KANSAS RABIES LAW--Action Alert!!!

Friday evening (2/29), a Wichita reporter called and interviewed me for an hour about the canine rabies vaccine. Apparently, there is an unorganized effort in Kansas to change the rabies immunization law for dogs from an annual to a triennial protocol. A number of veterinarians are in favor of the change as are dog owners. The obstacle appears to be Kay Johnson, Director of Environmental Services, which oversees Animal Services.

If you are a Kansas dog owner would like to see Kansas adopt the national standard of a triennial rabies vaccination protocol for dogs, now is the time to act. You can contact Kay Johnson at [email protected] Phone (316) 268-8351 Fax: (316) 268-8356 Environmental Services1900 E. 9th St. N. Wichita, KS 67214. Kansas Legislators can be contacted by clicking on the link below or by copying and pasting the e-mails at the bottom of this post.

I am happy to share my rabies vaccine materials and will assist in this effort if it gets off the ground.

A quote from the Wichita Environmental Services website: "Rabies in dogs is rare. ....In 1992, the first dog in 22 years was diagnosed with rabies." http://www.wichita.gov/CityOffices/Environmental/AnimalServices/rabies.htm
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Kansas Legislature -- find your legislator http://www.kslegislature.org/legsrv-legisportal/redistricting.do
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Thank you for your post. I live in Hutchinson, Kansas (near Wichita) and own two cats -- we will hopefully be adding a cavalier to our brood soon! I have had many discussions with my veterinarian regarding this issue as my oldest cat has suffered from an autoimmune disorder of the liver for some time. We now believe that the gradual decline of liver function was caused by severe reactions to rabies vaccinations, against which I obtained a waiver following the second round of vaccinations. She is a strictly indoor animal, and I was told getting a waiver for a dog would be next to impossible. My limited knowledge on this subject shows that the required annual vaccination actually is suficiently "loaded" for three years of coverage. As those of you who know from working with rescues from the Midwest, our approach to animal welfare and animal rights are dreadfully behind the rest of the country. I would love more information and to help if I can with this cause. I've PM'd you with my veterinarian's name and website address.

Tara,

You and your veterinarian need to contact Kay Johnson and the legislators listed above. I am happy to help out once things are underway, but the initial thrust must come from Kansas residents.

This CAN be done, all it takes is a number of concerned dog owners to send one e-mail to all of the people listed above (it's easy, just copy and paste their addresses into your address line on an e-mail) or phone them.

I'll post updates and the article the reporter was working on when it comes out.

Kris

Kansas Rabies Law-Update & My Letter to Kay Johnson

Below is a copy of the letter I faxed to Kay Johnson this morning. It appears that a vaccine revolution in Kansas has been triggered by the Wichita Eagle article and that Diane McCartney will be doing a follow-up story. Dog owners are starting to organize, and Kay Johnson has received communications from as far away as India!! I'll keep you posted as developments unfold.

Kris

March 19, 2008

Ms. Kay Johnson, Director
Environmental Services
1900 East 9th Street N.
Wichita, KS 67214


RE: Wichita’s Annual Rabies Immunization Protocol for Dogs

Greetings Ms. Johnson:

It is unconscionable, unprofessional, and reckless for you, as the Director of Environmental Services, to rigidly adhere to a medically unsound annual rabies immunization protocol based on your desire to address a non-compliance issue among irresponsible dog owners. In effect, your policy punishes law-abiding citizens by requiring them to pay for medically unnecessary annual boosters. The rabies vaccine is the most potent of the veterinary vaccines and associated with significant adverse reactions -- it should not be given more often than is necessary to maintain immunity. Adverse reactions such autoimmune diseases affecting the thyroid, joints, blood, eyes, skin, kidney, liver, bowel and central nervous system; anaphylactic shock; aggression; seizures; epilepsy; and fibrosarcomas at injection sites are linked to rabies vaccinations.

The National Association of State Public Health Veterinarians’ Compendium of Animal Rabies Prevention and Control, 2007 (http://www.cdc.gov/mmwr/pdf/rr/rr5603.pdf ) states that: “No laboratory or epidemiologic data exist to support the annual or biennial administration of 3- or 4-year vaccines following the initial series.”

Many, if not most or all, annual rabies vaccines are the 3 year vaccine relabeled for annual use -- Colorado State University's Small Animal Vaccination Protocol for its veterinary teaching hospital states: “Even with rabies vaccines, the label may be misleading in that a three year duration of immunity product may also be labeled and sold as a one year duration of immunity product.”

It is my personal opinion that you have set a rabies immunization policy which violates consumer protection laws by requiring pet owners (pet owners are consumers of veterinary services) to pay for annual rabies boosters which their dogs derive no benefit from, and which have the potential to cause harm.

