Arguments about health risks for man and beast caused the city's Animal Control Board on Thursday to table a proposal that would lengthen the intervals between mandatory pet shots from one year to three.

Board members voted 4-0 to postpone until July 14 a vote on aligning the city's vaccination law with Texas Department of Health animal standards adopted in March. Board member Tracey Dougherty was absent from the meeting.

TDH requires pets to be vaccinated at the age of 4 months, again one year later, and every three years after that. The city requires pets to be vaccinated at 4 months with annual follow-ups.

Nothing in the law proposed would have prevented veterinarians from vaccinating dogs more frequently, if doctor and pet owner agree, but it would give the owners the option of waiting up to three years, city Community Services Director JD Smith Jr. said.

The board asked the city's legal staff to research wording for a compromise law that would require shots annually but give veterinarians and pet owners the ability to vaccinate pets at up to three-year intervals if there is a medical reason to give shots less frequently.

Concern, on the part of some pet owners, arises from claims that more frequent vaccinations could lead to later health problems in animals.

Kay Cook, owner of three Shetland sheepdogs, told board members she wants greater control over how often her pets are injected.

"I had a pet that had a terrible autoimmune disease," Cook said. "I think there is merit in considering going to the three-year vaccination. I do believe veterinarians have a vested interest in making sure shots are given every year because of a financial interest."

Some links between disease and vaccination haven't been medically proven, with the exception of vaccine-induced feline sarcoma, but reactions to shots can occur, Texas Department of Health Regional Zoonosis Control Veterinarian Dr. James Alexander said.

"An animal that's older certainly might have some underlying health condition that would increase the risk that could be caused by a vaccination," Alexander said.

Three veterinarians who testified Thursday said they each had seen one case of feline sarcoma, which occurs at the injection site, in their years of practice, which varied from eight to more than 20.

Veterinarians expressed concerns that longer intervals between vaccinations would put the human population at greater risk of rabies.

"The one thing I know about rabies is it is as close to a perfect killer that we have today," Dr. Merten Pearson said. "I do not vaccinate pets against rabies for the pet's health. I vaccinate pets to prevent your child and my child from ever getting nose to nose with something that is infected with rabies.

"I don't get nose to nose with a skunk, but I know my dog will, and I know my daughter will get nose to nose with my dog."

Pearson and Dr. Tiffany Olsen, who practice together, argued pet owners would more easily forget three-year shots, and mailed reminder cards won't work for a mobile population when U.S. Postal Service change-of-address forwarding requests only last a year.

Alexander said it makes no difference to TDH which intervals the city adopts "as long as the vaccines for three-year shots or annual shots are effective for the time period they're supposed to cover."

Pearson fears the number of pets vaccinated will go down if the three-year interval is adopted.

But Cook argued responsible pet owners, the people who have been getting their pets vaccinated regularly as they're supposed to, will continue to be responsible pet owners. Those not as diligent haven't been made more diligent by annual shot requirements, Cook said.