General Discussion
In reply to the discussion: Why do I need to vaccinate my puppy? [View all]crayn
(10 posts)The requirements for rabies vaccination vary with the states and sometimes municipalities. In my state veterinarians are not allowed to make exceptions from the rabies mandate even if it may be in an individual pet's best health interest not to vaccinate. If we deviate from this (which happens when necessary), we do take some risk with our license to practice. We, as all citizens, are bound by the law as written. Cats are required to be vaccinated in my state as well.
Contrary to what some misguided souls, like our former9thward, almost all veterinarians are committed to protecting the health of our patients. Heck, it is clearly in our selfish best interest to keep our patients alive! Dead pets don't pay well and we are still a business. A business that continually struggles with the choice of making a dollar or saving a life (we err on the side of lifesaver). We are also quite individualistic and deeply suspicious of drug companies. Still, we do frequently ally with them in honest efforts to provide better care for our patients because by and large they have made a tremendous investment in pet healthcare and also care about our best friends..