2 rabies jabs in the first year?????
 

My puppy got her first jab in April and I thought everything was OK, until I came by the vet clinic one day for some shopping and they told me I need another rabies on her. Why is this? I spoke to a friend of mine and she said her dog only got one rabies jab when she was a puppy. The vet told me that this is routine in Spain, but not a must in any other EU country. I wanted to travel to my home country and he said I can without the second jab. Is this really the routine? :unsure:

Re: 2 rabies jabs in the first year?????
 

Just checked both vet cards on my dogs and they each had one jab as a puppy and then yearly after this. I know that when we travelled with our cat from the UK we had to have one jab and then blood results to prove the vaccine was effective to return to the UK

Re: 2 rabies jabs in the first year?????
 

Hi I used to have our dog vaccinated every 12 months against rabies (in the UK), but when I changed vets ( as I was suing old one for nearly allowing our dog to die-long story) the new vet said that she only needed to be vaccinated every three years. However, I think this is only true in the UK and in Spain it is every 12 months, but I have not heard of it being twice a year. I would avoid that vet!

Re: 2 rabies jabs in the first year?????
 

But dont they usually do a blood test 6 weeks after the jab to make sure its "taken"?? Maybe it hadnt??? My dogs had one every year in Spain as it was a requirement should we needed to take them back to the UK

Jo xxx

Re: 2 rabies jabs in the first year?????
 

As I understand it the worrying part to Rabies Jabs is they are all the same size, irrespective of the size/weight of the dog.
So a Yorkie gets the same size as a St Bernard :eek:

Re: 2 rabies jabs in the first year?????
 

Only one? Now this worries me... :confused:

I am not from UK so I do not need a blood test to prove the effectiveness of the jab in my country.

Re: 2 rabies jabs in the first year?????
 

They do the 3 year jabs in USA as well I know, but not in Spain. I dont know about the UK. My vet told me that from now on we only need one jab a year. This is very worrying to me. My vet is "the best" in our area, I did my research on vets to choose the right one before I got my puppy.

Now this is a big part of my worry. My puppy is barely 3 kg........... :unsure::mad:

Re: 2 rabies jabs in the first year?????
 

Rabies shots are fairly toxic. I could not imagine more than an annual. And yes in the US it is every three years.

Re: 2 rabies jabs in the first year?????
 

I am thinking that I should have never trusted this vet just like that. I will go to another vet clinic right here where I live that seems good, and talk to them about it on Monday. My poor puppy now has 2 rabies jabs and yes I know that they are toxic. Thank God she is fine... For now anyways :(:(:(

Re: 2 rabies jabs in the first year?????
 

Dont now need to have blood test to prove it has taken that was dropped from January I think it was this year.:thumbup:

Re: 2 rabies jabs in the first year?????
 

Are you referring to Spain.
According to this it was still necessary in the UK earlier this year.

http://www.defra.gov.uk/wildlife-pet...ts/pet-owners/

Re: 2 rabies jabs in the first year?????
 

Our dog had his rabies shot for the first time last year. He had one in July and a second in August and we were told the booster shots are one every 12 months. He had his distemper etc booster this June and I told our vet he couldn't do the rabies at the same time as, last year, after both of the rabies shots he was sick within half-an-hour of having them. So he is going to do the rabies booster in August. Last year I did return to the vet after the second shot and asked if it could have made him sick and was told no. But the new vet this year said it was possibly a reaction to the shot so we shall wait and see. We live nearly an hour's drive from the vet so just have to make sure he is not on my lap this time - the first time he was and the second time we got him out of the car just in time.

Re: 2 rabies jabs in the first year?????
 

I do not know about UK but that is not my home country. That is why I said I do not need a blood test on her. But that is not really my issue right now :) I just want to know if my vet has done the right thing on my puppy or not.

Re: 2 rabies jabs in the first year?????
 

Oh your poor puppy. Luckily my girl was not sick from any of them, just slept all day and kept to herself.

I think it is VERY strange that they need 2 doses. At first, when I agreed to get the second one, I thought it was half a dose per jab since they are so small and young. Right after the vet told me that she would have been fine to travel anywhere in the EU with just the first jab, which proves that it was a full dose both times. She could not have traveled with just half a rabies.....

