kaylor wrote:
Rabies Elimination in Dogs in the United States[Announcer] This podcast is presented by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. CDC – safer, healthier people.
[Ted Pestorius] Hello. I'm Ted Pestorius. And today, we’re talking with Dr. Charles Rupprecht, chief of CDC’s rabies program.
And we’re here to discuss a paper he co-authored
in the December 2008 issue of CDC’s journal Emerging Infectious Diseases. The paper discusses rabies elimination from dogs in the United States and its re-emergence in wild animals. So, Dr. Rupprecht, welcome.
the rest of the storyNow, tell me, just exactly why granny's silky terrier needs to be vaccinated for rabies.
Do ya really think that little dog is going to come into contact with wild animals?from the article referenced in this podcast[/u][/url]
I will admit I am confused, Kaylor, from "the rest of the story":"[Dr. Rupprecht] That’s a very good question, Ted. We have to recognize that, although the elimination of a canine rabies virus variant has occurred, that is there’s no more dog-to-dog-to-dog transmission in the United States, that does not mean that rabies isn’t here anymore or that you don’t have to have your pets vaccinated. All of the rabies viruses that we have in the United States can still infect your dogs and cats and so routine veterinary examination is still critical. And moreover when people visit other parts of the world, they have to recognize that rabies in dogs there is still very important. Just because we’ve eliminated one rabies virus here, does not mean that other rabies viruses still don’t pose as problems in the United States and abroad."
You said yourself because you live in the country and have raccoons running around you vaccinate your dogs. Don't you think there are raccoons in the city? I still don't understand why you insist dogs don't have to be vaccinated and to support your case you post information that says we SHOULD vaccinate our dogs. Also, how do you EXAMINE a dog for rabies? Wait for them to die? No veterinarian that has a brain is going to touch a dog that is showing the symptoms of rabies.
Still confused in Owosso, Michigan