Good Bloggie!

If you read the earlier posting about Maine’s push to change the rabies vaccination date for puppies from six months to three months, you know there was quite a bit of logical opposition.

An update from Kris Christine came through yesterday and it looks like the bill was defeated soundly. Below is her e-mail with the details.

Greetings All!

I’ve just returned from the Maine Agriculture Committee’s work session on Section 7 of LD 2171, the proposed legislation which would have amended the Animal Welfare law to require that puppies be vaccinated against rabies at 3 months instead of at 6 months as the law currently stands.

The official word from the Co-Chair of the Committee, Representative Wendy Pieh, was: “Your testimony plus the followup that we have all received has made the decision that the rabies vaccination time will NOT be changed.”

“The followup” that the committee members received was SEVERAL HUNDRED E-MAILS in opposition to the amendment — they were swamped!! The response was so overwhelming that even the Director of Animal Welfare, Norma Worley, who wrote and pushed the amendment requested that it be deleted!

MANY, MANY THANKS for responding to the action alert! Contacting the committee made a huge difference in the lives of Maine dogs, and the law will not be changed as a result!

Congratulations to Kris Christine, the Rabies Challenge Fund, and all who participated in keeping pups in Maine safe from an unnecessarily early vaccination. But when your pup is old enough for that first rabies shot, do remember to take them in.

If you have any worries about a vaccine reaction, tell your vet first. They can help by either administering your pup a shot to counteract a reaction, or prescribe a dose of Benedryl before bringing them in. Your vet will know how much to give and when. Also, scheduling your pup for an early morning appointment is helpful. If he or she does have a reaction, you’ll have time to take the pup back to your vet so they can address any adverse reaction.

See our original blog entry for more details:
Vaccines and Adverse Reactions

In 2006, some of our guys (and gals) donated DNA samples to an ongoing study about cryptorchidism underway at Cornell University, J.A. Baker Institute for Animal Health. Checked in with them this week to see how things were going. (2006 posting link.)

What the researchers at Cornell are trying to do is find the genetic marker, or markers, which contribute to cryptorchidism. Progress is being made, but it’s painstaking work. They are looking for the individual gene(s) in the DNA, which triggers this condition: a literal search for the proverbial needle, or needles, in the haystack. Once the researchers find the genetic markers, the plan is to create a test to help identify carriers.

Think of genetics as the ultimate spelling bee, only in genetics, it’s call sequencing. Get the spelling/sequence wrong, and you get a mutation. A mutation, which could cause something as simple as red hair instead of brown, or something as complex as multiple sclerosis or liver disease. And in this case, determines whether a male puppy’s testicles descend or not.

You can also think of genes as on-off switches. Turn the gene on; you get the biological trait, if the gene stays off, no trait. But with some traits there is a dimmer switch. Turn on a few genes, and you may get a trait at low levels, turn on more genes, and the trait could be very strong.

Then you have the combination of the parent’s genes. Did one parent carry enough genes to turn the trait on? Or was it the combination of the two parents? Say a trait needs a number of ten to express itself. Did the sire bring four genes to the table, and the dam six for the magic number of ten?

These are very simple explanations that help us. There’s much, much more to genetics. So much, you can get dizzy thinking about it!

According to Dr. Vicki Meyers-Wallen, studies show the majority of pups’ testicles descend by 14-weeks, and her literature says up to 25% come down by 6 months of age (all-breeds).

So even if your pup’s testicles haven’t descended by 14-weeks, there is still a chance they could show up. But you have to be willing to wait up to three to four more months, and the odds aren’t in your favor.

If you are interested in participating in this study, or taking a look at other studies in progress, visit the links below. Click on the names of the various faculty members to see what they are researching. Some are only accepting purebred breeds at this time. (Because it’s easier to do the research on breeds with a limited gene pool.) For the cryptorchidism study, it’s helpful, but not necessary, if the samples come from an afflicted line.

Inherited Canine Reproductive Diseases

Genetics and Reproduction

Infectious Diseases and Immunology

Collecting a DNA sample from your dog is very simple. Just ask your vet to collect some blood in vials and freeze it. Then you take the sample, pack it up with some ice in a cooler, and ship it overnight to the researcher in charge. Be sure to have a contact person and alert them you are sending samples! For this particular study, the samples are assigned a number and the donor becomes anonymous.

Many universities have studies underway on all sorts of canine diseases. If there is a particular issue that interests you, do a search for the illness and a clinical study. Not only might you find more info to help your dogs, your dogs might be able to help others.

Is it the one about silly names people give their Frenchies? Nope. About various dog shows or show dogs? Uh uh. Bizarre Frenchie antics? Not even close.

No, hand’s down, the entry that has brought in the most hits and traffic is the one about our dogs’ reactions to vaccines. An entry we wrote after watching our guys react to regular shots and boosters over the years. Reactions so severe, we’ve rushed them back to the vet or the emergency vet clinic.

(Here’s a link to the original entry: Vaccinations and adverse reactions)

Frenchies are very susceptible to these reactions, but so are many other breeds and breed mixes. The sort of search string, which usually finds the post, is: “dog reaction to shots,” “adverse reaction to puppy shots,” “adverse reaction to canine vaccinations,” “reactions to puppy immunizations,” or “dog rabies shot swelling reaction.”

