The pros and cons of getting the rabies shot

Some people are still afraid that vaccines are causing autism in their children, even though science seems to have pretty conclusively proved that this is not the case; but we parents do love our offspring and want to do all we can to protect them.

Which of course is why you should vaccinate them: to protect them from the many diseases that killed and crippled previous generations of children. 

Now there is a movement against getting distemper or rabies vaccines for dogs and cats. There is a fear that the shots will (again) cause autism. 

I called the Connecticut Veterinary Medical Association to find out if there have been any dogs diagnosed with autism or even Asperger’s syndrome and if rabies vaccines have been implicated. They directed me to Dr. Steven Price, a veterinarian at the Watertown Animal Hospital. 

“This is an ultra-safe vaccine,” he said reassuringly of the rabies shots. “In 45 years as a veterinarian, I’ve seen maybe one adverse reaction.”

On autism in cats and dogs, he said, “I’ve never seen anything reported in the veterinary literature or from any board-certified neurologist indicating that autism exists in companion animals.”

Wild animals, however, still do get rabies and a cat or dog allowed to roam outside might be bitten and infected by an animal carrying the disease such as a raccoon, squirrel or bat. 

One of the horrors of rabies is that you don’t know an animal (or a member of your family) is infected until it’s too late. The disease spreads quickly and causes insanity and then death.

If a household pet begins to show signs of having rabies, then everyone living in the house and everyone who’s been in close contact with the animal needs to be vaccinated. 

Fortunately, it’s not like the old days when there were something like 30 shots administered (painfully) into the stomach.

You still need to get a series of shots, however, and it’s not pleasant, especially for young children. 

To get an annual vaccine for one’s pet seems much easier and more efficient.

“We’ve essentially eliminated dog rabies because we’ve done such a good job of vaccinating pets,” Price said. “There are still about 58,000 rabies deaths in the world but most are in countries that don’t have a good vaccination program. 

“Mexico has also done a good job in the last 10 to 15 years; they’re down to the single digits of rabies cases every year.”

To help keep rabies from returning to the domestic animal population in America, visit a veterinarian or attend a local rabies clinic such as the one coming up on Saturday, June 9, from 2 to 4 p.m. at the Ag-Ed Center at Housatonic Valley Regional High School in Falls Village. 

The clinic is sponsored by the town of Canaan/Falls Village in cooperation with the Connecticut Veterinary Medical Association.

The fee is $20 per animal, cash only. Pet owners who are on public assistance are permitted to have one pet vaccinated at no charge by showing their state public assistance identification card to the clinic coordinator.

Written proof of a valid rabies certification must be presented to qualify for a three-year vaccination.

Otherwise a one-year vaccination will be given. Tags are not sufficient proof for a three-year vaccination.

And keep in mind that, according to state law, all dogs and cats three months of age or older must be vaccinated against rabies.