I know it's the law, however...
 

I know it's the law, however, if your yorkie was never out of a fenced back yard w/a 6' fence, and the owner supervising, and never around wild animals, who might carry rabies, why would you need a rabies shot? I know you say if they bit someone, they'd have to be tested (or worse), but what if your yorkie was only around people you know? The lady who clips Apple is a good friend, and does this at her house...Thanks....
Maggie & Apple:aimeeyork

I agree, but I feel like it's just such a safety precaution. Because, if by chance, your dog bit someone and did not have the rabies shot... she would be here illegally. Animals can be put down and such for not having that shot. But I suppose if you KNOW for a fact she will never be outside of your house and backyard. I still just wouldn't take the chance.

Am I missing something here?

Is the rabies vaccination not also meant as a protection for your pet? How can one be certain that your pet will never come in contact with a animal carrying rabies?

I cannot imagine not providing every possible protection I can for our Yorkie.

Oh, yes, definitely. I guess I shouldn't have left that part out of my post. lol. That's what I meant by safety precaution. I would NEVER want Jackson to acquire rabies!

Yes, the shot is important for the protection of your pet...not just other people. If you pet breaks the skin on anyone, even your groomer, and it's reported there are only a couple of ways to tell if the dog has rabies and you wouldn't like either one of them. If your dog was quarantined for the time period they would still make you give the rabie shot afterwards and you'd probably have a citation and hefty lawsuit by that time too!

I keep my dogs inside and totally supervise them while they're outside too but I also know the squirrels, raccoons and who knows what else, cross our front deck and live in the huge oak trees that hang over the front of our house. I would never hesitate to get the required rabies shot for my dogs.

Rabid animals are unpredictable so even with constant supervision your dog could still come in contact with one.

Good post :thumbup: You're better w/ words than me!

Since wild animals can come into even a fenced backyard, your Yorkie is still at risk. In some places even if the dog bites or scratches a vet or vet tech, it will have to be reported. At the very least, if animal control comes around and your dog isn't vaccinated, you will be fined.

That said, it is a very potent vaccine that I consider close to dangerous. With Ellie's lifestyle, health issues and past reaction, I do not want her to get it anymore and wil be talking to the vet about it.

The only legal way around it (and this only works in some states) is to have your vet write a waiver and they can only do this if your dog has a medical issue. Quarantine and possible euthanasia still apply if someone is bitten though.

I'd say all dogs are at risk but it is highly unlikely that a dog who is always supervised outside would get rabies.

I think any shot that caues 10,000 reactions in 3 years with 5% of those being death, we need to be very cautious giving it.

I agree that you should definitely have the rabies vaccination. But one of my concerns is that even though your groomer does this in her home and I guess does not require you to show proof of rabies vaccination, I don't think that's very smart on her part. She's taking a very large risk allowing this. There's no way for her to know that your dog is not in contact with any possible infected animals.

Rabies vaccinations can be harsh and as another poster stated in some cases you can get a waiver, however even then I would reccomend titre tests, so that in the unlikely event your dog did bite someone you could prove they were not rabies positive.

Otherwise in many areas euthenasia is the only option for an unvaccinated dog that has bitten. This is because blood tests, etc are not an effective means to screen an animal for rabies after it has bitten. They must actually get a sample of brain tissue and I am sure you know what that means. Also because it is critical a human recieve human rabies immune globulin (HRIG) nearly immediately after the bite the law in most jurisdictions is to immediately euthanize a suspect animal. There is no treatment for rabies; once symptoms begin, the disease is always fatal and the law tends to error on the side of protecting human health rather than quarantining the animal.

All dogs should be vaccinated if possible. The risk is way to high if they are not. Allowing a dog to go unvaccinated exposes the dog to the risk of contracting the disease (even if it is remote in most cases), the risk of euthanasia in the event of a bite and it exposes pet owners to serious legal liabilities.

It's not the law in my area, but even if it was I still wouldn't get it done for Missy. I think it's very dangerous and unnecessary. No Lepto or Rabies for this teeny tiny girl. It's just way too risky. However, if for any reason her lifestyle changes, and she were to be outdoors alot or unattended outside, THEN I may consider getting it. At this point she uses her pee pads, and is only outside in my arms or on a leash walking the city streets. I feel the risk of myself getting bitten by a rabid bat (only a handful of rabid bats found in my province each year) are higher than Missy's are.

Excellent post!! :thumbup:

if my vet didn't require it, none of mine would have rabies vaccinations.

I don't think a 6 foot fence would protect your baby from a rabid bat. Last summer a bat flew into our house when my husband opened up the slider and left it opened for a few minutes. You should have seen us trying to chase that bat back outside. At the time all I could think of, I hope this is not a rabid bat.

