16 Saber Tails Fall 2018

Petit Basset Griffon Vendéen Club of America

ANNOUNCING

Health Committee Reference Center

The Health Committee has developed an online Reference Center 

that contains resources to assist PBGV breeders and owners in mak-

ing decisions for the health and welfare of the breed. New informa-

tion will be added over time, and we welcome reader comments 

and suggestions.  Go: pbgv.org/wp/  

PBGV Health & Rescue Foundation 

Supports the Rabies Challenge Fund

By Laura Liscum

The Rabies Challenge Fund Charitable Trust was established in 2005 to raise funds for a research project to determine 

the duration of immunity conveyed by rabies vaccines.  We all know that over-vaccination can cause adverse effects in 

dogs. Many states have adopted a 3-year rabies protocol thanks to the research and advocacy made possible by The 

Rabies Challenge Fund. Some states, however, still require an annual or biannual booster.

The research project is currently following a colony of beagles that received the current licensed rabies vaccine seven 

years ago.  The investigators are analyzing the immunologic memory in those dogs with serum antibody titer tests. They 

are also exposing dogs at periodic intervals to live rabies virus to determine if the vaccine is still effective. They hope that 

their results will provide the basis for allowing rabies serum antibody titer tests to replace periodic boosters.

An April 2017 press release from the University of Wisconsin – Madison, where the research is being conducted, stated 

the following, “Canine studies funded by The Rabies Challenge Fund and performed in collaboration with the University 

of Georgia have confirmed that dogs that having a detectable rabies antibody titer are resistant to disease caused by 

experimental challenge with virulent rabies virus for as long as 7 years after two doses of rabies vaccine.”

The Health & Rescue Foundation of PBGVCA is a proud sponsor of this research.  For more information on the Rabies 

Challenge Fund, please see their website: https://www.rabieschallengefund.org/

How can you make a difference? The Health & Rescue Foundation funds research that helps our hounds live a long 

and healthy life.  Learn how you can make a tax-exempt donation 

here: https://pbgv.org/Health/HealthRescue.shtml. Together we 

can help PBGVs stay a happy breed with a ‘good voice, freely used.’