I have read that Rabies should not be given in a cocktail with other vaccines because there is no study on any long term effects of this so I have told my vet about this and he respected that.

I am a bit angry right now, as Rabies is a very dangerous jab. WHY they need to give my girl 2 of them here is to me a mystery. I wish i had got her while still living in my home country, and she would have been given only 1 there :frown:

Re: 2 rabies jabs in the first year?????
 

If the first one had failed to produce the necessary antibodies then a second one could have also have been needed in the UK, though normally the first does the job.

I don't know about Spain, but if as the OP suggests blood testing is no longer required, then I wonder if the second jab is simply as a back-up guarantee to cover the few cases where the first one has failed ?

Re: 2 rabies jabs in the first year?????
 

Well that is just the dumbest thing I have ever heard. I know it was only a guess, but if they do that then I have lost all faith in Spain. They can not give such a harmful jab TWICE "just in case". No, then they better do the blood test on ALL dogs as a routine. Over vaccination is a common cause of illness and even death in dogs. I am worried about going to the same vet in the future. We are planning to spay her and only the best of the best will be doing surgery on her...

Re: 2 rabies jabs in the first year?????
 

Well as far as I am aware & I have two dogs both adopted very young, it is standard practice here in Spain. For the very first rabies jab to be repeated after a few weeks ( can't remember exactly the time gap). So your vet is spot on.
The confusion of when the next jab is due is simple to clear up. It varies, there is more than one 'brand' of injection all you need to do is check the date the vet writes in the passport for the booster, sometimes it's one year ( common here) sometimes it's 3 years. More common in the UK I believe.
The new rules are quiet clear from Defra, NO blood test is now required if you are travelling within the EU. From out side the EU into the UK it is still necessary.
Personally I think removing the need for a blood test is ridiculous, if you keep the boosters up to date it was a one off test. Now there is no check that it has worked.
One vet we used, wanted to give the rabies booster & the annual jabs at the same time, I refused, which he didn't like. So we moved to another vet who was quite horrified when I told them.

Suzi

Re: 2 rabies jabs in the first year?????
 

As previously mentioned there are different types of Rabies vaccines.
Some just requiring one initial injection,others two, as seems to be common practise in Spain.
I have not come across problems caused by the type commonly used in the UK, however looking around a few forums there are other reports of sickness caused by the two stage vaccine commonly used in Spain.

Re: 2 rabies jabs in the first year?????
 

we know our dog is not well after each annual rabies so never ever give him any other jab at the same time, we try to ensure that all jabs are spaced 2-3 months apart giving him time to recover from each

our vet hasnt argued over this, preferring to let us make the decisions based on experience.

Re: 2 rabies jabs in the first year?????
 

Both our rescue dogs (~ 2 years old) were given two shots, three weeks apart, first time round. Then annually. Sticker says 'Eurican R'.

Re: 2 rabies jabs in the first year?????
 

I believe vets, like GP's, have preference for different jabs, but this means that a dog receiving a rabies in the UK has to have the same make throughout its life or to end up going through all the checks again if it is changed whilst living in Spain, Portugal, Italy or wherever.

our dog underwent a skin bath treament in the UK which was quite debilitating. When it flared up again here in Spain we went to an English speaking (Cambridge educated) Vet who prescribed a course of injections which (touch wood) hasnt had the same effect on the dog, and he is recovering much much faster. And injections are cheaper. So English vets don't always know the real answers.

Re: 2 rabies jabs in the first year?????
 

Well thank you all for your replies, I am feeling less worried now although the sticker in her passport says "Rebiesyva VP-13"??

Re: 2 rabies jabs in the first year?????
 

at least once a year, arrange a blood test for rabies, lieshmanosis tick fever and heartworm. Keep the rabies shots to anual timescale. Lieshmanosis vacines renew as needed(I don't know enough about them yet) X-spot deters ticks and that reduces the chance of heartworm.

Best advice, talk with local/expat dog owners to see which vet is most popular. Walking the dog in town is a great way of meeting people and so long as your/their dog doesn't want to hump/fight with everything, it can be a great source of info.