Graphic post
 

I have never gotten over the shock of my environmentalist husband (then just a close friend) stopping by to say hello when he was in town on a job-related trip. He only stopped by for a minute because he had the head of a dog in the trunk transporting it for testing for rabies. He was in state water pollution then but since he was in my county that day, he was transporting it to the state lab for the health department. I'm not sure now but I know then the only way to test for rabies involved the brain. It is not a risk I would be willing to take for any dog I owned.

Okay, I haven't done alot of research on this but when I got Fancy, her breeder told me not to get her rabies shot because she is too little. Fancy still weighs 2lbs 12 ozs and she is 7 months old (on the 29th).

I don't know what to do, I want her to be safe but I don't want anything to happen where I should have gotten the shot. :confused::confused::confused::confused:

I opted not to get the kennel cough shot either because I had read on here she could *possibly* still get sick even after receiving the shot...? All of her other shots are current though.

My sister chi has a vets note saying he gets a pass cause he looses all the hair around the injection site plus since he's an inside dog she doesn't feel he's at risk.

are rabies shots bad to yorkies? if so why?

Rabies shots are the number 1 vaccine that sometimes causes a reaction.

Mimi has not recieve a rabies vaccination yet.. I feel stupid but I didnt even know it was a law.. oops.. but now I'm scared to even get it cause i just researched some info and I am so scared for Mimi to get.! Her annual vaccinations are due in August. She only goes outside with me on a leash and she is always indoors, I know I want every possible way to protect Mimi but I don't want her to like change or have a reaction. What should I do?

I have titers done on my girls...here in mass they WILL NOT do a titer for rabies...they HAVE to get the shot its the law.

I know we all worry about our puppy's but I have a tiny little niece who at the age of 13 months had to go through the whole rabies thing. It was horrible for her and her family as they had lost her big sister the year before at the age of 4 to a horse falling on her so yes I will be getting Laddy his shot and yes I will worry but I could not bare to watch another little one go through all that.:(

Id protect myself even if your pups are only in your yard. What if an infected squirrel or rabbit bites them?

I will have to face this dilemma next month. Like many of you, Prince's chance of getting rabies is almost nil. (The key word is almost!) I just don't understand why a 5 lb yorkie gets the same amount as a great dane. I know why they are administered the amount, but I don't agree...it makes no sense. Prince's vet in FL would give half of the dosage, with a rabies tag. I'm trying to get his vet here in GA to do the same...1/4 when due and 1/4 two weeks later, with a rabies tag. Prince got sooooooooo sick last year.
I don't want Prince to get rabies, nor have legal problems if he bites someone, without proof of the vac, so he has always gotten it.
If his doctor here won't do half now and half later, I will drive to FL and have his first vet do it there.
Prince was in such bad shape last year. He was fine before the shot, and near dealth later that evening. Within 5 days, we went to his vet 3 times and the emergency hospital twice!!!!! Of course I had to stay home with him, so I had to miss work, but I'm not complaining about that...missing work.

My understanding is that the same amount is given to every dog because it takes a certain amount to get an immune response and that is not dependent on size of the animal. The thing with rabies is that it is way more potent than it needs to be, so a dog may be protected with less than a full shot.

If he had that kind of reaction and you are sure it is from the rabies, although I understand it is risky not to give it, it may be in his best interest...

Rabid animals do not have what could be considered a "normal behavior." How can you be so sure they won't come INTO your yard? When they are infected, they lack reason and often show no adversion to humans they way they normally would.

The law is the law, regardless to what your little one actually needs or not. (Granted, I'll give you that generally speaking, most laws regarding rabies vaccines SUCK and are not what they should be!) You have to decide if you feel like it's worth the risk and be prepared to deal with the consequences if you are caught not complying.

Rabies shot
 

t is the big deal about getting your dog a rabie shot.you only have to do it every three yrs. if you get the second shot before the yr. is up. It is protection all around and you dont have to worry what could happen if you didn't. I would rather be sure than sorry.

Baxter lost all the hair around his rabies shot site. this year our vet gave him the shot in the same spot so that wouldnt' be an issue. it is well-covered with his other hair. I can see where that might be an issue on a chi though.
We live out in the country and Bax is getting his shot!

It was right on his side and it took 4 years for it to even start growing back. He was so pitiful. :)

I feel the same way. I think it is more for a safety concern if you take your dog out. I don't really like the idea of the rabies shot either. I lost a pup to it so it scares me that we have to do it.

That's not the case everywhere. Some places still require you to have the vaccine administered annually. (Like the county where I live, for example.) They could care less how long the vaccine is effective, you still have to have proof that it's been done every year.