Exemptions may be allowed in the event an individual dog is determined to be sufficiently ill or if rabies vaccination poses a potential threat to life. Some states/jurisdictions allow exemptions but only with the approval of a designated Public Health official (usually a veterinarian). Point-of-care exemptions of the rabies vaccination requirement are NOT authorized in most states (for information on your state see: Within states and jurisdictions that require rabies vaccination of dogs, unless rabies vaccination exemption authority is specifically defined by state statute or regulation, rabies vaccine must be administered at the appropriate interval regardless of the dog’s age or state of health.Ĭurrently a small number of states do grant point-of-care rabies vaccination exemption authority to veterinarians.
If a dog, after having received only 1 dose of rabies vaccine, is subsequently exposed to virulent rabies virus, exposure to the virulent virus then serves as the second, or immunizing, “dose.” Because the onset of signs of rabies is slow (weeks to months) following exposure there is adequate time for a protective, humoral immune response to develop. Like other inactivated vaccines, the initial dose of a rabies vaccine serves as the “priming” dose. Conventionally, 2 sequential doses of an inactivated vaccine, administered 2 to 4 wk apart, are required to immunize (e.g., leptospirosis, Lyme disease, canine influenza virus).
Lift the loose skin behind the neck or behind front leg and insert needle. Thoroughly prepare injection site with antiseptic. Withdraw entire contents into the syringe. Prepare the vaccine by injecting the diluent into the vial containing the desiccated vaccine cake. Open syringe by twisting or tapping the cap against a hard surface to break the heat weld. The dosage is 1 mL injected subcutaneously.