As published in the June 2000 issue of the "Whole Cat Journal"
Reproduced with kind permission from our friends at "Alley Cat Allies"
All rights reserved, for reprint permission, please contact ACA.

At What Cost Protection?

Here's a realistic view of rabies that addresses cat owners' concerns.

By Megan Draheim
Staff Writer
Alley Cat Allies
Washington, D.C.

Rabies – the mere word is still enough to drive fear, sometimes irrationally, into human beings. Mandatory vaccinations for cats and dogs are routine in many parts of the country, but rabies scares are still frequent occurrences, often resulting in unnecessary deaths of healthy animals killed for testing. After all, we all grew up with admonishments to "keep away from wild animals, they might be rabid!’"

So just how much of a threat is rabies? The latest rabies statistics, compiled by the Centers for Disease Control in 1998, show that 49 states (Hawaii is a rabies-free area), the District of Columbia, and Puerto Rico reported a total of 7,961 cases of rabies in non-human animals and one in a human. More than 93% of these cases were in wildlife. Cats made up 3.5% of these cases.

But concern about over-vaccination is mounting in both human and veterinary medicine. Evidence is coming in that demonstrates a correlation between some vaccinations and diseases such as vaccine-site sarcomas, allergies, and other auto-immune diseases. Increasingly, cat caretakers are looking towards more holistic approaches to their cats’ care, and this often includes vaccinating less or not at all. How do rabies vaccinations fit into all of this?

"I’m a realist about rabies," said Dr. James R. Richards of the Cornell Feline Health Center. "If a kid gets bitten by a cat, I’m going to be a whole lot happier if that cat has been vaccinated. We get calls all the time, ‘why should I vaccinate my cat? He’s an indoor cat!’ You can minimize exposure by keeping your cat indoors and/or supervised, but I’ve gotten calls from cat owners where a bat got into their house. And that can constitute a rabies exposure," Richards explained. "Rabid animals may not be shooting with all four cylinders, and they can wander into places where they would normally stay away."

Louise Holton, Alley Cat Allies president and feral cat expert, says, "feral cats vaccinated against rabies may help to provide a buffer zone between rabid wildlife and humans and their companion animals."

Dr. Pat Bradley, a holistic veterinarian who offers phone consultations, always explains to her clients that rabies is more than just a medical issue. It’s also a legal issue. "It evokes a lot of emotion among vets. For example, in Arkansas, veterinarians are legally liable for their clients’ rabies vaccinations; they must check to see if the vaccinations are up to date."

"Rabies vaccinations are part of a struggle that I got into as a conventional vet," Dr. Bradley explained. "I began to see a lot of health problems after giving rabies vaccinations, and I began to feel that I was doing more harm than good. That was not the oath I took coming out of vet school!"

Vaccine-site sarcomas:

Dr. Jean Hofve, DVM, is a holistic feline veterinarian and currently Companion Animal Program Coordinator for the Animal Protection Institute in Sacramento, California. While practicing medicine, Hofve came across several vaccine-site sarcomas. "I’ve removed several of these tumors. Some of them did pretty well with follow-up homeopathy, but many of them did grow back." She adds, "vaccine-site tumors have been a particular problem because of the historic location of the injection between the shoulder blades, which is a relatively inoperable location."

Although sarcomas are most often associated with the feline leukemia and feline rabies vaccines, two of the most common vaccines, they are relatively rare occurrences. The best estimate is that they occur in one to four in 10,000 vaccinated cats. "These numbers are only really an educated guess. It’s very difficult to tell how many sarcomas are out there and how many cats are vaccinated because not every one is recorded," explains Dr. Richards, who is also on the Vaccine-Associated Feline Sarcoma Task Force, a coalition of professionals in the field.

Dr. Hofve explains that the sarcomas were the least common of the side effects that she saw. "I saw skin and GI tract reactions, and asthma. These are all essentially allergic or immune-mediated reactions." She continues, "the problem is that these kinds of allergic diseases develop over weeks or months, and by the time they come in with it full-blown four or five months later, there’s no clear link to the last vaccine."

Many holistic practitioners feel that vaccines are often used inappropriately. Dr. Hofve says that vaccines are often given to animals that are not in the best of health, thereby violating the directions on the vaccine bottles. "If they aren’t practically falling down dead, in most cases they get vaccinated. I’ve heard of vets who actually insist on vaccinating animals who are being admitted to the hospital for illness or surgery, just in case they might catch something while they are there!"

"As a holistic vet," she continues, "I would say that there are many expressions of chronic disease in animals that are so common as to now be considered ‘normal.’ For example, tartar and dental disease, stinky ears, doggy odor, watery eye discharge, dandruff, dull coat, hairballs, low energy, and behavior problems (particularly aggression and fear behaviors). To a holistic vet, these are all abnormal, but if most vets saw it this way, practically no animals would ever be vaccinated, since most of them have one or more of these problems. Common does not mean normal."

Quarantine!

And yet, current laws pass out strict judgments to animals that are not vaccinated. John Krebs, a rabies expert at the Centers for Disease Control in Atlanta, warns of the consequences of non-vaccination. "If an animal that has no history of vaccination is bitten by a presumably wild, potentially rabid animal, then the animal is to be held in strict, facility quarantine for six months. For many companion animals, this is a death sentence, as their owners do not want to put them through this ordeal."

