Sarah Courchaine

We have the opportunity to follow a rational, evidence-based approach by updating our requirements to include titer testing as an alternative to annual (or triennial) rabies vaccination. Veterinarians recognize that there is a risk of developing cancer at the rabies vaccine injection site. While it was once standard practice to apply it between the shoulder blades, it's now commonly given in the right hind leg, a recommendation supported by the American Veterinary Medical Association. That way, if/when a tumor develops there the hind leg can be amputated and the animal has a much greater chance of survival than if it had developed between the shoulder blades, where surgical removal becomes more complicated and the outcomes are poorer. By allowing veterinarians to order and perform titer testing we can avoid unnecessary re-vaccination, reduce the risk of vaccine associated sarcomas (VAS), and still ensure animals maintain adequate rabies antibodies and pose no risk to public health. I encourage you to support this bill and vote Ought to Pass.