California company says USDA pulled license on its rattlesnake vaccine for dogs and horses
Two Woodland companies
By Peyton Headlee
Click here for updates on this story
WOODLAND, California (KCRA) — Rattlesnake season is in full swing in California, but there is a dwindling supply of vaccines available for dogs and horses to help them build immunity to venom.
Two Woodland companies, Red Rock Biologics and Hygieia Biological Laboratories, work together to manufacture and distribute the vaccine, but the U.S. Department of Agriculture recently chose not to renew their license.
Dale Wallis and her partner, Jim Wallis, created the vaccine after nearly losing two cats to rattlesnake bites.
“In 2002, my cat was bitten by a rattlesnake and nearly died,” Wallis said. “Shortly thereafter, my partner, Jim Wallis’ cat, was bitten by a rattlesnake and nearly died. Both cats lived, but both were very severely affected, and we thought, ‘Gee, there ought to be something we can do about this.’”
By 2003, she said they had created a rattlesnake vaccine for dogs and horses. It was licensed both in the state and by the USDA in 2004.
“The product we came up with does generate anti-venom, kind of antibodies, in the vaccinated animal. So, you already have antivenom on board if you get bit,” she said. “What that means is that you’re much better protected.”
Wallis said their company, Red Rock Biologics, was distributing hundreds of thousands of vaccine doses every year for the last two decades–serving about 5,000 clinics across the country.
“This came to an abrupt halt in 2023 when they pulled the license. They refused to renew it,” Wallis said.
Wallis said the USDA’s decision had to do with a time limit on their conditional license, but when they submitted more data for a full license, she said the USDA didn’t accept it.
Some experts have argued that the vaccine doesn’t have any published data to support its efficacy. That was written in the Canine Vaccination Guidelines, published by the American Animal Hospital Association in 2022.
However, the AAHA still includes the rattlesnake vaccine in their list of noncore vaccines for dogs. Those are vaccines recommended for some dogs based on lifestyle, geographic location, and risk of exposure.
KCRA 3 reached out to the USDA on Wednesday afternoon, but a recorded phone message stated their contact center employees were out of the office by 5 p.m. EST.
“This is a safe and effective vaccine. It is well-loved, well-liked, well-supported. It’s needed,” Wallis said.
Wallis said they made enough vaccines to carry them until June, but they are about to run out, and are still fighting for a license to make more.
Just last week, she sent a letter explaining the situation to clinics across the country that use their vaccine. She said she has received letters of support from more than 50 veterinarians and is hopeful they will get their license back.
“It satisfied all the regulatory requirements for the licensing it has. There’s no reason for it to have lost its license,” she said. “It’s a fundamental misunderstanding of what the vaccine is, how it works. It’s the only one in the world.”
Wallis said they have a meeting with the USDA on Friday. In the meantime, she recommends rattlesnake avoidance training to protect your animals.
Please note: This content carries a strict local market embargo. If you share the same market as the contributor of this article, you may not use it on any platform.
