This is on my mind too. Zack just turned one year. Now, i'm facing whether to get boosters. And i've not yet had his first rabies shot.
I frequently hear from dog owners about vaccination reactions. I know that occurances of adverse reactions are greatly underreported to the vaccine manufacturers. No way of knowing what the real odds are. what worries me more than immediate reactions, is the possibility of long term weakening of basic health, creating progressive chaos in the immune system.
To me, the question is, is the vaccination necessary. Zack already had all but one of his puppy shots when i got him, and i believed at the time that the last shot was necessary so i had it done. Today, I would have titers done before getting the third shot and if there was evidence of a good immune reaction to the earlier shots, i wouldn't have any reason to get the last one. I wish i had known then what i know now, i'm sorry Zack was exposed to that last unnecessary shot and the suffering it caused him, even though the suffering was "mild." It was unnecessary suffering.
As for rabies, like Cathy, i want to have Zack licensed, and it has bothered me not having him licensed. Sometimes, the animal control people come to the dog park that we go to. I am leaning toward getting the rabies vaccination, but for a legal reason rather than a medical one. i'm still undecided.
Yesterday, I took Zack to Jean Dodds for titers and a consult. He also had complete bloodwork and an exam, and toenail clipping. Jean was quite matter of fact about vaccinations and titers. She stated that titers are reliable tests of immunity. She believes dogs who have evidence of immunity in titers don't need vaccination, and unneeded vaccinations should be avoided since they are risky.
She understands the legal need for rabies vax aside from medical necessity, and said that if one is going to vaccinate their dog for rabies, it is helpful to give the homeopathic remedy, lyssine, three days before and two days after--or maybe it was the other way around, two days before and three days after, i have it written down.
I asked about the rabies challenge study. She said that they are far short of the funding they need, she mentioned how much they need and how much they have, which i think was about half. She said she thinks they'll have enough to begin next February i think. Then she said the funding would continue to come in each year to keep the study going once it gets started.
She said the goal of the study is to provide proof that rabies vax provide immunity for over 7 years, and to provide the evidenciary basis for a revision of the current rabies requirements so that the vaccination will be required only every 5 years for licensing purposes. She said that the current 3 year protocol is too frequent, much more frequent than necessary.
I got Zack's blood test results back today, she left me a message on my machine saying his results are "perfect," he is in perfect health as far as his complete bloodwork goes. She mentioned the low platelets, saying that in cavaliers, that was normal. The titer results weren't back yet.
Cathy, that book sounds interesting.