The Rabies Vaccine and Other Vaccinations

Compiled by Stephen Hull MS, PhD

Here are some comments from our seminars where we talk about the rabies vaccine and other vaccinations:

1. The rabies vaccine MUST be given by a veterinarian in order for you to have legal protection. In many states (not all), you can buy the rabies vaccine “over the counter" at many farm stores with no prior veterinary prescription. But in the event of rabies exposure, your county health people will NOT recognize your non-vet, self-administered rabies vaccine administration (yes, even with receipts, etc).
2. The older rabies vaccines were known to cause reactions. Even with recent improvements, the rabies vaccine still remains a "hot" vaccine. This means that it has more potential to cause post shot reactions compared to "cold" vaccines (the CD&T combination, for example, is considered a cold vaccine for alpacas/llamas). However, giving a hot vaccine and a cold one within hours can cause more reactions than either given alone. For this reason, never allow your vet to administer the rabies vaccine and a CD&T (or Leptospirosis or West Nile or whatever vaccine) at the same time (unless they want to hang around for an hour afterwards). The vast majority of acute vaccinosis reactions are often apparent, within minutes, of giving the rabies vaccine with another different vaccine. You can always give the other non-rabies vaccine several days later. Always, always watch your animal after giving any vaccine, but always observe after a "hot" vaccine, as sometimes it takes thirty minutes or so for the acute symptoms to flare up.
3. There is no "one recommendation" for the rabies vaccine. Across the country, the rabies exposure risk from wild animals simply varies too much. You must look at your county/state data and make up your mind together with your vet's input. For example, rabies is highly endemic in some areas of the southeast USA, and ills virtually absent in others. One recommendation for all geographical areas is foolish as the rabies vaccine does cause reactions. But in rabies endemic areas, you MUST vaccinate! Your vet will know your area's risk.
4. If your alpaca/llama sees a rabid skunk/raccoon/bat/whatever, its natural curiosity leads it right up to that animal. They often "nose" the animal and resultantly get bit on the nose, lip or legs. Rabid alpacas/llamas can act "furious" (like dogs) or "dumb" (like cows). Not all drool. One symptom of rabies is observing a clearly nocturnal wild animal wandering about in the bright daylight, oblivious to other animals/people. Some infected animals do not show symptoms. For example, skunks carry rabies and do not show symptoms until very late in the disease. In the meantime, they can pass this disease to offspring during pregnancy.
5. When people call me about a wandering and "dazed looking" raccoon/skunk in the daylight, I immediately advise calling animal control, as this is likely rabies. They will likely shoot the rabid looking animal. They will not trap it. In most areas, animal control simply does not have the resources to confirm rabies on every suspected wild animal. If a suspected animal bites a person, then the expensive confirmation test is always done. If animal control cannot get there immediately, then you need to deal with this. Do NOT let this very likely rabid animal wander away to later return and potentially bite one of your livestock, dogs or cats, your neighbor's animals (or you!). I dislike guns, but I have one for this very purpose.
6. Alpacas/llamas get rabies. This is clearly documented. Rabies is spread by saliva and our camelid friends have a way of projecting this. Consider your liability for farm visitors.
7. The only way to confirm rabies is to cut off the suspected animal's head, get a small slice of brain tissue, use specific stains and look for cellular Negri inclusions under the microscope. There is NO other test. If your county suspects rabies in your animal, they have the right to quarantine your animal at your farm, off your farm (at your cost) and sadly (if symptoms persist), to kill your animal. This latter issue is rare but it does happen. Most often, you are told to quarantine your animal on your property (14 to 30 days depending).
8. There are one-year rabies vaccines and three-year rabies vaccines (both under the IMRAB and RABVAC labels) from two different vaccine manufacturers. Each drug company makes their one and three year vaccines from the same specific company batch. The three-year lots are just tested for efficacy at three years and thus cost more due to the longer testing, time, etc. Thus, the three-year tests show that the vaccine works at three years so it can he labeled as such (RABVAC-3 or IMRAB-3).
9. Some states/counties with endemic wildlife rabies insist on rabies vaccination every single year. Many animal health experts feel that this is too frequent for alpacas/llamas. We prefer every three years. The principal reason for the yearly vaccination protocol is to insure that a large percentage of the animal population gets rabies immunizations.
10. There are blood antibodies that can be tested to show that the rabies vaccine protection remains. Several dog/cat studies show that rabies vaccine protection exists for at least five years after injection. Some states/counties will accept blood antibody results and others will not.
11. The use of the rabies vaccine (and every other veterinary drug) for alpacas/llamas is considered a legal "off label" use. Off label means that there is no legal documentation of efficacy. This does NOT mean that the vaccine/drug/treatment does not work; rather, it simply means that in the case of an adverse reaction or lack of protection, there is no legal recourse against the vaccine manufacturer and/or vet. This off-label descriptor is typically a legal issue, not necessarily a pharmacological concern.
12. Rabies vaccination is not just for protection of your pet. Rather, it is a public health issue, as people get rabies from rabid animals (zoonotic disease). This sounds strange, but your vet is actually licensed to protect the public by immunizing/treating animals. This is a legal issue and gets back to the reason why only licensed vets can verify that a rabies vaccine has been properly administered.

