Rabies shot already?!?

[Hunt1Fish2]

I called the vet today to schedule an appointment for Chief's 12 week shots. they also wanted to do his rabies shot already. he will only be 12 and a half weeks old when he get his shots on Wednesday. Should he already be getting it, I thought it wasn't until 16 weeks. Also, do you guys have any questions that I should be asking the vet. Thanks Devin.

[JIM K]

whiskers is 15 weeks old. he has had his rabies/lymes shots already.
he goes in this week for his last booster shots.

[Vonzeppelinkennels]

My vet don't like giving Rabies untill 6 mos!!

[ezzy333]

I take them in at 6 months for rabies.

Ezzy

[deseeker]

My dogs don't get their rabies shot until 6 months old.

[Karen]

My vet does rabies at 16 weeks.

[wems2371]

My records show one of mine was rabies vaccinated at 15 weeks and the other at 16 weeks--same vet.

[Meller]

The two vets here like to wait untill 6 weeks, booster at 1yr.

[highcotton]

16 weeks

[Cajun Casey]

15 - 16 is our usual protocol. Statutes require rabies for 6 months and older here.

[Brittguy]

We have always had it done at 6mo.

[TraditionsGSPs2010]

Maybe we can get Dog Dr to address this one... I have always read 16 weeks. I think I would shy away from anything sooner as I would worry about immune system development.

[cptn]

16 weeks for my pups.

[dog dr]

I have always done it at 16 weeks. Its a killed vaccine, so its relatively harmless with the possible exception of a vax reaction. All that generally amounts to is a swollen face that goes down with benadryl. pretty rare.

[zigzag]

If you want to play it safe 6mo and no other vaccinations. If you want to go even further do a Titter test before you have booster vaccination.

[highcotton]

I have always done it at 16 weeks. Its a killed vaccine, so its relatively harmless with the possible exception of a vax reaction. All that generally amounts to is a swollen face that goes down with benadryl. pretty rare.

K

Doc, I have a kennel situation with new dogs coming and going. The chance of exposure to parvo is much greater than that of a one or two house dog situation.
What would you think about giving vaccines at two week intervals in stead of
the three week schedule that most vets reccomend?

[Cajun Casey]

Speaking of questions, you might ask if their Idex coding is off. That might prompt a rabies at twelve weeks notice.

[Wildweeds]

I had a pup last year that had the swelling reaction to the 16 week series booster, his face looked like spuds mckenzie ............ hauled him back to town for a shot of something else, funny thing about this is,I also had a litter of pups of my own that had 3 of 9 pups have a swelling reaction to the 3rd series of puppy shots........... Similar bloodlines 30 years apart from the common ancestor.The first dog is a son of the ancestor and the 3 pups are great great great grandchildren of the ancestor.Genetics at play?

My vet won't give rabies till 6 months.

I have always done it at 16 weeks. Its a killed vaccine, so its relatively harmless with the possible exception of a vax reaction. All that generally amounts to is a swollen face that goes down with benadryl. pretty rare.

[ThePope]

I have always done it at 16 weeks. Its a killed vaccine, so its relatively harmless with the possible exception of a vax reaction. All that generally amounts to is a swollen face that goes down with benadryl. pretty rare.

Doc ,
As a vet you do have a rabies vaccine correct ?
Do you get a shot every year ? or do you titer ? How many years have you gone before needing a booster ? I hear its about 12 - 15 ?

What exactly is the difference between a K9 3 year vaccine , and a K91 year vaccine , except the price ?

What side effect can a K9 have from too many rabies vaccines , is there a build u that causes side effects ?
What is the benefit from a once a year Rabies shot ?

thanks in advance

[brad27]

and the mission continues............

[shags]

I have always done it at 16 weeks. Its a killed vaccine, so its relatively harmless with the possible exception of a vax reaction. All that generally amounts to is a swollen face that goes down with benadryl. pretty rare.

Doc ,
As a vet you do have a rabies vaccine correct ?
Do you get a shot every year ? or do you titer ? How many years have you gone before needing a booster ? I hear its about 12 - 15 ?

What exactly is the difference between a K9 3 year vaccine , and a K91 year vaccine , except the price ?

What side effect can a K9 have from too many rabies vaccines , is there a build u that causes side effects ?
What is the benefit from a once a year Rabies shot ?

thanks in advance

At this point is really doesn't make any difference what individual vets think about rabies vaccination schedules, since each state has its own law concerning them, some 3 years, others 1 year. You can choose whatever schedule you wish and hope that you don't come to need proof of compliance with your state law.

[dog dr]

and the mission continues............

[dog dr]

I have always done it at 16 weeks. Its a killed vaccine, so its relatively harmless with the possible exception of a vax reaction. All that generally amounts to is a swollen face that goes down with benadryl. pretty rare.

Doc ,
As a vet you do have a rabies vaccine correct ?
Do you get a shot every year ? or do you titer ? How many years have you gone before needing a booster ? I hear its about 12 - 15 ?

What exactly is the difference between a K9 3 year vaccine , and a K91 year vaccine , except the price ?

What side effect can a K9 have from too many rabies vaccines , is there a build u that causes side effects ?
What is the benefit from a once a year Rabies shot ?

thanks in advance

Yes, I was vaccinated for rabies in vet school. 2 doses, 3 weeks apart i think. I have never had a titer done, although they recommended it at the time.