Under Article 8 “Unprofessional Conduct” of the Kansas Administrative Regulations, K.A.R. 70-8-1, one of the acts of unprofessional conduct listed by the Kansas Board of Veterinary Examiners (2A) is administering drugs “when the drugs are not necessary or required for the medical care of animals..” It appears that your annual rabies vaccination policy forces veterinarians into the uncomfortable position of violating their professional code of conduct by obliging them to overvaccinate dogs against rabies in order for their owners to comply with the law.

The first entry under Appendix 2 of the 2003 American Animal Hospital Association’s Canine Vaccine Guidelines “Important Vaccination ‘Do’s and Don’ts” is “Do Not Vaccinate Needlessly – Don’t revaccinate more often than is needed….” They also caution: “Do Not Assume that Vaccines Cannot Harm a Patient – Vaccines are potent medically active agents and have the very real potential of producing adverse events.”

The American Veterinary Medical Association's 2001 Principles of Vaccination states that “Unnecessary stimulation of the immune system does not result in enhanced disease resistance, and may increase the risk of adverse post-vaccination events.” They elaborate by reporting that: “Possible adverse events include failure to immunize, anaphylaxis, immunosuppression, autoimmune disorders, transient infections, and/or long-term infected carrier states."

In the Mission Statement for the department of which you are the Director (http://www.wichita.gov/CityOffices/Environmental/), it lists as one of the core values, principles and operating philosophy by which you are supposed to be guided: “Integrity: We are committed to truth, accuracy, and fairness.” Your annual rabies immunization protocol fails to meet this standard of integrity.

I strongly urge you to immediately revise Wichita’s misguided annual rabies immunization policy and adopt the national triennial standard.

Sincerely,
Kris L. Christine
Founder, Co-Trustee
THE RABIES CHALLENGE FUND
www.RabiesChallengeFund.org

cc: Diane McCartney, Wichita Eagle
Attorney General Stephen N. Six
Consumer Protection Division, Attorney General’s Office
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Kansas Rabies Law--ACT NOW!

In my 2nd update post above is a copy of the letter I faxed to Kay Johnson. It appears that a vaccine revolution in Kansas has been triggered by the Wichita Eagle article http://www.kansas.com/news/story/344780.html . There is a rare opportunity to get the various Kansas rabies laws changed to the national standard, and NOW is the time to take action to help! Dog owners in Alabama, Tennessee, Arkansas, and Georgia have contacted me about initiating efforts to change the laws in their states, based on the recent developments in Maine and Kansas. It's important to remember that as dog owners, we all have a stake in the rabies immunization laws across the country as they tend to spill over state borders; so even if you do not live in Kansas, the rabies immunization laws there could impact you in the future.

What You Can Do to Help: Please contact Kay Johnson, the Wichita City Council, Kansas Legislators, the Governor, and the Attorney General. Contact information is below--it's simple to make a phone call or two or copy and paste e-mail addresses to send e-mail messages. The full e-mail list of Kansas senators and representatives is at the bottom of this message. Pass this message along to everyone you know and ask them to do the same. Simple actions multiplied hundreds of times over move mountains!

A concerned Wichita pet owner has informed me that Kay Johnson told them she doesn't want dog owners contacting her!!! Kay Johnson is a public official, and she needs to be reminded that her salary is paid by the public she is supposed to serve -- as her department's mission states: http://www.wichita.gov/CityOffices/Environmental/ "Service: We must serve the public as a whole, our customers who seek a product or service from us, and future generations, whose interests are affected by today's actions."

Kay Johnson at [email protected] Phone (316) 268-8351 Fax: (316) 268-8356 Environmental Services1900 E. 9th St. N. Wichita, KS 67214. Kansas Legislators can be contacted by clicking on the link below or by copying and pasting the e-mails at the bottom of my post above.

Kansas Legislature -- find your legislator http://www.kslegislature.org/legsrv-legisportal/redistricting.do Full e-mail list of all Kansas Legislators is on my action alert post above.

Wichita City Council http://www.wichita.gov/Government/CityCouncil/ City Hall, 1st Floor, MS 1-13, 455 N. Main, Wichita, KS 67202 Phone (316) 268-4331 Fax: (316) 858-7743 E-Mails: [email protected]; [email protected]; [email protected]; [email protected]; [email protected]; [email protected]; [email protected]; [email protected]; [email protected]; [email protected]; [email protected]; [email protected]; [email protected]; [email protected]

