Some goodies for the dogs arrived today from The Baker’s Dog
Cookies! Half pound packages of the lamb & rice and peanut butter & honey. Those are the custom labels on the cookie packages that The Baker’s Dog can do. It’s pretty cool. Upload whatever picture you want and they’ll put it on the package label for you
One sure way to get a Lab’s attention is with food. See how they’re totally focused on me? Pff, yeah, right, gimme the cookie already.
Have a Barkley Holiday!
Rabies vaccine: Annual or every 3 years?
Pet owners all know that a rabies vaccine for their pet(s) is mandatory. As in people the subject of vaccination can be a bit controversial, but the controversy isn’t over whether to vaccinate or not, it’s over how often to vaccinate.
I just learned that SC state law doesn’t specifically require annual rabies vaccinations (thanks to the people behind the Rabies Challenge Fund for the tip). It’s left up to the vet to determine the appropriate vaccination frequency.
From SC Code Title 47 Chapter 5 (Rabies Control Act) (emphasis mine),
SECTION 47-5-60. Inoculation of pets; certificates and tags.
A pet owner must have his pet inoculated against rabies at a frequency to provide continuous protection of the pet from rabies using a vaccine approved by the department and licensed by the United States Department of Agriculture. Evidence of rabies inoculation is a certificate signed by a licensed veterinarian. The rabies vaccination certificate forms may be provided by the licensed veterinarian or by the department or its designee. The veterinarian may stamp or write his name and address on the certificate. The certificate must include information recommended by the National Association of State Public Health Veterinarians. The licensed veterinarian administering the vaccine shall provide one copy of the certificate to the owner of the pet and must retain one copy in his files for not less than three years. With the issuance of the certificate, the licensed veterinarian shall furnish a serially numbered metal license tag bearing the same number and year as the certificate with the name and telephone number of the veterinarian, veterinary hospital, or practice. The metal license tag at all times must be attached to a collar or harness worn by the pet for which the certificate and tag have been issued. Annually before February first, the veterinarian shall report to the department the number of animals inoculated against rabies during the preceding year. The department, in conjunction with licensed veterinarians, shall promote annual rabies clinics. The fee for rabies inoculation at these clinics may not exceed three dollars, including the cost of the vaccine, and this charge must be paid by the pet owner. Fees collected by veterinarians at these clinics are their compensation.
For most vets, I’m sure that “at a frequency to provide continuous protection of the pet” means annually because that’s the protocol they grew up with. There seems to be a growing amount of evidence showing that current rabies vaccines can provide protection up to 3 years, and efforts are under way to test rabies vaccine protection out to 5 and 7 years.
For the state’s official stance, contact the SC State Veterinarian (I think DHEC is probably the best place to start). The email I received from the Rabies Challenge Fund lists Dr. Stephanie Cox as the State Veterinarian, although I was unable to confirm this. The searches I performed listed Dr. John A. Caver from Clemson as the State Vet, although that appointment was made in 2005 and I have no idea if that information still current.
When your pet is due for the next rabies shot, check with your vet to see if a 3 year vaccination protocol is appropriate. Your vet may want to perform blood tests to check antibody levels to ensure an adequate level of protection.
Lowcountry dog park tour: Bark Park at Riverfront Park
To be honest, I was a little bit disappointed with the dog park at Riverfront Park in North Charleston, especially considering how nice and spacious the rest of the park is. The Bark Park almost seemed like an afterthought in comparison. It’s like someone took an area of the park that wasn’t much good for anything else and said “Let’s make a dog park out of it”. However, I suppose it’s better than nothing.
The Bark Park is quite a small fenced in area. There’s a dog-lock style gate, but whoever put together the gates and latches didn’t do it very well and I don’t think they measured things out all that accurately either for the outer gate. As a result it would be pretty easy for dogs to push their way past both gates and get loose if the inner gate isn’t closed properly.
Unlike all the other dog parks we’ve visited so far, there is no water fountain installed in the park. Instead, there are a couple of watering stations provided that are starting to look a little green with algae growth. They also collect whatever happens to fall from the trees. IMO the lack of water fountain is quite a significant oversight. Hopefully they’re just temporary and a permanent water fountain is in the works. In the meantime, I’d recommend bringing your own water and bowl for your dogs.
There are benches along the side for people to sit on, and trees provide plenty of shade. They also drop lots of pecans for dogs to crunch on (probably not a good thing for dogs to do).
One very nice feature the dog park has are the agility type jumps and tunnel. Since there’s not a whole lot of room for dogs to run, these provide a fun way for dog owners to engage and interact with their dogs.
Panorama view of the park from the entrance gate
Panorama view of the park from the other end
See the rest of my pictures from the day here.
Here’s a Google Map for Riverfront Park. Riverfront Park is located in North Charleston on the site of the former Naval Yard.
Merry Christmas from the dogs
Nala just did not like the great big scary looking Santa Paws at Dolittles at all, so getting her to pose for this picture was challenging. This was the best picture once I got her settled down a bit. I tried to push her a little closer, but she kept inching away and this was as close as she’d get.