But the heartbreaking ones are “puppy shots fatal,” or “shot adverse reaction dog death.” These search strings represent real people looking for information for their dog or puppy. We can only hope the majority of them who found our blog entry did so before or while their dog was having a reaction. That they were able to get their dog the help he or she needed, and that the steps we outline and follow ourselves, prevented someone the distress of watching their dog have an adverse reaction, or the agony of dealing with a reaction gone amuck.

Which shot causes the most reaction? Rabies. Do we believe in giving the rabies shot? Yes! We want our dogs to be protected and we want ourselves and other people to be protected. At the same time, we don’t want to jeopardize our dogs’ health by overvaccinating or giving them shots too young, such as a government official in Maine is proposing. She wants to change the law from giving the first rabies shot at 6 months to 3 months. The people at The Rabies Challenge Fund can explain much more eloquently why this is a really, really bad idea for a pup. And how this could affect your dog if the bill passes. Below is the notice sent out by Kris Christine, and her testimony which was read to the Maine Legislator on Monday, February 11.

(Permission to post and cross-post is granted by Kris Christine.)

Greetings!

The Director of Animal Welfare, Norma Worley, is trying to change the rabies immunization requirement for puppies from 6 months to 3 months despite the fact that Maine hasn’t had a documented case of a rabid dog since 2003 and there have only been 5 documented cases since 1994 (14 years), and none of them were noted as being puppies.

Please read the testimony I presented in opposition to Section 7 of LD 2171 at yesterday’s hearing before Maine’s Agriculture Committee. If you are concerned about this and wish to voice your opposition, PLEASE e-MAIL THE COMMITTEE members by cutting and pasting their addresses below and putting something like Oppose LD 2171 Section 7 in your subject line.

The committee wants to hear from the dog-owning public, and if it doesn’t, you may end up being required to add a rabies vaccine into the mix of puppyhood shots (distemper, hepatitis, parvo, etc..) that are being administered at that age.

Kris L. Christine

—– Original Message —–
From: Kris Christine
To: SenJohn.Nutting@legislature.maine.gov; Rsherm_2000@yahoo.com; wpieh@lincoln.midcoast.com; RepJackie.Lundeen@legislature.maine.gov; piotti@uninets.net; RepTimothy.Carter@legislature.maine.gov; RepBen.Pratt@legislature.maine.gov; lindonfarm@sacoriver.net; RepDon.Marean@legislature.maine.gov; pedgecom@maine.rr.com; RepDean.Cray@legislature.maine.gov; RepJeff.Gifford@legislature.maine.gov; Melissa.Wright@legislature.maine.gov; mrotundo@bates.edu

Sent: Monday, February 11, 2008 10:47 AM
Subject: LD 2171–My Testimony

Greetings!

Below is a copy of the testimony I will present today.

Regards, Kris L. Christine
February 11, 2008

TO: The Agriculture, Conservation and Forest Committee

RE: LD 2171, An Act To Amend the Animal Welfare Laws

My name is Kris Christine and I live with my family in Alna, Maine. I am the Founder and Co-Trustee of The Rabies Challenge Fund (RCF). My colleagues — Dr. W. Jean Dodds of Hemopet, Co-Trustee of the RCF and Dr. Ronald Schultz of The University of Wisconsin School of Veterinary Medicine, currently conducting 5 & 7 year rabies challenge studies for the RCF — are the world’s two leading veterinary vaccine research scientists.

I am here to testify against Sec. 7. 7 MRSA §3916, sub-§1-A of LD 2171, which would amend the law to require that puppies be vaccinated against rabies at 3 months of age rather than 6.

There is no scientific or epidemiological data justifying amendment of this law as there has been no increase in rabies in puppies under the age of 6 months in the State of Maine. Dr. Donald Hoenig, Maine’s State Public Health Veterinarian, told me on Wednesday, February 6th that “The last case of canine rabies in Maine was in 2003…….there have only been 5 cases of canine rabies in the past 14 years in Maine…….Cases of canine rabies are EXTREMELY UNUSUAL.”

Five cases of rabies in dogs since 1994 (no mention was made of these cases being puppies under 6 months of age), with the last one being in 2003, evidences the fact that the current law requiring puppies be vaccinated against rabies at 6 months of age is effective at controlling rabies in Maine’s canine community and does not need to be changed.

Vaccinating puppies at too young an age can be ineffective. The 2003 American Animal Hospital Association’s (AAHA) Canine Vaccine Guidelines reports on Page 17 (Attachment #1) that: “…when puppies are first vaccinated at > 16 weeks of age (an age when passively acquired antibodies generally don’t cause interference), one dose of an MLV vaccine, or two doses of a killed vaccine, are adequate to stimulate an immune response.”

On Page 16 of the 2003 AAHA Guidelines (Attachment #2), it states that: “When vaccinating an animal, the age of the animal, the animal’s immune status, and interference by maternal antibodies in the development of immunity must be considered. Research has demonstrated that the presence of passively acquired maternal antibodies interferes with the immune response to many canine vaccines, including CPV, CDV, CAV-2 and rabies vaccines.”