Kansas Governor Kathleen Sebelius: Office of the Governor, Capitol, 300 SW 10th Ave., Ste. 212S, Topeka, KS 66612-1590 Phone: (1-877-579-6757) Fax 785-368-8788; Lt. Governor Mark Parkinson: Toll-Free 1-800-748-4408 Local 785-296-2213 Fax 785-296-5669;
Kansas Attorney General's Office: Kansas Attorney General Stephen N. Six Memorial Hall, 2nd Floor; 120 SW 10th Street; Topeka, KS 66612 Phone: (785) 296-2215; 1-888-428-8436 fax: (785) 296-6296 e-mail: [email protected]; [email protected]; [email protected]; Consumer Protection Division Phone: (785) 296-3751 (800) 432-2310 Consumer Fax: (785) 291-3699

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Kris

Kansas Dog owners have started a petition to get annual rabies laws in the state changed to the national 3 year standard. They are planning to have petitions available for dog owners to sign at the upcoming Yappy Days even on March 29th from 9-4 at the Kansas Coliseum, Pavilion II http://www.kzsn.com/cc-common/mainheadlines2.html?feed=107458&article=3323054 . They also intend to post the petition online, and I will post the link when it is available.

In an unexpected development, the Wyoming News ran the following article in their March 22, 2008 edition http://www.wyomingnews.com/articles/2008/03/23/local_news_updates/19local_03-23-08.txt
Vaccine Overkill?By Baylie Davis CHEYENNE -- Even though city residents might have the option of getting rabies vaccines for their pets that last three years, according to city ordinance, the vaccine has to be administered every year. Dog owners are mobilizing to tackle annual rabies laws/ordinances there, and again, I will post more information as it becomes available.

Kris

Kansas Petition, Wyoming News, Arkansas Yahoo Group

Kansas Petition & Wyoming News Rabies Law Article & Arkansas Yahoo Group

Kansas Dog owners have started a petition to get annual rabies laws in the state changed to the national 3 year standard. They are planning to have petitions available for dog owners to sign at the upcoming Yappy Days event on March 29th from 9-4 at the Kansas Coliseum, Pavilion II http://www.kzsn.com/cc-common/mainheadlines2.html?feed=107458&article=3323054 . They also intend to post the petition online, and I will post the link when it is available.

In an unexpected development, the Wyoming News ran the following article in their March 22, 2008 edition http://www.wyomingnews.com/articles/2008/03/23/local_news_updates/19local_03-23-08.txt Vaccine overkill? By Baylie Davis CHEYENNE -- Even though city residents might have the option of getting rabies vaccines for their pets that last three years, according to city ordinance, the vaccine has to be administered every year. Dog owners are mobilizing to tackle annual rabies laws/ordinances there, and again, I will post more information as it becomes available.

Arkansas Dog owners in Arkansas are organizing to change their annual rabies laws there. A Yahoo group, Arkansas Rabies Vaccine Info http://groups.yahoo.com/group/ARVaccineInfo has been started to coordinate efforts there, please join if you are interested.

Kris

Wichita to Form Rabies Vaccination Committee

Wichita to Form Rabies Vaccination Committee

I just received the notice below. When Maine revised their rabies laws, they included a representative of the dog-owning public (me), how unfortunate that Wichita is not including a member of their dog-owning public.


FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
CONTACT: Kay Johnson, Director of Environmental Services, 268-8351

City to Form Rabies Vaccination Committee


The City of Wichita is forming an ad hoc committee to review the schedule for rabies vaccinations, Interim Wichita City Manager Ed Flentje announced on Tuesday.

The committee will review the latest information on rabies prevention and control and make recommendations, said Kay Johnson, Director of Environmental Services.

Committee members will be announced at a later date.

“The committee will be primarily comprised of local veterinarians and public health officials,” Johnson said. “Rabies is a very serious issue and potentially fatal. We want to make sure that people and pets are protected.”

The committee recommendations will be provided to the City Manager as part of a broader and ongoing animal ordinance review. The ordinance review is scheduled to be presented to the Wichita City Council later this year.

For further questions, Johnson can be reached at [email protected] or 268-8351.

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KS Rabies Law-- Monday Meeting & Petition

http://www.kansas.com/living/pets/story/355652.html
PET BRIEFS
City rabies law to be discussed
Anyone interested in discussing proposed changes to Wichita's ordinance requiring yearly rabies vaccinations for dogs is invited to a meeting at 7:30 p.m. Monday at Alford Branch Library, 3447 S. Meridian.
Petitions will be available to sign at the meeting and also at Yappy Days, from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. today at Pavilion II in the Kansas Coliseum.
The city announced earlier this week that it is forming an ad hoc committee, made up primarily of local veterinarians and public health officials, to review the latest information on rabies prevention and control and discuss the vaccination schedule.
The committee's recommendations will be provided to the city manager as part of a broader and ongoing animal ordinance review, the city said in a news release. The ordinance review is set to be presented to the Wichita City Council later this year.
To read more about rabies laws and vaccines, go online to www.kansas.com/living/pets/story/344780.html.