Beggar vs Chooser
I suspected this all along.
Your state may offer rabies vaccine waivers. A “get out of jail free card” if your dog or cat is not in full health.
If that waiver sounds easy or good to you, read on. It is surprisingly neither.
This post, like most, was prompted by a reader. She went jousting with the waiver bureaucracy in her state. Sherry relates,
Sent a carefully and comprehensively assembled packet out in January; called to check progress, no one responds. Leave messages; no one gets back. Contacted the dept.; a guy called back and referred me to one of the vets… (no help) …attitude is sickening, even as I relate I have an EPI dog with a near death experience from bloat/torsion two years ago, … that he just had a regimen for Lyme.”
EPI is exocrine pancreatic insufficiency. A form of chronic disease that throws a wrench in the works of digestion.
If you’ve read my earlier piece about vaccination waivers, your dog or cat has one if they are ill. In any way. Read that post so you are clear on that.
It has to do with the label instructions on every vaccine for every species. In short, vaccines are labeled only for use in the healthy.
Now, while that’s true, is getting a rabies vaccine waiver from your state going to be easy?
Are the officials going to care?
Or, if they do, are they going to watch out for your animal’s health?
Bureaucracy Wants You
Bureaucracy, the “powers that be,” want easy.
They don’t want your complicated life intruding on their world of forms and reports and check boxes.
They run best on “one size fits all.”
In short, bureaucracy wants you:
- to comply
- to shut up and follow the flock
- to not be an exception
I first got a taste of petty officials when I traveled overseas one summer in college. One particularly tension filled border crossing came between Morocco and Algeria.
My travel buddy John, a jovial guy by nature, thought he’d try to lighten up our wait by whistling.
“NO WHISTLING!!” shouted one of the uniforms.
When small minds have power, it’s rarely a cakewalk for you to accomplish simple things.
Why This Waiver is a Bad Idea
Getting a waiver from your state puts you in the position of being a beggar.
You know your rabies vaccinated animal has good reasons not to get more rabies vaccines. The risk far outweighs any perceived benefit:
- allergies
- autoimmune disease
- laryngeal paralysis
- degenerative myelitis
- behavioral changes (like aggression)
You’ve learned immunity to viral vaccines lasts for years if not for the life of your animal. That’s been clear for decades now.
The history of rabies “laws” shows clearly they were based on greed, not immunological knowledge or even common sense.
(Do you get notices from your physician to come in yearly or triennially to boost your smallpox vaccination? Of course not. It’s accepted: you’re immune. Done.)
So, do you really think being a beggar to the all powerful state bureaucrats is a good way to protect your pet’s well being?
Who’s Got Your Animal’s Back?
There’s only one person (or maybe a couple) on the planet who should be your animal’s chief protector.
That one person knows her, all the challenges she’s been through and lives with now –
- she gets itchy every summer
- she takes thyroid medication
- she’s reacted badly to vaccines in the past
- she has an illness that demands a special diet
- she (fill in the blank for how your animal has health challenges)
Yes, my dear, that one person is… (drum rollllll):
You.
If you’ve been studying at all, here and elsewhere, you know that handing over your health choices to Dr. WhiteCoat can be a dangerous act.
In the name of “prevention,” you’re liable to receive:
- far too many vaccinations
- risky pesticides for fleas, ticks, and heartworm
- depleted and toxic food
You want a long healthy vital life for your companion?
Better not to blindly accept what’s being thrust upon you by conventional medicine.
A Better Way
Do you know your animal has fulfilled the intent of the rabies law?
That means, she’s had at least one rabies vaccination over the age of 16 weeks. Odds are, as you read this, there have been several more.
You know that equates to immunity to rabies. She’s a “good citizen” in that, and so are you.
To avoid further vaccinations that are both unnecessary and risky to her health, consider not following the letter of the law:
- stop licensing
- “fly under the radar” (i.e. don’t partake in activities that alert animal control as to your status)
- ask your open minded vet to understand and support your decision
- no hope of vet understanding? Fire your vet.
- get a mobile groomer
Tell Us How You’ve Managed
One thing I admire about my Pack is that they are creative. And smart. And fully dedicated to taking charge of their animals’ health.
Odds are, there are many reading this who’ve figured out how to prevent unnecessary rabies vaccinations. And, it didn’t involve a state rabies vaccine waiver.
My plea: share with us in the comments below, even anonymously, how you’ve accomplished this.
It’ll help the many, many pet owners writing me regularly about the struggles they have with these ridiculous laws, in 49/50 states, and much of Canada.
My hat is off to you pioneers.
And I invite you to join them. For your animals’ sake.
The post Rabies Vaccine Waiver from Your State? Don’t Waste Your Time appeared first on Vital Animal § The Natural Path.