To update you, there is an article in today's (3/18/08) Wichita Eagle by Diane McCartney entitled:
Are annual shots a risk for dogs? Many wonder why city requires 3-year rabies vaccine yearly
Kansas.com | 03/18/2008 | Are annual shots a risk for dogs? The following quotes are from that article:

Most veterinarians, including those in Wichita, use a rabies vaccine for dogs that is guaranteed by the U.S. Department of Agriculture to give immunity for three years.

That's why Michael Nawrocki, president of the Wichita Veterinary Medical Association, calls yearly rabies vaccinations "overkill."

"Every animal, whether they get the one-year or the three-year vaccine, it's the exact same vaccine; it's good for three years," Nawrocki said.

If the vaccine is good for three years, why does the city of Wichita require pets to be vaccinated every year?

Kay Johnson, director of the city's department of environmental services, says irresponsible pet owners are to blame.

Until we see better compliance with vaccinations in general, I'm not inclined to relax our position" on the yearly vaccine, she said.

"It's insane for them to go through this every year," said Christopher Hesse of College Hill Animal Hospital.

Requiring all dogs to be vaccinated annually because some people don't take their dogs in for shots is "ludicrous thinking," Hesse said.

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If you would like to see the national 3 year rabies protocol adopted, you can contact Kay Johnson at 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.

Kansas Legislature -- find your legislator Find Your Legislator

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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. 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


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 (City of Wichita - Environmental Services Main), 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
funds raised to date

cc: Diane McCartney, Wichita Eagle
Attorney General Stephen N. Six
Consumer Protection Division, Attorney General’s Office

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 Kansas.com | 03/18/2008 | Are annual shots a risk for dogs? . 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: City of Wichita - Environmental Services Main "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 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 Find Your Legislator Full e-mail list of all Kansas Legislators is on my action alert post above.

Wichita City Council City of Wichita - City Council Main City Hall, 1st Floor, MS 1-13, 455 N. Main, Wichita, KS 67202 Phone (316) 268-4331 Fax: (316) 858-7743 E-Mails: ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ;

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: ; ; ; Consumer Protection Division Phone: (785) 296-3751 (800) 432-2310 Consumer Fax: (785) 291-3699

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Kris

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 Kissin' Country 102.1 :: Today's Best Country and All Time Favorites! . 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 Wyoming Tribune-Eagle Online 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 are organizing to change their annual rabies laws there. A Yahoo group, Arkansas Rabies Vaccine Info ARVaccineInfo : Arkansas Rabies Vaccine Info has been started to coordinate efforts there, please join if you are interested.

Kris

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 or 268-8351.

#

Link to Petition

The petition is posted online at http://www.thepetitionsite.com:80/1/...ion-in-Wichita .

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.

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2 Doses Rabies Vaccine Protective According to CDC Study

It took ages to find the report below after the CDC removed it from their rabies site -- you might find it interesting.

The following quote is from the Center for Disease Control's MMWR Recommendations and Reports March 22, 1991/40(RR03);1-19 Rabies Prevention-- United States, 1991 Recommendations of the Immunization Practices Advisory Committee Rabies Prevention -- United States, 1991 Recommendations of the Immunization Practices Advisory Committee (ACIP)

"A fully vaccinated dog or cat is unlikely to become infected with rabies, although rare cases have been reported (48). In a nationwide study of rabies among dogs and cats in 1988, only one dog and two cats that were vaccinated contracted rabies (49). All three of these animals had received only single doses of vaccine; no documented vaccine failures occurred among dogs or cats that had received two vaccinations. " .

There's an article in the Wichita Eagle on the city's rabies ordinance, comments I've submitted are below. Now is the time for concerned pet owners to give the City Council (City of Wichita - City Council Main phone: (316) 268-4331) about the city adopting a 3 year protocol.

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City Seeking Vets' Input on Rabies Wichita Eagle 11/15/08 City seeking vets' input on rabies | Pets | Kansas.com The city of Wichita is asking area veterinarians if it should change its ordinance requiring dogs to be vaccinated yearly against rabies.

Comments I've submitted:

Wichita's rabies ordinance should be based on scientific data, not a poll of the veterinarians who profit from rabies vaccine income. An October 1, 2002 DVM Newsletter article entitled, AVMA, AAHA to Release Vaccine Positions AVMA, AAHA to release vaccine positions - - DVM reports "The statement stresses AVMA's stance on education, a reduction in the profession's dependence on vaccine sales, which account for a significant portion of practice income, ..........Veterinarians must promote the value of the exam and move away from their dependence on vaccine income. "

The CDC National Association of State Public Health Veterinarians and the American Veterinary Medical Association both recommend 3 year rabies protocols http://www.nasphv.org/Documents/RabiesCompendium.pdf, and according to veterinary vaccine research scientist, Dr. Ronald Schultz, "There is no benefit from annual rabies vaccination and most one year rabies products are similar or identical to the 3-year products with regard to duration of immunity and effectiveness." What Everyone Needs to Know about Canine Vaccines What Everyone Needs to Know About Canine Vaccines

Concerned pet owners should contact the City Council and urge them to adopt a 3 year rabies protocol. For more information on the rabies vaccine, its known duration of immunity, and documented adverse reactions associated with it, see The Rabies Challenge Fund website at About the Rabies Challenge Fund. To hear a radio interview with veterinary vaccine research scientist Dr. W. Jean Dodds, go to Duration of Immunity: The Rabies Vaccine Challenge - Show #185 Animal Talk Radio Show 7/30/08 dog & canine forum - DogBanter

Arkansas Veterinary Medical Association Arkanas Veterinary Medical Association - What's New
RABIES VACCINATIONS
New Recommendations

Recommendations for maintaining adequate pre-exposure immunization status: A routine booster every two years is NOT recommended since the newer cell culture vaccines often confer adequate antibody levels for 5 to 8 years and risk of adverse reactions is increased by frequent boosters. The standard pre-exposure recommendation for veterinarians practicing in an area with enzootic rabies is serologic testing every two years with booster vaccination when the antibody titer falls below the acceptable level, i.e. 1:5 by RFFIT.

Yesterday the Wichita, Kansas City Council voted in a 3 year rabies protocol.


Wichita City Council Overhauls Animal Codes 3/11/09 Wichita Eagle Wichita City Council overhauls animal codes, tightens rules on pit bulls | Wichita News - Kansas News | Wichita Eagle by SUZANNE PEREZ TOBIAS

"• Require rabies vaccinations every three years -- instead of every year -- for dogs, cats and ferrets."