lancemart
Well-known member
Is it advisable to vaccinate for rabies. My vet told me out of the three cases of rabies in NE, 2 were cows. Any input on this subject.?
rabies
- Thread starter lancemart
- Start date
jerry27150
Well-known member
had a neighbor that lost 3-4 to rabies one time, but don't know of any one that vaccinates
New York requires rabies shots for SHOWS, but not required on your herds. I have never vaccinated my herd, although there have been many raccoons with rabies around our area. Don't know anyone vaccinating their herds. You can't do it yourself, must be done by a vet in NEW YORK, so it gets real costly.
As Jeanne said, it gets costly if you have alot of cattle.
If you live very rural, most infected wildlife die in the woods where they live.
However, if you live on the fringes of a busy city/town where there are alot of urban raccoons, etc, eating trash and causing problems--that is a different situation.
My suggestion:
If you have just a few head and are in a hot area for rabies and are having the vet come out for something else--might as well have him do your cows.
Your state lab has a list of where all the rabies positive animals were found. If there are locations listed that are within 5 miles of you--vaccinate.
Several of my cows were originally pastured in a hot rabies area in another state. Several cats came up positive within a mile of where my cattle were, so I had them vaccinated.
I slept better at night.
It paid off 3 months later, when a neighbors cat also came up positive. His entire herd and his horses were put under quarantine. He couldn't move, sell or show anything for 6 months and they euthanized all his other cats-and one beloved unvaccinated dog-- for testing.
The $$ he would of spent on rabies vaccinations was tiny compared to the financial ( and emotional ) fall out from not vaccinating. He now has several acres for sale on his once unsubdivided property.
If you live very rural, most infected wildlife die in the woods where they live.
However, if you live on the fringes of a busy city/town where there are alot of urban raccoons, etc, eating trash and causing problems--that is a different situation.
My suggestion:
If you have just a few head and are in a hot area for rabies and are having the vet come out for something else--might as well have him do your cows.
Your state lab has a list of where all the rabies positive animals were found. If there are locations listed that are within 5 miles of you--vaccinate.
Several of my cows were originally pastured in a hot rabies area in another state. Several cats came up positive within a mile of where my cattle were, so I had them vaccinated.
I slept better at night.
It paid off 3 months later, when a neighbors cat also came up positive. His entire herd and his horses were put under quarantine. He couldn't move, sell or show anything for 6 months and they euthanized all his other cats-and one beloved unvaccinated dog-- for testing.
The $$ he would of spent on rabies vaccinations was tiny compared to the financial ( and emotional ) fall out from not vaccinating. He now has several acres for sale on his once unsubdivided property.
lancemart
Well-known member
I guess I will have all my cats vaccinated.
jerry27150
Well-known member
was you talking about cows or cats?
I always thought rabies was passed by a bite. But it is actually a virus. If you come into contact with an animal that carries it, you can get it just by touching it. An animal could have bedded down in one of the round hay bales right before the cattle came to eat.
lancemart
Well-known member
I was talking about cows, but I have a lot of cats too. I will have everyone vaccinated. I was informed that rabies does not remain contagious for a very long time if saliva happens to end up on a round bale or a dead chicken.
lancemart":1e9lk2o2 said:
Again this depends on the temperature.
In cooler weather, the virus in the saliva lives longer than in the heat of the summer.........
Something to think about.
Don't go picking up road kill in the winter......
