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By Dr. John Fudens, D.V.M.
So any and all mandatory rabies vaccination programs are colorable law, in that they have been passed and mandated upon the pet owning public by certain vested interest groups. Who are these groups? First and foremost are veterinarians, in general, and veterinarian medical organizations. Second are the local animal control personnel, bureaucrats and politicians.What are their reasons? GREED, POWER AND CONTROL.
Both these large powerful interest groups stand to benefit greatly by having rabies mandated by colorable law.
Veterinarians receive a large percentage of both their gross income and profit from vaccines given in the office. On average, vaccines cost 60 to 95 cents per dose and are charged to the client at $15 to $25 per injection and substantially more in the large cities. Therefore, if veterinarians lobby to have a colorable law passed to give rabies vaccine every year, that enhances their financial picture.
The veterinary medical societies, by working with other groups and area politicians, are rewarded by in-creased prestige and professional standing in the community. After all we are protecting you from the dreaded disease rabies, whether it exists or not. Some areas of the country are more enlightened and fortunate to have the rabies vaccine mandated every three years. You can be assured the rise of rabies is never taken into account as to whether the vaccine should be required or not. More on this later. The local government personnel benefit by extending more control over our lives, enriching the public treasury with fees, tags and fines, and giving the appearance that local government is doing something about animal populations, disease and risks to the public. Since rabies vaccines have been mandated, what county or area has seen less dog and cat bites, better animal control, more public awareness and educating of pet owning responsibility, better birth control of unwanted animals, less euthanasia of animals and decreased growth of animal control facilities?
These special groups and lobbies will use any argument, realistic or not, to justify their position. They are excellent at using the media to spread the lies and distortions. Examples:
“We have increased numbers of dogs biting people, pitbulls attacking and killing children are on the increase. More dogs and cats are running loose terrorizing neighborhoods, killing wildlife and other domestic stock, etc. .ad nauseam.”
The only thing rabies vaccination is for is the protection from rabies virus, all other justifiers for the vaccine fall under human control and exist because there are a certain number of humans, connected to animals who are irresponsible. Rabies is spread by the bite of an infected animal. The number of dog/cat bite cases in the U.S. that expose humans to rabies is as rare as shark attacks. This low incident rate has nothing to do with mandatory vaccination as the number of cases was low before the mandatory requirement.
Let me give you an example of Pinellas County, Fl where my affinity Clinic is located. I secured information from Pinellas Animal Control through the Freedom of Information Act. The record of animal control starts in 1964. From 1964 to 1978 there were zero cases of dog rabies in the county. Magically in 1978, rabies vaccine was mandated to be given every year and all dogs tagged and licensed. WHY? Well it seems four veterinarians, with animal control bureaucrats, pushed the county board of supervisors to pass a law mandating rabies vaccination every year. There were three local vets and one professor fro the State Veterinary College who were behind this. It was interesting reading their letters pushing this law and the minutes of the county meeting. There was talk of dogs biting people (no actual figures given), dogs running loose, animal overpopulation, rabies on the increase in the U.S. (the increase was in wildlife, not dogs), etc., etc. Not once was the issue discussed that there was no rabies in the county in dogs. To this date, there still has not been one case of dog rabies, including the population of dogs whose owners, GOD BLESS THEM, do not vaccinate for rabies. Let’s go further.
From 1964 to 1989 there were no cases of rabies in cats in Pinellas County. Magically in 1989 a law was passed mandating rabies vaccination, tags and licenses for all cats. Same tired worn out excuses were used. Since the 1989 law there was one cat with rabies contracted from the bite of a bat.
DO YOU READERS REALLY UNDERSTAND WHAT I HAVE JUST STATED?
This is standard throughout the Country. No allowance is made for dogs/cats/ who never leave the house or yard, could never be exposed to rabies under any circumstances, or who are so ill, old or at the end of their life cycle that the rabies vaccine would throw them over the edge. No, all dogs and cats are treated the same because we have the bogeyman, rabies, stalking the streets waiting to strike unprotected dogs and cats.
Is there rabies in this Country? You bet. Are there areas of this Country that have rabies in their wildlife population and do some dogs/cats become infected? You bet. But lets be realistic. Rabies has been on this earth long before man walked here and will be here ling after we are gone. The only way to get rid of rabies is to remove mankind and the upper animals susceptible to the virus. Then maybe the virus will die off. It is a self limiting disease in the wild as it is fatal. So the virus has an extremely hard time spreading far and wide.
What is wrong with targeting those areas of the Country that have a problem with rabies using a realistic and specially formulated program that will protect the population at risk? Too logical and the special groups don’t make any money. Why not educate the pet owner to the risks and dangers and let them decide whether thee immune system damage from rabies vaccination is greater or lesser than contracting the disease. We do have a God give constitutionally secured right to
LIFE, LIBERTY, AND THE PURSUIT OF HAPPINESS.
Public health officials always have the right to mandate emergency health care procedures in case the public, in general does not respond properly. But why should every day, month and year be as if an emergency or crisis exists? And why should we have more and more control of our lives taken from us?
The vaccines, particularly rabies, are a political and economic scam being forces upon pet owners because they do not know the truth. Rabies, nationwide, is nowhere near the problem the veterinarians, media, politicians and bureaucrats would like you to believe. If you wish more of the truth, go to your local city or county government building and look up the codes and statutes concerning vaccines and rabies. Get figures from local animal control for rabies in dogs, cats and wildlife in your area. Then you can start to fight back, take control of your life, and protect your pet from the only dreaded disease that is important---special interest groups pushing their program leading to vaccine induced immune systems. Only you can set yourself free.
Current Veterinary Therapy by Kirk, the textbook bible for veterinarians in general, has an article on canine and feline vaccines by two researchers. Near the end of the article is a paragraph called:
Annual Vaccinations.
It states “The practice of annual vaccinations lacks scientific validity or verification. There is no immunological requirement for annual vaccinations. The practice of annual vaccinations should be considered of questionable efficacy unless it is used as a mechanism to provide an annual physical examination or is required by law.”
Well reader, it is your choice. I can only hope to stimulate you to look and go further. You don’t have to take this suppression. Fight back. The only thing you have to lose is your freedom and you have already lost a great deal of it. I can fight with you but I can’t do it alone.