Other than the price, the major difference i know about between 1 yr and 3 yr rabies vaccine is the duration of legality your dog recieves from the state. Is there an antigen load difference? I dont know.

As far as side effects from too many killed rabies vaccines, I dont know of any that have been directly linked to that thru hard scientific study or experimantation. I would like to see any data on that you have or can link me to. Yes, i know about Dr. Dodds.

The major benefit of the rabies vaccine, 1 yr or 3 yr, is that you can freely walk about your neighborhood, park, rural property, etc., with zero fear that you will be bitten by a rabid canine. Plus its required by law.
This is from the CDC:

Public Health Importance of Rabies

Over the last 100 years, rabies in the United States has changed dramatically. More than 90% of all animal cases reported annually to CDC now occur in wildlife; before 1960 the majority were in domestic animals. The principal rabies hosts today are wild carnivores and bats.

The number of rabies-related human deaths in the United States has declined from more than 100 annually at the turn of the century to one or two per year in the 1990's. Modern day prophylaxis has proven nearly 100% successful.

In the United States, human fatalities associated with rabies occur in people who fail to seek medical assistance, usually because they were unaware of their exposure.

[dakotashooter2]

It seems 6 months is a pretty common timeline set by most states and I suspect may be the driving force beghind the timeline some vets use. I like to have mine done earlier. I live on a farm and also try to get my pups in the field quite a bit and feel that increases the risk of exposure or contact skunks and racoons. Not as big an issue for city dwelling dogs.

[TraditionsGSPs2010]

Thanks Dog Dr for the info! If anyone is ever in west central IL and needs vet assistance, Dr. Matt is your guy!

[birddogger]

Thanks Dog Dr for the info! If anyone is ever in west central IL and needs vet assistance, Dr. Matt is your guy!

+1. He also has an office in Carrollton, IL if you are a little farther Southeast .

Charlie

[JIM K]

I have always done it at 16 weeks. Its a killed vaccine, so its relatively harmless with the possible exception of a vax reaction. All that generally amounts to is a swollen face that goes down with benadryl. pretty rare.

Doc ,
As a vet you do have a rabies vaccine correct ?
Do you get a shot every year ? or do you titer ? How many years have you gone before needing a booster ? I hear its about 12 - 15 ?

What exactly is the difference between a K9 3 year vaccine , and a K91 year vaccine , except the price ?

What side effect can a K9 have from too many rabies vaccines , is there a build u that causes side effects ?
What is the benefit from a once a year Rabies shot ?

thanks in advance

Yes, I was vaccinated for rabies in vet school. 2 doses, 3 weeks apart i think. I have never had a titer done, although they recommended it at the time.


Other than the price, the major difference i know about between 1 yr and 3 yr rabies vaccine is the duration of legality your dog recieves from the state. Is there an antigen load difference? I dont know.

As far as side effects from too many killed rabies vaccines, I dont know of any that have been directly linked to that thru hard scientific study or experimantation. I would like to see any data on that you have or can link me to. Yes, i know about Dr. Dodds.

The major benefit of the rabies vaccine, 1 yr or 3 yr, is that you can freely walk about your neighborhood, park, rural property, etc., with zero fear that you will be bitten by a rabid canine. Plus its required by law.
This is from the CDC:

Public Health Importance of Rabies

Over the last 100 years, rabies in the United States has changed dramatically. More than 90% of all animal cases reported annually to CDC now occur in wildlife; before 1960 the majority were in domestic animals. The principal rabies hosts today are wild carnivores and bats.

The number of rabies-related human deaths in the United States has declined from more than 100 annually at the turn of the century to one or two per year in the 1990's. Modern day prophylaxis has proven nearly 100% successful.

In the United States, human fatalities associated with rabies occur in people who fail to seek medical assistance, usually because they were unaware of their exposure.

nice to have vet on here.my vet gave whiskers rabies/lymes shot at 14 weeks and today last shot at 16 weeks.

[zigzag]

You really don't agree with giving the rabies shot as a stand alone vac? I think this is good medicine, there are a number of dogs that may or may not have a reaction to this shot. Wouldint you like to rule out other vaccinations as the cause of allergic reaction? I think a six month rabbies shot after all other vaccinations have been made is a good way to find out if our dogs do or don't have reactions to this vaccination. Am I alone in this thinking?

[zigzag]

Or perhapse a better? Would you give a 12yr old a rabbies Vaccination without regard to side effects?

[ezzy333]

Or perhapse a better? Would you give a 12yr old a rabbies Vaccination without regard to side effects?

I am as yet to see a dog have a bad reaction to a Rabies shot though I have heard of some having minor reactions. Guess you could do which either way you want.Might be good to seperate them but you are going to pay for an extra office visit. I usually give all of the shots but the rabies so it is seperated for my dogs.

Ezzy

[dog dr]

i feel like the majority of vax reactions we see are due to the lepto portion of the vaccine. I say this because about 6 months ago my boss decided to start using a puppy shot from another company. The protocol he adopted called for the lepto portion to be added in at the 2nd and 3rd puppy shot. we saw alot of swollen faces when we made that switch. then we dropped the lepto portion of the vax (saved it for later when they are older) and no more problems.