?? Rabies Vaccine??

[adorame]

What age is the normal age for giving the Vaccine for th first time? Should I postpone Jeter's next week? He has not had any reactions to any shots so far. My vet has been cautious with giving him his vaccines too. He is going to be 14 weeks this Sunday and is 1 pound 8 ounces and he will go in on Thursday the 10 to get the shot. A friend told me that I should wait till he is older and a bit more weight on him. I am confused as what to do Thank you in advance for responding!

[Ellie May]

I would wait til atleast six months as long as your state law allows you to do so. Some states say four months.

[PiperPuppy]

My vet thought it was best to wait as long as possible as catching rabies was pretty much a non-risk for our area (and Piper is an indoor dog) The shot was basically being given to jump through the hoops of state laws. Piper had hers right about 6 months. The only thing that could have been a problem would have been if I wanted to have her groomed or boarded, as most places insist on having the rabies shot as part of their rules. My vet also separated out the vaccines, so the rabies was done obviously later than the regular "puppy" shots of Parvo and Distemper. I actually travelled with Piper on some plane flights before the rabies shot was done. I had a signed waiver note from the doctor with me. Not sure how the airlines would have reacted to that, but nobody has ever asked me for paperwork on a flight.

[Jaya and Jenna]

Jaya got her rabies shot at 16 weeks because the vet I went to was a complete idiot. (I left the clinic in tears and so did my baby )
She was 1 and half lbs and she should NOT have had it when she weighed so little.

The guy was an idiot. Now mind you, Jaya was fine, but for safety, I would wait it out, especially since she is so little yet.

There is no rush to get the rabies shot, really there isnt. I would wait until your pup was at least over 3 lbs.

[Jaya and Jenna]

OH and he gave her lepto after I asked him NOT go give it....... i was worried sick for days.... some yorkies have had allergic reactions to the lepto!

..........grr..makes me so mad just thinking about it again....

[parker]

Parker weighed the same for his and was fine. A bit groggy but fine! I think if you can wait, wait. I learned a lot since then and I would have.

[Ladymom]

Vets don't have much choice when it comes to giving the rabies vaccine as it is required by law in most states. Mosts states require it by four months, some three. Whether you must revaccinate every year or every three years also depends on your state law. Unfortunately, it's the same vaccine whether or not it is given yearly or every three years. Pfizer just packages it differently, calling it either Defensor 1 or Defensor 3.

Since the OP lives in Ohio, it's a little different. There is no state law requiring the rabies vaccine. It is done by the county health department so you will have to check with them.

[hha]

I had my vet wait until Ginger was 18 weeks...The law in SC says they have to have them by (used to be 4 mos), but has changed to 3 mos..the vet tech said as long as you don't get caught, you will be okay, but, if you do, they can charge you a small fine for not having it done...I made sure we didn't get caught, easy to do when you're in the house..anyway, she did fine, and the norm is 12=14 weeks..

[Ellie May]

Originally Posted by Jaya and Jenna

OH and he gave her lepto after I asked him NOT go give it....... i was worried sick for days.... some yorkies have had allergic reactions to the lepto!

..........grr..makes me so mad just thinking about it again....

Can you file a complaint against that vet? Isn't that against the law to do without your permission there?

[Ellie May]

I didn't know that some states require rabies at three months. How stupid.

[hha]

Thats what she told me when I went in..she said it was 4 mos. but, she was almost sure SC had changed it to 3 mos..I told her I would take my chance and hold out until her last set of shots at 18 weeks, they didn't have a problem with that..I do have 2 of my dogs(inside ones) that are due for rabi shots, they haven't had them in a long time, but, they never go outside...I do need to get that done though..

[Jaya and Jenna]

definitely wait on the rabies as long as you can. The thing is, for these vaccinations, the dosage is exactly the same as they give to another 16 week old breed dog, and what upsets me about this is the fact that other breeds usually weigh a whole heck of a lot more than a yorkie! Compare the same age yorkie puppy with a german shepard puppy or a goldie, and you get my drift.

Jaya's breeder waited until she was 12 weeks old before taking her in for her first set of vacs due to her size.

please wait, i sure wish i had because it was a really stressful time for me when i took jaya in for her second set (i consider it one of the worst times ever and i have never cried so much because i was so afraid she was going to die!)

Ellie May, I sent them a letter about it and got no reply. I did not look into the legal matter (though i threatened it and would have had anything happened to Jaya). I make sure to tell anyone with a pet in my area (the vet was my local one and that is why i went! Bad call on my part), to avoid going there. And i discussed it with my new vet (who is amazing) and he actually told me many ppl have had bad experiences with them

hmm... now that you mention it perhaps i should do something like file a formal complaint...

[Ladymom]

The problem with taking your chances and not getting your puppy inoculated as required by your state's law is not just the risk of contracting rabies which is pretty slim. The problem is that if your dog is even exposed to rabies he would have to be quarantined.

In South Carolina, where hha lives, the quarantine period is at least six months for uninoculated pets. Not only would that be horribly stressful for your puppy, it is very expensive and you are responsible for the costs.

[hha]

Originally Posted by Ladymom

Vets don't have much choice when it comes to giving the rabies vaccine as it is required by law in most states. Mosts states require it by four months, some three. Whether you must revaccinate every year or every three years also depends on your state law. Unfortunately, it's the same vaccine whether or not it is given yearly or every three years. Pfizer just packages it differently, calling it either Defensor 1 or Defensor 3.

Since the OP lives in Ohio, it's a little different. There is no state law requiring the rabies vaccine. It is done by the county health department so you will have to check with them.

Now, this is what I don't understand..okay, I took the 2 outside dogs in for their rabi shots in December, knowing that it's the same doseage for a 1 year and 3 year, they charged me for a one year..I said, why is it only $9 for 3 years, she said, well, you have to say if you want a 1 or 3 year..why couldn't they have just charged me more and said it was for 3 years? I don't understand on this 1-3 year stuff, if it's the same doesage, then that should tell you they're over vaccinating our dogs.

[puppy_Love08]

Logan is 5 months old and weighs 1 lb. 10 oz. He is scheduled for his first rabies shot next week, so I'm now concerned about him having that done.