Rabies Vac Nys?

[cleptogrey]

this is directed to the members of GT who innoculate their dogs, i know the controversy and it's a personal decision to innoculate or not to(same w/ innoculating your kids and getting flu shots). so, if you innoculate your dogs and especially if you live in NYS, here's the question:

 

have any of you been told by your vet that the "state"(ny for me) is now recommending the booster for the 3 year rabies shot be administered during the 3rd year, as soon as the 3rd year begins? i visited my vet, who is a "no frills" vet not out to rip people off and out for the health and welfare of his patients. he's already saved 2 dogs of mine and i've used him since the begining of time(35years). i have always trusted him, but this one sent up a red flag....

 

i went in today, felix had his last rabies booster oct 5, 2010 and he wanted to give him another booster- 2 years and 6 days later??? no way, i'm waiting out the year(or at least a good part of it). but i was wondering if anyone one else has run into this.

 

i know that westchester county has one of the highest rabies incidents in the state. but i'm just asking if anyone else has encountered this.

[snowjay]

I've never heard that, but my two aren't due for another 2 years.

[Hubcitypam]

Rabies in Texas is every 3 years after two shots. I used to take my dogs to a no frills discount vet. Once we went in for a shot three years and a few days after Poodles last rabies. I was told that that even one day over voided the three year rabies vaccine for Texas so we had to start over as if he had never been vaccinated. My current vet said that is NOT true.

 

I've also posted about another vet I visited with a foster as was the rescues vet of choice. We were in the waiting room and a man asked about rabies. The receptionist replied that the state requires every three years but that vet "requires" every year. I ran into this a few times checking vaccination records when I worked at the daycare.

 

Check this site.

http://www.health.ny...oonoses/rabies/

Edited October 12, 2012 by Hubcitypam

[KF_in_Georgia]

The rule I've seen enforced in Georgia (and it may be true in New York, too--see the footnote at the very bottom of this page on Tompkins County, NY) is that a rabies shot can be a three-year vaccination if there's proof that the dog is current on its rabies vaccination (and you have to produce the certification from the previous shot). So for some states, at least, if you've let your dog's rabies vaccination lapse, the next rabies vaccination will be good only for one year. So it's possible that New York State is trying to make sure dogs get vaccinated early enough that the vaccination doesn't lapse.

 

Another issue, as I understand it, is that there is no established "safe" rabies antibody level. The authorities don't know how high the antibody level needs to be for a dog to have adequate rabies protection. This is why most states won't accept titers. And people whose vaccinated dogs are bitten by a possibly rabid animal are told to get a booster shot for their dog within 5 days, which makes me think the authorities are none too sure about the absolute reliability of the vaccine. It's possible that the authorities are starting to worry about whether the antibody level is falling off too fast after year two. And consider that, for a puppy, the first series of shots is good for 1 year; then the dog can have a three-year shot. So a four-year-old dog might have had only the puppy shots and one "real" shot as an adult.

 

So, while I haven't heard of this policy down here in Georgia, I'm not at all surprised by it.

[kudzu]

Have not heard of any recommendation to repeat a 3 yr rabies vacc early. Could understand if it was a month or two early but not a year early. Sounds fishy to me.

 

I was told that that even one day over voided the three year rabies vaccine for Texas so we had to start over as if he had never been vaccinated.

 

I think that is technically true in Georgia though I've not had a vet enforce it that way. However, if it was a good while late then it's quite possible they might.

[Moonsmom]

I live NYS, (specifically Dutchess County)...and my vet does the rabies shot at the end of the 3 yr period. I get reminder notices, via snail mail and also there's a website where it lists each hounds history and what's due when that I can access easily. One hound's rabies is due in March and probably about January or so I'll get a reminder card for that.

[tbhounds]

Is this being recommended because of town licensing requirements? Here if you need to be covered for the whole year before the town will issue a license. In other words if I vaccinate in July in the 3rd year the pet won't be current for those last 6 months and I will be denied a license.

[gazehund]

Nope. My vet will send a notice card about a month before the vac is due and yes I live in NY.

Saratgoa county.

[MP_the4pack]

It's moot for me because I use the free clinic in town where I live and they give it in Jan. So I'm already doing a beginning of the year vac.

[cleptogrey]

KF_in_georgia, thanks for the link, i think i read that before i posted this inquiry(it's the same for all counties). yes, just before the one year mark for their first 3 year booster and every 3 years after-it doesn't state "before the 3 years mark". i do believe that my vet(who i must say is pretty conservative in dispensing meds and not an alarmist and a darn good diagnositican) is most likely of the school of "no safe rabies antibodies has been established".

 

everyone, thanks for the input. i'll bring him in for his booster closer to the 3 year mark-

[Feisty49]

I live in New York State, just south of Albany. I'm looking at the rabies vaccination certificate issued by our vet. My girl got a 3-year rabies on April 2 of this year. The expiration date on the certificate is April 2, 2015, three years hence. Anything less than 3 years is early.

Edited October 12, 2012 by Feisty49