In an effort to help facilitate a cure to VAS and ensure the quality of vaccines for all companion animals, great effort needs to be taken on numerous levels.  
The USDA is the governmental organization which regulates the production and quality assurance of veterinary biologics products that are manufactured in the United States.
While over the years vaccines have done much to protect companion animal's, there are issues of concern which need to be addressed towards ensuring that we as loving parents are making the "best" decisions concerning the vaccination needs of our furry families.

Some of these issues include:

• There should be a "truth in labeling" law.  Some current "3" year rabies vaccines have been relabeled for use as "1" year products, with approval of the USDA.
  
• In an effort to make sure that companion animal lovers are making "informed" decisions concerning the vaccination needs of their furry family's, " informed consent" forms should be mandated between client and veterinarian so that  both the benefits and risks of vaccinations are  thoroughly evaluated.
  
• A "veterinary vaccine injury act" should be enacted.  This fund would help compensate those families that have suffered the negative consequences of any vaccination mandated by law as well as help to fund the development of safer vaccines and vaccine technology. (ie. alternative routes of administration, such as Heska's intranasal)
  
• The government, in cooperation with the veterinary professional community, should enact and enforce a "standard" guideline concerning the frequency and location for the administration of both feline and canine vaccinations.  Veterinarians should then be held accountable to this "standard of care".
  

This is Pat, who lost her dear baby Autumn to Vaccine Associated Sarcoma. Pat contacted her Connecticut Congressman Jim Maloney and together, they are working towards helping to enact legislation that will ensure the good health and safety of our furry families.

We encourage you to write to your legislative representative concerning the issues mentioned above as well as any other issues or concerns that you might have relating to this important issue.  

Below we've provided you with links to directories which allow you to look up your legislative representatives and easily send them a letter via e-mail.

We've also provided a "sample" letter for you to use as a guideline in helping to compose your letter. We would encourage you to also fax and send a copy of your e-mail to your legislative representative, as these methods of communication are reported to be given more "weight" than correspondence which is received via e-mail..

If the effort towards ensuring the good health and safety of our canine and feline families is to succeed, it will only happen through the efforts of animal lovers working together towards addressing such important issues as those relating to vaccinations.

Sample Letter

U.S. House of Representatives     

   U.S. Senate    

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