of the bin and all he got was a very weak growl, it didn't try to do anything to him and we all know what a normal raccoon would do. He got it out of the bin and it got a 9 mm slug to the back of the neck, at the brain stem/top of the spinal cord, the quickest and most humane way to put down a sick coon, they don't feel a thing they die instantly. It is also the only place you can shoot one and guarantee it dies, otherwise you are just torturing it with multiple shots(just an FYI if you ever run into the need to humanely put a raccoon out of it's suffering.) Either way this coon was sick, it could have been hit by a car, could have been rabid or had distemper(a very very common illness in coons.)
For me it isn't worth the risk. I'd rather have them vaccinated than essentially sign their death warrant in case they ever did have an encounter with a rabid animal or a bat got in the house.
Like vaccinated my son, the benefit outweighs the risk. I had an aunt die in the 1930's from pneumonia before she was a year old, a very very common thing back then. Almost no one hadn't lost at least one child, usually before they were a year old. When burying my grandmother I saw a head stone with 4 babies buried there, they ages were 1 day, 1 week, 1 month and 1 year, this was from the '30s or before, very common.
I nursed my son through pneumococcal pneumonia, they do vaccinate against that but either it was a strain not covered or the vaccine didn't take. He was so sick I wish they had hospitalized him but his ped was a prick and refused to do it. My MIL an ICU nurse also wanted him admitted because he was refusing to drink(much less eat), we were having to force fluids in him(most of which came right back up), a fever of at least 103(on Tylenol and/or Motrin) and he just looked really sick. He got to the peds office and they rushed him back immediately and took his vitals to make sure he was ok enough to not need to get him to the ER/ hospital immediately for care. I had to take him back to the doctor every day for a week so he could be looked at so they could give him antibiotic shots(on top of the oral ones he was receiving at home, we finally found one that didn't make him barf on the 4th try at different antibiotics.) Plus make sure he had each of his 4 inhalers at least 2-3 times a day(try using an inhaler on a 3 year old.) It also made us lose all progress in getting him potty trained, he had to go back into diapers. He also gave it to me. I have never been that sick in my life. All I could do was sleep and wake up drenched in sweat. I got a shot of an antibiotic in my rear, an x-ray and an immediate breathing treatment, plus my own script for powerful antibiotics.
Stuff happens, even with vaccines but I was told if he didn't have some of the immunities from the vaccine I most likely would have buried my 3 year old or he would have had a very long hospitalization and he would almost certainly died if he had been younger. Isn't worth it. Benefit outweighs the risk.
My child and my cats are fully vaccinated. I'm mad that he got the chicken pox vaccine but that is a different post on a different message board. He also doesn't get yearly flu shots, those 2 are my FeLV and FIV vaccines, unneeded and not worth it, benefit does not outweigh the risk.
You pick and choose what vaccines you want/need, but I make sure both my son and my cats have the important ones. Rabies is not negotiable, they will always be vaccinated for rabies. Benefit really outweighs the risk considering rabies is 100% fatal if contracted. I'm jealous of the British, Hawaiians and Aussies since they don't have to worry about rabies since they are rabies-free.
Rabies is not a joke, like I said if it is even suspected the animal had an encounter with a rabid animal and is not vaccinated they are by law put down.
Taryn
