If you have ever owned a dog, then you have heard of Rabies shots being required by law. But do you know what is it? Why is it a law that every dog must have them?  Why does this word cause such fear among humans world wide? 

Through an extreme effort of forced Animal vaccinations and tight post-exposure protocols, rabies is almost eradicated in the US. But worldwide something like 60,000 people die every year of rabies mostly in Asia and Africa.  In the US one to three people still die from rabies every year. Every year more than 15 million people worldwide receive post-exposure vaccinations to prevent rabies. You may think that there is nothing to worry about if you do not get around getting your dog the required shots. If you have been reading the news lately about Ebola or Small Pox or that today (March 23rd 2015), a confirmed case of Tuberculous  was reported from a high school in the US.  This you might understand why there is still a concern about Rabies, which is considered to be another extremely dangerous virus, that could easily become another out of control virus.

You have probably heard stories of one of the most famous symptoms, the dog that foams at the mouth and is aggressive, biting everything it can get hold of. In the movies, the dog attacks , its eyes fiery red with madness and a snarling mouth full of foam. and the human dies of a dreadful painful death. You may have even heard of the terrible painful shots in the stomach that must be given if a human is bitten and the dog can not be found. Or perhaps you have heard of dogs that have bitten a human, quarantined for over two weeks, at owners expense, to ensure the dog doesn't have this dreadful and fatal illness. 

But what are the facts about Rabies?

1.  Rabies is a highly fatal viral infection of the nervous system that affects all warm-blooded animal species, including humans. Rabies is a viral illness spread via the saliva of an infected animal. This occurs usually through biting a human or another animal. Transmission can also occur through saliva touching an open wound or touching mucous membranes.

2. Once signs of rabies develop, there is no cure and the disease is fatal. For this reason, reducing the potential risk of rabies in our companion pets is very important.

The virus is most often transmitted from one animal to another through bite wounds. It then travels up through nerves, the spinal cord and eventually the brain.

Once the virus reaches the brain, death usually occurs within 10 days; it can take weeks to months for the virus to reach the brain, however.

3.  Rabies is caused by the rabies virus. The virus infects the brain and ultimately leads to death. After being bitten by a rabid animal, the virus is deposited in the muscle and subcutaneous tissue. For most of the incubation period (which is usually one to three months), the virus stays close to the exposure site. The virus then travels via peripheral nerves to the brain and from there, again via peripheral nerves, to nearly all parts of the body.

4. Any mammal can spread rabies. In the United States, rabies is most often transmitted via the saliva of bats, coyotes, foxes, raccoons, and skunks. In the developing world, stray dogs are the most likely animal to transmit rabies. The virus has also been found in cows, cats, ferrets, and horses.
5. The local health department will usually have information on which animals in the area have been found to carry the rabies virus. Each state has its own laws governing the frequency of administration of the rabies vaccine, but all agree that the first vaccine should be given around 24-26 weeks of age. A booster injection one year later is necessary. After that, laws vary and some areas require annual rabies vaccination. Current Alabama law allows vaccine every three years.
6. And the risks of being infected?  Any activity that brings someone in contact with possible rabid animals, such as traveling in an area where rabies is more common (Africa and Southeast Asia) as well as outdoor activities near bats and other possible rabid animals, all increase one's risk of getting infected with rabies.¹

7. Precautions?   Any animal bitten or scratched by either a wild, carnivorous mammal or a bat that is not available for testing should be regarded as having been exposed to rabies.

8.Other protocols to be aware of: Unvaccinated dogs, cats, and ferrets exposed to a rabid animal should be euthanized immediately.  If the owner is unwilling to have this done, the animal should be placed in strict isolation for 6 months and vaccinated 1 month before being released. (Do you have any idea what the cost of boarding a dog for six months would cost?)

9. Animals with expired vaccinations need to be evaluated on a case-by-case basis. Dogs and cats that are currently vaccinated are kept under observation for 45 days.
10. Good news? Small mammals such as squirrels, rats, mice, hamsters, guinea pigs, gerbils, chipmunks, rabbits, and hares are almost never found to be infected with rabies and have not been known to cause rabies among humans in the United States. Bites by these animals are usually not considered a risk of rabies unless the animal was sick or behaving in any unusual manner and rabies is widespread in your area.
11. However, from 1985 through 1994, woodchucks accounted for 86% of the 368 cases of rabies among rodents reported to CDC. Woodchucks or groundhogs (Marmota monax) are the only rodents that may be frequently submitted to state health department because of a suspicion of rabies. In all cases involving rodents, the state or local health department should be consulted before a decision is made to initiate post-exposure prophylaxis (PEP).
12. Each state collects specific information about rabies, and is the best source for information on rabies in your area. In addition, the CDC publishes rabies surveillance data every year for the United States. The report, entitled Rabies Surveillance in the United States, contains information about the number of cases of rabies reported to CDC during the year, the animals reported rabid, maps showing where cases were reported for wild and domestic animals, and distribution maps showing outbreaks of rabies associated with specific animals.

