Quote:
Originally Posted by Yorkie21  Thanks for your replies. I agree after reading Dr. Dodds vaccine info. I noticed too that it looks a lot for a tiny dog (2 lbs 13 oz) but I am inexperienced and just tried to comply with the vet's schedule. Dr. Dodd's recommendation for rabies is at 20 weeks. My vet scheduled my dog to come back after 2 weeks for the rabies vaccine (by that time he is16-17 weeks old). Would you think it is too soon for him? Shall I wait until he is 20 weeks? At what age did your dog had the first rabies vaccine? |
California Law requires all puppies be vaccinated against Rabies at 4 months of age... but there is a medical waiver which I would think low weight may qualify... talk to your vet (or a new vet, lol). You can probably stretch this a bit, to 5 or 6 months of age, maybe to 8-12 with a vet's recommendation if he stays very small.
The problem with vaccines... they are most active after two weeks, so adding a vaccine on top of that (at two weeks) can over challenge the pup's immune system and can result in other illnesses. After 4 weeks, any vaccine activity has ceased, it has done it's job and has left the body, leaving only antibodies behind to prevent disease and the pup's immune system will have returned to a normal, unchallenged state, ready for the next vaccine.
Also, when too many are given together, the immune system gets divided trying to make antibodies for against two or more diseases, so the result is not as good as when the vaccs are given separately. They are still protected, but they develope more antibodies and a stronger protection given one at a time, one month apart.
Any puppy or dog who is being vaccinated against Rabies for the first time in their life will need two Rabies vaccines within a year to establish immunity.
I usually separate these by 4-6 months, JMHO.
About CA Rabies requirements:
Rabies Vaccination and The Law - Whole Dog Journal Blog Article