The quarantine lasts for six months because the virus can take that long to become active by reaching the brain. This differs from the observation period enforced when a dog, cat, or ferret bites someone. "If at the time of the bite, the animal had rabies and was actively shedding it, he will show clinical signs of the disease within ten days," explains Krebs. "This does not mean that the animal does not have rabies. It could just mean that the animal has not become clinical yet. However, the virus would not have been shed in the saliva, so the bite is harmless."

Rabies & wildlife:

One approach to rabies prevention that has met with great success is a program of orally vaccinating wildlife. The vaccine is hidden in bait that is designed to be attractive to the target animal. If other animals, or humans, were to eat the bait, they would suffer no ill effects. The Texas Department of Health has announced that they originally thought the oral vaccine would only contain the rabies virus but that it now appears that it will eliminate rabies over large areas. Many countries in Western Europe have eliminated rabies using the oral vaccine. Switzerland reported 213 cases of rabies in animals in 1983 and none in 1997. Germany reported 2,764 in 1983 and none in 1997. This has caused the World Health Organization to state that rabies can eventually be eradicated worldwide. One of the newest oral vaccine programs will start this spring in Fairfax County, Virginia, where results are expected to reduce exposure of humans to rabid wildlife by 50 percent each year in the treated region.

One-year vs. three-year:

There is a controversy over one-year versus three-year rabies vaccines. Often, the only difference between a one-year and a three-year is the label. Krebs is puzzled over why some states require an annual booster, even if a three-year vaccination is administered. "The USDA licenses animal vaccinations for specific purposes, and it would seem that they have good reason to do so."

The American Association of Feline Practitioners came forward in 1998 to recommend three-year vaccinations. Dr. Bradley feels that by doing so, the veterinary community is taking a huge stride forward. She cautions, however, that the trend to vaccinate less and less should continue. "After receiving their kitten shots, a cat probably doesn’t need to be re-vaccinated," she explained.

Holton said that Alley Cat Allies, a national group that promotes the humane method of trap-neuter-return for overpopulation control in feral cats, recommends giving a three-year vaccination for feral cats in colonies. This eliminates the need to re-trap on an annual basis to revaccinate for rabies.

Vaccine guidelines:

Bradley suggested some guidelines for vaccination that came to her from Richard Pitcairn, DVM, PhD, a homeopathic veterinarian with a background in immunology. Pitcairn suggests using only a single-vaccine, never a multivaccine; use a killed vaccine over a modified live vaccine if possible. He also suggests using a much reduced vaccination schedule over what is normally recommended. However, the legal ramifications of reducing a rabies vaccine schedule need to be carefully considered. Dr. Bradley adds, "Don’t start vaccinating too early. I’ve seen clients who were breeders come in, and they would vaccinate kittens who were just a few weeks old."

Dr. Bradley cautions that, although the use of some homeopathic remedies and vitamin supplements can help to counter ill effects of vaccination, it is vital that cat caretakers work with a qualified homeopath or holistic veterinarian.

On the market are new vaccinations that might not cause the same problems as the traditional rabies vaccinations. PureVax, a vaccine licensed last year by the USDA, so far only carries a one-year label, although Dr. Richards believes that it will eventually have a three-year label also.

"It is fairly common for traditional rabies vaccinations to cause a bump at the vaccination site – a granuloma. Most of these bumps go away on their own," says Dr. Richards. "But some researchers believe that this bump is a prerequisite for getting a sarcoma. PureVax does not cause these post-vaccination bumps." That’s because it contains no adjuvant, a substance present in traditional rabies vaccinations that enhances the immune response.

What About Nosodes?

The use of nosodes (disease-tissue in a much diluted, homeopathic potency) is controversial. Some research has shown that certain nosodes do not provide protection against diseases. Dr. Bradley does not recommended nosodes, as she feels that an adult cat does not need them. She also points out that legally, most cats do need to receive the rabies vaccine at some point.

Others use nosodes in an attempt to bolster the immune system, preparing it for vaccination. Patty Smith is the Dean of Admissions and Student Affairs at the British institute of Homeopathy in Canada and a veterinary homeopath. "Before a cat gets a rabies vaccination, you want to prepare his system. So I’ll give him a nosode (for rabies, it’s lyssin, also known as hydrophobinum) before he goes to the vet. This prepares his system for the assault. And then, as soon as possible after the vaccination, I give him another, more potent dose." Smith says that treating with nosodes before and after vaccination dramatically reduces the side effects of the vaccine.

Rabies vaccines can cause problems. Although cat-lovers should not discount their importance both medically and legally, they must look at the issue closely. As Dr. Bradley sums up, "like with everything, there is a risk/benefit ratio that you must look at."

Megan Draheim is the staff writer for Alley Cat Allies, a national non-profit organization based in Washington, D.C. Alley Cat Allies promotes trap-neuter-return, a humane and effective method of population control for feral cats. For more information, please see their website at www.alleycat.org.

Alley Cat Allies
1801 Belmont Road, NW, Suite 201
Washington D.C. 20009-5164
Phone: 202-667-3630
Fax: 202-667-3640

Please leave a message on our voice mail, including your street address and phone number during office hours (9:00am - 6:00pm east coast)

Web Sites for More Information:

www.alleycat.org (Alley Cat Allies)

www.avma.org/vafstf (Vaccine-Associated Feline Sarcoma Task Force)

www.co.fairfax.va.us/service/hd/rabies01.htm (Fairfax County, Va. Oral Vaccination program)

www.who.int/inf-fs/en/fact099.html (World Health Organization)

www.altvetmed.com/vaccine.html (Holistic Veterinary Medicine Web Site)

www.cdc.gov (Centers for Disease Control)

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