 13. Did you know? Although the majority of rabies cases occur in wildlife, most humans are given rabies vaccine as a result of exposure to domestic animals. This explains the tremendous cost of rabies prevention in domestic animals in the United States. (Any guesses how painful thse vaccine shots are or how many are given or how much they cost?)

14. A reasonable question at this point would be: If most reported rabies occur in wildlife, why would the laws be so detailed about giving our dogs rabies shots?

The answer is........... : Domestic animals are more likely to come in contact with rabid wildlife. Our pets and other domestic animals can be infected when they are bitten by rabid wild animals. When "spillover" rabies occurs in domestic animals, the risk to humans is increased. Pets are vaccinated by your veterinarian to prevent them from acquiring the disease from wildlife, and thereby transmitting it to humans.²

15 What Are the General Symptoms of Rabies?  Initially, a dog who’s become infected may show extreme behavioral changes such as restlessness or apprehension, both and become aggressive. Friendly dogs may become irritable, while normally excitable animals may become more docile. A dog may bite or snap at any form of stimulus, attacking other animals, humans and even inanimate objects. They may constantly lick, bite and chew at the site where they were bitten. A fever may also be present at this stage. As the virus progresses, an infected dog may become hypersensitive to touch, light and sound. They may eat unusual things and hide in dark places. Paralysis of the throat and jaw muscles may follow, resulting in the well-known symptom of foaming at the mouth.  Disorientation, in-coordination and staggering may occur, caused by paralysis of the hind legs. Other classic signs of rabies include loss of appetite, weakness, seizures and sudden death.

 16. Time before symptoms show up?  The virus usually incubates from two to eight weeks before signs are noticed. However, transmission of the virus through saliva can happen as early as ten days before symptoms appear.
17. More bad news?  There is no accurate test to diagnose rabies in live animals. The direct fluorescent antibody test is the most accurate test for diagnosis--but because it requires brain tissue, it can only be performed after the death of the animal.³
18. In order to prove the pet was vaccinated against rabies, many areas require the pet to wear a rabies tag on his collar and for the owner to maintain a rabies certificate. Rabies vaccine is to be given according to the vaccine manufacturers recommendation, either subcutaneously or in a muscle. The vaccine should be delivered by a veterinarian or under the direct supervision of a veterinarian.
19.  The purpose of the rabies vaccination is to help your pet fight off a rabies infection if he should be exposed to the virus. The vaccine is not a cure for rabies and pets vaccinated against rabies can still become infected with the virus. After initial vaccination, it takes about one month before the peak levels of rabies antibodies is reached and the pet is considered immunized for rabies.
20. If you adopt an adult dog without an accurate vaccination history, initial rabies vaccine should be administered with a follow up vaccine one year later. After that, local laws regarding frequency of vaccination apply

We suggest you read this article on reactions to vaccines  before your  pets next Rabies Shot!

Note: this is an expanded version of an article by Jan Rasmusen previously published by DogsNaturallyMagazine.com

http://www.dogs4dogs.com/blog/2010/09/23/rabies-vaccination-12-ways-to-vaccinate-more-safely/

==============

 ¹MedicineNet

 ²cdc.gov

 ³webmd.com

From Hopeless to Hope! A Love Story

This story has two parts, the first is Before Adoption and the second is After Adoption.

Part One - Before Adoption: Once upon a time a long time ago there was a small, cute Boston Terrier puppy in a pet store. A loving husband got that puppy for his wife as a Christmas present. That was in 1995, before that woman discovered where Pet Store puppies come from. That little puppy grew up to be a very loved companion for the woman but the pup had many medical issues including Addison's disease and poor discs in her back. The pup lived a long life, until she was almost 17 years old. The day she went to the Rainbow Bridge was a very dark day in the life of the woman who had just lost her mother as well. The woman felt hopeless, her life became a sad journey with very little joy. The husband suggested another dog but the woman said "no." The husband began looking at Boston Terriers on Petfinder, he too had learned that Pet Story puppies come from Puppy Mills, even though the woman said "no." He knew his wife needed a dog in her life.

Around this time a Boston Terrier mama had been rescued from a terrible, horrible puppy mill that was worse than others, it was a hoarding puppy mill. This Boston had been born in a cage and went from puppy to mama in her outdoor cage. She lived in Tennessee where there are biting flies. These flies would attack her ears, drawing blood and eventually leaving notches in her ears. This brave girl had tried to escape from her cage, breaking some of her teeth and cutting her tongue and muzzle in the process. These cuts would be a permanent reminder of her life before her rescue. She had many litters of puppies while in her cage and they were taken away from her every time. One day, her world was suddenly changing, there were many humans in and around her cage. She did not what to expect, her interactions with humans had been minimal but the times humans touched her, were when they moved her to a breeding box, another horrible memory for her.

