Animal advisory committee works to revamp rabies policy Posted On: Thursday, Jul. 23 2009 05:24 AM By Justin Cox
Killeen Daily Herald

Killeen's animal advisory committee can't change the annual rabies vaccination policy – so it's going to the source.

The committee is sending representatives to the Bell County Commissioners Court and the Killeen City Council in an effort to change the county's policy on rabies vaccinations.

Currently, the city has to fall in line with Bell County's annual vaccination policy. However, some members of the animal advisory board, along with hundreds of veterinarians nationwide, argue that rabies vaccinations should be administered every three years and that annual vaccinations can harm pet health. But they can't do that unless the county changes its policy first.

Municipal prosecutor Holli Clements said the state authorizes cities to adopt their own rules governing rabies vaccinations, but those rules can only be more stringent than the county's policies.

Veterinarians disagree as to the necessity of changing the law. In the case of the county, that's Dr. Warren Dunn, who advised the county to keep its policy of annual shots.

While surrounding counties have a three-year policy in place, Dunn said it's best to keep the annual policy because of the large number of rabies cases in Bell County. He said the high skunk population contributes to rabies, while other parts of the state may not be at as great a risk.

County Attorney Rick Miller brought the item to the commissioners court and said he has received some input as well.

"I talked with the commissioners about it, and I don't think it's something they are going to change, not as long as we have a vet who (is opposed to it). Absent that, they are not inclined to change the ordinance. I'll have to look at the state law, but right now, we're going to keep it as is."

Commissioner John Fisher agreed with Miller, largely due to the opinion of local veterinarian Dunn of the Belton Veterinary Clinic. He disagrees with the assertion that annual rabies shots are unnecessary.

"Right now, the policy is annual rabies shots," Fisher said. "Dr. Dunn has discussed this. Unless someone can give us a better argument, we're going to keep this policy as is."

Dr. Laura Szeremi is a member of the Killeen animal advisory committee and a practicing veterinarian at two hospitals in the Killeen area.

Szeremi said the county is behind the times in their rabies standards, which are potentially harmful.

"It's vaccinating pets when they really don't need it," Szeremi said. "There's always a risk of an allergic reaction, and the more vaccines your pet receives over time, the more at risk they are in having an allergic reaction. "

She said there is the need to protect the population from rabies, but vaccinations should not be taken lightly.

Dunn disagrees with the idea that it's harmful to vaccinate annually simply out of fear of an allergic reaction.

"In puppies we see just as much reaction as we do in other dogs. You're going to see a reaction every now and then, just like you do in humans; that's just part of doing it," Dunn said. "It's one of those calculated risks. If there is something going wrong, there's a better chance for us to see the animal and check."