Couple questions on rabies vaccines....

[Marty]

Louie went in for his yearly updates yesterday.....last year he was a shelter rescue, this year he is ours. He was supposed to get a rabies booster 3 weeks later, which must have slipped my mind, and the Vet suggested he get it this time. How necessary is this....I'm thinking he was someone's pet as he was neutered and heartworm negative, so most likely his vaccines were given also....nobody knows for sure, and of course I can get the booster done.....

the other question has to do with the newer protocol. I asked about the 3 yr vaccine as they have never mentioned it, and she said they would do it, but they prefer the 1 yr vaccine.....and that they are 2 different vaccines. I always thought they were the same! I would actually prefer having him looked at once a year, and I am very sure that is their rationale also. ..so it's no big deal, just curious.

[Marty]

By the way, he has put on 12 lbs!!!!! I didn't really think he was terribly skinny when I pulled him from the shelter, but the Vet thought he looks about right!

[JMM]

If he does not have a documented rabies vaccine, most states require that dogs have one. The vaccine we use is one vaccine and can be 3 yr or 1 yr. Normally the first one as a puppy we mark as 1 year and after that is is 3 year.

[davet]

agree::::even though rabies is not rampant anymore, all the dog has to do is get a nip on the nose from a racoon, which can carry the virus---so best to get it done and updated subjerct to which vacciner is used

[Marty]

Oh, he has been vaccinated, both last year and this year....we just missed the booster. I think whoever owned him as a pupp probably did the puppy shots, but I don't know for sure. He is about 3 yr now.

[Traci]

Depends on how the vaccine is licensed...most vets prefer to give a rabies vaccine licensed for one year to pups (booster), or newly adopted adults without a vaccination history,and then when the series is completed, a 3-year vaccine can be used, providing the vaccine is licensed for 3-year administration.

Keep in mind some manufacturers only label their vaccines as duration of immunity for either one year or three years. If your vet uses the three-year licensed vaccine and your dog has been current on rabies vaccinations, then choose the three-year vaccine. If you get an accompanying rabies tag, it should state the date of the vaccination given. (should also keep rabies certificate in your records at home)

[Marty]

This might sound like a loaded question (especially since I am uncomfortable with ProHeart 6).....keep in mind that I thought the 3 yr and 1 yr vaccine were the same, but once the antibodies were built up, a dog just doesn't need vaccinating as often (kinda like people?) and that is why the protocol was changed......so if the dog is given the 3 yr vaccine, is it more vaccine than the 1 yr? Or something different?

About 20 yrs ago when DH was active duty, we were able to use the base Vet for Bear for routine vaccinations. They did the 3 yr shots back then (different regulations, I guess). Then we had an emergency and had to find a local Vet (still with him), and this Vet did not recommend 3 yr shots at all. I know he wants to make sure he sees the dog at least once a year, and I am definitely OK with that. He surely knows me by now...LOL! I am rambling now...

[Traci]

First, the new protocols have not necessarily been "adapted" by all vets. It should be understood to owners that the protocols are *guidelines*, and are not specific for every animal, they should be tailored to the individual, based on age, lifestyle, exposure risk, and other risk factors. The fence will be divided for some time until there is enough evidence to suggest duration of immunity goes beyond what a few published papers *suggest*. It is for this reason, many vets are hesitant to simply say some published material is the "standard", because it simply isn't. Both the AVMA and the AAHA (as well as the AAFP for felines) have attempted to explain that the protocols established are guidelines for practitioners, and based on the above mentioned individual needs.

Ask your vet about the vaccines the clinic uses....whether they are MLV or killed vaccines, whether they are adjuvant or recominant, etc,..it is usually the killed rabies vaccine that contains an adjuvant and subsequently needs to be boostered more often than the recombinant vaccines. There are advantages and disadvantages to both, ...again, vaccines should be tailored to the individual.

[k9Karen]

Marty, it is very possible that the vaccines are identical or almost identical. I'll try to find out. The difference could be that the manufacturer of the 3-year vaccine has taken the time and gone to the expense of proving to the FDA that it confers at least a 3-year immunity, whereas that was not done with the 1-yr vaccines. The difference in recommendation and usage is often based upon what studies the company is willing to pay for. A good example is the human drug Motrin. In order to get it approved for over the counter (OTC) usage, the package insert and dosing regimen were changed to make it 'more palatable' to the FDA regulators. It is the exact same drug that is available by prescription, but the Rx doses are higher. Due to the greater risk of potential side effects at the higher doses, the company chose to seek approval only for the lesser dosing requirements - less money and less time required for investigations to prove safety to the FDA for OTC usage. Let me see what I can find on the formulation of the different rabies vaccines.