But this time she was taken out by a different kind of human, one that held her gently, coo'ed to her, telling her she was safe, they were rescuing her! The wonderful people who rescued this Boston told the rescuers at Old Dominion Boston Terrier Rescue (ODBTR) that it took three baths to get the stench off of her. ODBTR named her Hope. She had never had a name before. She was taken to a veterinarian, probably for the first time, where her teeth were taken care of and her baby making parts were removed, she would never have to be in a breeding box again, never have to go through labor and birth by herself.

When she was well enough to leave the veterinarian's office she was taken to a home that had lots of happy Boston Terriers trying to sniff and greet her. She was scared, overwhelmed and did the only thing she knew how to do, she growled and snarled, telling the others to leave her alone. The woman in that home tried to tell her that she was safe but Hope wasn't too sure. The woman, named Susan, decided it would be best for Hope to adjust to freedom in a home where she would be an only dog. Another woman named Shannon let Hope come stay with her. There she began to learn what it meant to be a pet. She learned to walk on a leash, where to go potty, how to let human hands touch her in a gentle way. She even got to wear really cute dresses. Shannon told her it was her job as a foster mom to help Hope get ready for a fur-ever home with a family that would love and take care of her. Hope wasn't sure what that meant, for now she just wanted to be left alone and feed. Strange noises like foil being torn off the roll scared her, she ran and tried to find safe places to hide. Shannon's family were very nice to her, touching her gently and saying nice things but no one seemed to want to adopt her. Days turned into weeks, weeks turned into months.

Then God stepped in and made Hope and the sad woman's lives cross paths. I was that sad woman. My husband showed me Hope's picture and read her story to me. I began to realize that I could honor my little Boston Terrier pup's memory by adopting a Boston who had lived as her mom had lived. This could be my way of saying I was so sorry that we had perpetuated puppy mills by adopting from a Pet Store. I filled out the adoption papers and waited nervously, wondering if we would be approved. Susan reached out to me and we talked on the phone for a long time. She shared Hope's story and I shared ours. It seemed that Hope and I were meant to become family.

We met up with Shannon, the fabulous foster mom, and she handed us Hope's leash. I could see tears in her eyes, I'm sure they were a mix of sad tears because she loved Hope and happy tears because she knew Hope was getting her fur-ever family.

Part Two - After Adoption: Hope was not thrilled to be riding in a different car with strange people so she threw up on me, not a great start for either of us. We made it home and got out of the car. Hope looked at the stairs into our town home and dug her heels in. She would NOT come up the stairs. So, I picked her up and struggled to carry her upstairs. I did not realize it at the time but she had stretched her hind legs out straight behind her to try to force me to put her down, it was her survival instinct kicking in. I would later learn that she would use that technique when she was frightened when I would pick her up. We made it upstairs to the living room level. I put her down and let her explore, giving her lots of space and not forcing her to do anything. At supper time, I called her into the kitchen and put a dish of dog food down for her. She stood over it tentatively but did not eat. I walked out of the kitchen and I heard her eating.

For the next few days we struggled to establish a routine, my only requirement was that Hope needed to be in the same room that we were in. At night, I would carry her upstairs to our bedroom and put her on our high king size bed where she would spend the night at the end of the bed. After a few days of carrying Hope up and down the stairs, bemoaning her obstinatance, it dawned on me Hope did not know HOW to go up and down stairs. We worked on that for a few days and Hope learned quickly. What a relief.

Working to earn Hope's trust was a much bigger challenge. Finding the right balance of encouragement and patience was the key. Shortly after adopting Hope we made a radical change in our lives, we retired and moved in to a RV and began traveling the United States and Canada. Hope adjusted well. Because we were in close quarters 24 x 7 she began to be comfortable enough with me to jump up on the couch but she would sit at the other end. But as much as I tried to get her to play with me or a toy, she showed no interest. Hope had never been a puppy and had no concept of play. Then a miracle happened. We camped in a park where there were two Boston puppies. Their human mom was a horse trainer and had them off leash but they would recall to her with just a simple command. Those puppies were running around, sniffing, playing, all the things I wanted for Hope. The woman, Jenn, quickly became a friend. With her encouragement, I let Hope off leash and watched as Jenn had Hope lining up with her dogs waiting for treats. One of her pups, Brie, tried and tried to get Hope to wrestle play. Hope tentatively began to engage. Over two short days I saw a remarkable change. She would run a few steps then look back at me for reassurance and then run a few more steps. Over the next few days I saw Hope begin to perk up. But we were there for only a few days and I was sad to move on. Hope was sad, too. The spark I saw in her started to die. That is when we decided to get a puppy for Hope to keep. Enter Winston, a high energy yet submissive nine month old ball of fire! We also made a routine change. My husband stated feeding the dogs. This made a huge change in how Hope related to him. Over the next months we celebrated these small yet significant milestones:
- nudged my hand asking for more petting
- ran in the dog park just for fun
- would play chase and wrestle with Winston
- was able to be in a pet park with other dogs with no problems
- walked easily on a tandem leash with Winston in to the Virginia Beach Pet Expo and was around many dogs
- nudged my husband's hand wanting more petting
- jumped up on the couch to sit by my husband
- picked up a toy for a few seconds
- PLAYED TERRIER TUG OF WAR with Winston with a toy

