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...

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

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.

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.

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

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.

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

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.