The 2006 AAHA Guidelines (Attachment #3), states on Page 13 as the most common reason for vaccination failure that “the puppy has a sufficient amount of passively acquired maternal antibody (PAMA) to block the vaccine……” The older the puppy is when it receives its first rabies vaccination, the more likely it will elicit the desired immunological response – as demonstrated by the extraordinarily low number of canine rabies cases in Maine over a 14 year period under the current 6 month vaccination protocol for puppies.

Rabies, a “killed” vaccine, is the most potent of the veterinary vaccines and is associated with clinically significant adverse reactions — it should only be given when warranted. According to the 2003AAHA Guidelines (Page 16) (Attachment #2), “…killed vaccines are much more likely to cause hypersensitivity reactions (e.g., immune-mediated disease).” Further, the AAHA task force reports on Page 18 (Attachment #4) that, “Bacterial vaccines, especially killed whole organism products …..are much more likely to cause adverse reactions than subunit or live bacterial vaccines or MLV vaccines, especially if given topically. Several killed bacterial products are used as immunomodulators/adjuvants. Thus, their presence in a combination vaccine product may enhance or suppress the immune response or may cause an undesired response (e.g., IgE hypersensitivity or a class of antibody that is not protective).”

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.

In sum, the law, as it currently stands requiring puppies to be vaccinated at 6 months of age is and has been effective at controlling rabies in Maine’s canine population. There is no epidemiological or scientific rationale for changing this law and prematurely exposing puppies to the potentially harmful, sometimes fatal, adverse side affects of the rabies vaccine prior to the age of 6 months.

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

Missed Part 1, but got to see Part 2 last night of “Dogs That Changed the World.” A very interesting special on PBS about the development of the domesticated dog from the wolf. Missed Part 1: “The Rise of the Dog,” but caught Part 2: “Dogs by Design.”

Your local PBS station may still air the second part this week, so check your listings:
Air date schedule for PBS

Check out the weblink for the show. Lots of info and interactive fun. See snippets of the show and just how your snoozy pal is hardwired for action.
Nature: Dog

Just one very interesting finding is the correlation between coat color and the amount of adrenaline produced. Melanin (pigment cells) are chemically linked to adrenaline, the “fight or flight” hormone. As melanin development is delayed, so is the amount of adrenaline. This suggestion is based on a study with silver foxes. The study found, as the foxes became more domesticated through selective breeding for friendliness to humans, black and white patches appeared on their coat. Look for “Coat.” It’s the next to last slide.
Photo Slideshow

Lots of stuff to explore here. Have fun digging through!

Press release posted with permission from the Canine Rabies Challenge Fund.

CANINE RABIES CHALLENGE STUDIES BEGIN !

One of the most important vaccine research studies in veterinary medicine is underway at the University of Wisconsin School of Veterinary Medicine in Madison. Dr. Ronald Schultz, a leading authority on veterinary vaccines and Chair of the Department of Pathobiological Sciences, has begun concurrent 5 and 7 year challenge studies to determine the long-term duration of immunity of the canine rabies vaccine, with the goal of extending the state-mandated interval for boosters. These will be the first long-term challenge studies on the canine rabies vaccine to be published in the United States.

Dr. Schultz comments that:

“We are all very excited to start this study that will hopefully demonstrate that rabies vaccines can provide a minimum of 7 years of immunity.”

This research is being financed by The Rabies Challenge Fund, a charitable trust founded by pet vaccine disclosure advocate Kris L. Christine of Maine, who serves as Co-Trustee with world-renowned veterinary research scientist and practicing clinician, Dr. W. Jean Dodds of Hemopet in California. The Rabies Challenge Fund recently met its goal of $177,000 to fund the studies’ first year budget with contributions from dog owners, canine groups, trainers, veterinarians, and small businesses. Annual budget goals of $150,000 for the studies must be met in the future.

Dr. Jean Dodds, DVM states:

“This is the first time in my 43 years of involvement in veterinary issues that what started as a grass-roots effort to change an outmoded regulation affecting animals will be addressed scientifically by an acknowledged expert to benefit all canines in the future.”

Scientific data published in 1992 by Michel Aubert and his research team demonstrated that dogs were immune to a rabies challenge 5 years after vaccination, while Dr. Schultz’s serological studies documented antibody titer counts at levels known to confer immunity to rabies 7 years post-vaccination. This data strongly suggests that state laws requiring annual or triennial rabies boosters for dogs are redundant. Because 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.

Study co-trustee Kris Christine adds:

“Because the USDA does not require vaccine manufacturers to provide long-term duration of immunity studies documenting maximum effectiveness when licensing their products, concerned dog owners have contributed the money to fund this research themselves. We want to ensure that rabies immunization laws are based upon independent, long-term scientific data.”

More information and regular updates on The Rabies Challenge Fund and the concurrent 5 and 7 year challenge studies and its financing can be found at the fund’s website designed by volunteer Andrea Brin at: www.RabiesChallengeFund.org.