You really have to ask a Dr to give it. They think that if you get cut you will come to the ER and get one so they don'te remind you once you are older. Here is another article.You can google hundreds of stories ,some of people who died from a minor scratch or thorn prick. You can go to your Health dept or a walk in clinic that is what I did. ```````````````````````````````````````````````````` National Post Warning, home gardeners. Before you get your hands dirty - stop! When did you get your last tetanus vaccination? If it was 10 years ago or more, put down your trowel. Call your doctor. You could be at risk of getting a dangerous and deadly disease for which there is no cure. Most people link tetanus with rusty nails. But tetanus is everywhere. It's in soil, dust, animal waste, and anything that comes in contact with them. You can get it from insect bites, animal bites, scratches from claws or thorns, or through the tiniest crack or puncture in the skin. More than 30% of all tetanus injuries occur in the garden. How easy is it to get? Cleveland Clinic admitted a home gardener with an advanced case of tetanus. He had no visible punctures and no idea of how he'd contracted the disease. A detailed examination of his hands, however, revealed the culprit: an almost invisible splinter in the pad of his thumb. Fortunately, the patient survived (after six weeks in intensive care). Not all are so lucky. In recent years, 10% of all cases in North America have been fatal. In non-Western societies, the death rate is much higher. Back to Body & Health Tetanus is notoriously difficult to diagnose and treat. Here's how it starts: The spores of a bacteria called C. tetani enters the body through a wound. The spores thrive and germinate in the low-oxygen environment inside the body. The germinating spores produce a toxin that spreads through the blood and lymphatic system. The toxins disrupt the nervous system. First they strike the nerves nearest to the puncture. Then they spread out to the spinal cord and brain. Within five to 10 days after the infection, tetanus may exhibit its most famous symptom -- lockjaw. Lockjaw is followed by stiffness in the neck. The patient has difficulty swallowing. The abdomen grows rigid. The toxins spread. Generalized muscles spasms begin. These symptoms can go on for weeks. Once a full-blown case of tetanus is underway, there is no stopping it. The disease can only be managed. Not cured. The good news is that this disease can be prevented. There is a highly effective vaccine that delivers full immunity from tetanus. Adults often don't realize, however, that the vaccine wears off after a few years. Fewer than a quarter of people over the age of 75 years are still immune to tetanus. The National Foundation for Infectious Disease, a U.S. organization for which I serve as medical director, sponsors a program called "The Power of Ten" to educate people about the need to get re-vaccinated for tetanus every ten years. The vaccine is first administered in a series of three injections a "primary series." After that, it needs to be renewed with a single booster every 10 years. These days, most people receive the primary series in infancy but some older individuals may have grown up in the era before tetanus immunization was available. Those whose tetanus vaccination history is uncertain should discuss it with a physician. For many years the diphtheria vaccine has been given along with the tetanus vaccine. This year, a third component, directed at whooping cough (pertussis), has been added for adolescents and adults. Parents, health care workers and others who spend time with young infants should speak with a physician about getting the new vaccine, called Tdap (tetanus-diphtheria-acellular pertussis) early. Tetanus is rare in our day, and getting rarer. But don't test the odds. Remember "the power of ten." Get your 10-year tetanus booster with the diphtheria and pertussis boosters thrown in. Then, get out and dig the earth. - Susan Rehm, M.D., Department of Infectious Disease Cleveland Clinic. Cleveland Clinic (clevelandclinic.org) is ranked as one of the four leading hospitals in the U.S. and operates Cleveland Clinic Canada -- Toronto Health and Wellness Centre. Cleveland Clinic Canada offers executive physicals, prevention and wellness counseling, and personal health care management. Send comments, questions or inquiries to nationalpost@ccf.org. © (c) CanWest MediaWorks Publications Inc.

And, from a Strib Fixit column in 2006: Q: My daughter thinks I need a tetanus shot because I spend a lot of time gardening. I can't remember the last time I had one. But I'm not likely to step on a rusty nail in my yard. Is it really necessary to have a tetanus shot to garden? A: Yes. It's actually a myth that tetanus comes from stepping on rusty nails. Tetanus is a bacterium found in soil and manure. Because gardeners often scrape or scratch themselves while working, the bacteria can easily enter. They don't need a puncture wound. Tetanus, also known as lockjaw, is an acute infectious disease of the nervous system characterized by spasms and painful convulsions. The toxin secreted by tetanus bacteria is extremely potent. The disease is hard to diagnose; symptoms can appear three days to three weeks after exposure. And it can be deadly. About 20 percent of cases are fatal. The tetanus vaccine can prevent infection. Check with your doctor. You need booster shots every 10 years to be protected. For more information, go to www.nfid.org and search for "tetanus."

In NC, if an unvaccinated dog or cat is bitten by any wild animal who may have rabies, the local health department is legally required to kill the pet and test it for rabies. If you had a current rabies titer you *might* be able to convince the health department to allow the alternative 6 month quarantine at the shelter. To get a rabies titer, you will need to have your vet send blood to Kansas State University rabies testing lab, and it takes 3 weeks to get results. Because it takes so long to get results, you cannot get a rabies titer after the pet is bit- the health department would have sent his head to the lab already. Local laws vary greatly as cindyxeus mentioned and it is up to each person to find out what the laws are in their state and municipality. I know that nobody would allow their pet to play with wild animals or strays. However wild animals and strays do whatever the heck they want, especially rabid ones, and have been known to come inside homes all sorts of ways, especially bats. I've seen it too many times to take that chance myself. We don't have a waiver here in NC. I generally encourage people to get their dogs and cats vaccinated, and will pre-treat with steroids and diphenhydramine if needed. I rarely vaccinate for Lepto depending on individual risk (and if done, that vaccine only lasts 6-12 months at best), and distemper/parvo vaccines last a long time so that doesn't need to be done often either (duration of immunity studies show 7+ years). If the reaction is bad, then I give the owner an INFORMED choice- what happens if their pet is bit, etc. It's up to the owner in the end, as long as they have all the information.

The jury is still out on which rabies vaccine is safer in cats- the 3 year adjuvented or the 1 year non-adjuvented. It has been shown that you can cause cancer in cats just by injecting them with sterile water numerous times, so the act of the injection must stimulate their immune response in a weird way. I am not aware of studies that compare the incidence of cancer with the 2 rabies vaccines. I know that the manufacturer of the non-adjuvented rabies vaccine is on the path for 3 year approval, but that could take several years. I think the manufacturer of the transdermal (non-injection) FeLV vaccine is working on getting a rabies vaccine using the same delivery system, which if it is non-adjuvented would be the best solution. As far as FVRCP, the upper respiratory infections, this is the website that my professor and co-author of both the canine and feline vaccine studies made to help vets and owners make educated vaccine schedule decisions. Read the whole thing, including the comments, because sometimes they are more informative than the chart. Here is a link that might be useful: DVMvac by Dr. Rich Ford