I suggest that you print this off, and discuss this with your local vet. He/she has the best perspective for protection of your animals (as well as you!) and, together you must make the decision that is best for your animals in YOUR area.

Plan Your Health Calendar for Healthy Animals

By Dr. Joe Klopfenstein, Vergennes Large Animal Associates

As I write this, there is still a heap of snow on the ground and sugaring season has not begun yet. It's not too early, however, to plan your health calendar for the year. If you have protocols in place for your health events throughout the year, you can make sure your camelid companions have the best possible attention to their well being.

Spring is vaccination season. Even though most camelid vaccines provide a year's worth of protection, spring is the most effective time to vaccinate since most exposure to disease occurs in the spring and summer. Since camelids are generally very healthy and have little disease risk, there are very few vaccines to worry about. The basic vaccination protocol for adult llamas and alpacas in our area includes vaccines for clostridial diseases and rabies.

Clostridial diseases are caused by bacteria that live in the soil. Clostridial organisms that may cause disease in camelids are Clostridium perfringens types C and D and Clostridium tetani (tetanus). Vaccines for these bugs are usually combined in a vaccine known by its common name, CDT. Clostridium perfringens causes disease by overgrowing in the animal's gut causing potentially severe toxemia. This overgrowth may occur after overeating grain or spoiled forage. Tetanus is caused by bacterial growth in contaminated wounds. Both diseases are life threatening and the vaccine cost is very reasonable, so it is very important to have your animals vaccinated for clostridium.

Rabies is a neurological disease caused by a virus spread by a bite from an infected animal. The disease is 100% fatal. Already this year, there have been nearly two dozen animals in Vermont confirmed with rabies, including some livestock. Rabies vaccination is a must to protect your animals and your family.

There are other vaccines available for camelids that may be important in your herd. Talk with your veterinarian about the use of vaccines for Leptospirosis, Eastern Equine Encephalitis, and E. coli diarrhea. In most cases, these vaccines are not necessary but your vet is the person to ask about disease risk in your herd. If you have pregnant females that will be giving birth this spring and summer, talk with your vet about vaccinations during late pregnancy and protocols for your newborns.

Summer is the time to focus on parasite control. Internal parasites in llamas and alpacas are picked up on pasture while grazing. Parasite loads in your animals will vary depending on the number of animals in your pastures, your past parasite control program, how big your pastures are, whether or not you rotate your pastures, whether sheep and goats have shared your pastures, and how often you clean up fecal piles.

When your vet visits your animals in the spring, you should talk with him or her about your parasite control program. You should take some representative samples of fresh stool from the pile to assess the level of worms your animals are currently carrying. This can you help plan your parasite control program. Many animals may need to be dewormed only once or twice in the spring, others need more intensive deworming. Last spring's cool, wet conditions enabled a boom of parasite growth on pastures, resulting in many heavily parasitized animals, so it will pay to be aggressive with parasite control. Many effective deworming products are on the market. After you have checked your herd for parasites, talk with your vet about specific products.

In the fall and early winter, your parasite control program switches to focus on the meningeal worm (Parelaphostrongylus tenuis). This worm is a normal parasite in deer and can cause disease in llamas and alpacas by aberrant migration through the spinal cord. The meningeal worm eggs are deposited in pastures by visiting deer, pass through a snail and are consumed by llamas and alpacas as they graze. Camelid owners should focus on this parasite from May through December. Effective dewormers can be administered every 4-6 weeks to prevent damage from the meningeal worm. Ivermectin (1cc per 75 — 100 pounds under the skin) is currently the best choice for meningeal worm control. There are a variety of products on the market that contain Ivermectin or similar compounds.

During the winter, focus turns to nutrition. Once animals are no longer grazing and are eating stored forage, some decisions need to be made. Have your hay tested for its nutrient value. Your vet can take a representative sample and submit it to a testing laboratory for the required tests. The cost is very reasonable and the resulting information is valuable. Test results can help you select grain that balances the nutritional needs for your animals. Not only is proper nutrition economical, but it can also result in much better health during the long winter months.

Proper animal care is a year long commitment. With a little planning you can provide excellent health care for your llama or alpaca throughout the changing seasons. Your vet is a great resource for questions you may have about health care concerns with your animals and risks for your area. Here's to a healthy and happy year for your animals!