Bottom line, Hope came into my live when I was hopeless. We have healed together, learned together, and gave become fast friends. This fabulous journey could not have happened without the ODBTR. Their excellent care getting Hope healthy and then finding the best Foster Mom. I cannot thank them for the gift of Hope.



ODBTR and all the other rescues dotted around your amazing country are doing something so needed,not just for the dogs but for us humans too..

NOTE FROM BTN: This heartwarming story has been reprinted with permission  of Old Dominion Boston Terrier Rescue (ODBTR).

Story written by Beth Ladwig, who adopted Hope.

Remarks made from the first publishing:

Shannon Barrett Knight, Oh goodness! What an amazing story. I'm in tears as well. We loved having Hope with us, especially her silly smile! She loved walking to the bus stop everyday to get my son. She was so sad for so long, at one point we spoke with a Pet Communicator.



Note from Author

  I was her first foster. The second message will have photos of Hope as blossomed, relaxed and got healthy   A couple of the photos look like she she snarling but that was her "smile". She made that face every time I spoke sweet to her  

I am so excited for Hope! Her mom and I met through her adoption and became friends. She is an amazing woman. Her name is Beth and her husband is Dave.

This article was going to be about selecting a groomer. It soon became apparent that many of us have been missing out on the products and current "fashion" trends in the grooming business.
Normally focused on rescued Bostons, concentrating on ensuring that they are healthy.  I have been interested in making sure that the Bostons where clean.  Bostons normally when healthy, have little need of much more, besides clipping their nails, or ensuring their ears are clean. What I found amused, shocked and opened my eyes to another reason why we are so lucky that Boston Terriers, Pugs, Frenches, and Bulldogs, bathing and grooming requirements, are so limited. However, sometimes they want more. Like many of their owners they get bored with the normal or routine baths. There is something called "Extreme Grooming" and it has developed into quite an art form. Luckily, I don't think our Bostons will be interested in going that far. Still, I would not want our Bostons to be totally left out of what is trending.

So we went looking for some items trending that could be used on these breeds.

We noticed recently at our local pet shop, Nail Polish pens.  These polish pens are water based dry quickly and easy to remove. They can come in 12 or 13 colors. We understand they (if only you can get your pampered dog to sit still) work great in creating designs on the nails. So the possibility is there that both you and your dog could have the same designed nails...

 We know the wonderful feeling of soaking our tired sore feet in warm relaxing foot baths. Well you no longer need feel like you are depriving your best friend of the same luxury... I have discovered another way to spoil your dog.... There are Fizz Tablets that bring soothing feelings to your dogs paws for a deep cleansing, this helps to fight fungus and bacteria, brighten nails and soften rough worn out paws..

So now you know, you will have to take your dog to your local groomer or spa and let those tired paws soak away a hard days play...(unless you can convince your little darling to stand in a small tub with warm water and fizz...)

Another must have for your pampered sweet one is a after bath spray, to Condition the fur, help soften and shine their coat and creating a luxurious scent a little aromatherapy.

But if you really want to prove to your Boston, Pug, Frenches or Bulldog, you love them then you must take them to a doggie spa. How else will they ever believe you love them? How else will you be able to get over your guilt of leaving them home to go to work, leaving them to their own

devices?   

Poor dogs, they get bored and get into mischief.

No longer is it okay to just bathe them in your home bath tub..

.. No, nor is it acceptable to wash them on the back porch in a tub.... They are better educated now...

A great, fun way to keep a dog active while you are at work or on vacation, is to drop them off at a doggie day spa center. Many of these centers provide a wide range of activities that provide fun and fitness for dogs of all ages and sizes. A great dog daycare will have staff who will know how to look after a dog’s needs, have separate areas to match age and size of their canine charges, and plenty of dog-friendly activities. There they can relax and enjoy the special joys of a day at the spa...

 

Gee whiz, We need to find a spa for these Bostons, after these get a whiff of what they have been missing We will be in trouble!  We will never be able to explain to them why they have not been left out of this trending experience!