In UK dogs are not routinely vaccinated for rabies. All dogs coming into the UK are required to be though and this will continue - simply that the titre test and a 7 month wait after the vaccination will be replaced with a 21 day wait for certain countries - including Europe and USA/Canada plus others. For areas where there is a perceived problem there's a titre test (if I recall correctly) and a three month wait.

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Penny
Funfastquick Agility Dogs

The regulations used to be that the animal would recieve the vaccine and then have a blood test, if they failed then they would have to have the vaccination again. What concerns me is that around 1 in around 100 fail the test and have to be re vaccinated. Without the test it means that animals that may still be suceptable to Rabies will be allowed to travel. Surley it is better to be safe than sorry? After all Rabies is fatal if contracted by humans, the UK has been Rabies free for so many years, why risk it?

Well! I share you guys the information about the two type of god rabies!

Dogs with the furious type of rabies become wild and uncontrollable, even though they normally have a friendly disposition. A dog becomes restless and has difficulty eating and drinking. It roams around aimlessly and will snap at or bite anyone who crosses its path. Of course, the most obvious and popular symptoms of rabid dog is the continuous foaming of the mouth.

The dumb type of rabies is the total opposite of the furious type, and symptoms include the absence of appetite and difficulty in breathing. A dog becomes depressed, lethargic and tends to hide in quiet, isolated places. The most obvious sign would be the hanging of the tongue and continuous drooling. A dog with this type of rabies will die suddenly without any indication beforehand.

The main way to keep the UK rabies free is to enforce the rules in place. It has already been shown it is too easy to bring animals unchecked into the country. It's amusing and sad that the example where this happened recently was touted by scaremongers as proof that the new rule changes don't work. Doesn't matter if it's 6 months in quarantine for animals if they aren't checked to begin with. This should therefore be a focal point of campaigning.

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I was always led to believe it was 6 months - which is also the old quarantine period - but just reading up on it - apparently it can last from a few days to SEVERAL YEARS

And I quote

The rabies incubation period may vary from a few days to several years, but is typically one to three months. During this time, the rabies virus is multiplying within the body.

I am uncertain why they haven't mandated vaccinating in the UK yet, is this something that could happen in the future?

I have to admit it scares the HELL out of me - particularly what it can do to people.

The trouble is - it will now be easier for people to smuggle dogs into the country because of the relaxed restrictions and that is a real worry because it's something over which we have no control

And it comes back to the other thread on here atm which says that people would refuse to allow their pet to be euthanised if they came within an exclusion zone - it is this same mentality which will see people smuggling dogs into the country and placing us at risk to start with.

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What you need to know before buying a Labrador puppy

Well I understood that the incubation period is 1-6 months, hence the 6 month quarantine ruling. Most European countries now I gather stipulate that dogs travelling from one country to another have to be innoculated against rabies and provide proof of that, but I know that many countries that have rabies do not stipulate that dogs residing within their own country have to be vaccinated. I doubt anything would change for the laws within the UK unless we have a rabies case and it starts an epidemic, but by that time it would already be in.... The odd case has been isolated & contained so we've been ok up til now, but how long will that be for? With foxes and other carriers running wild it wouldn't take long for it to spread. What I do know is that if you are innoculated against rabies and symptoms have already started be it in an animal or a person, it's completely ineffective.
Treatment has to be swift from contact with an infected animal but how do you start to control that if it's running wild ..

It's a horrible disease and it's the responsibility of everyone crossing animals over borders to follow the rules and be vigilant towards others whose morals aren't so stringent ... KEEP RABIES OUT OF BRITAIN.

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Taking a Walk on the Wild Side ..........
Wild Extreme
www.wild-extreme.co.uk