I asked my vet about the difference, and she said that the 3 year version is 'stronger'...whatever that means. (they only offer the 1 year at this vet's office)

Here's what I found from the CDC regarding rabies vaccines in the US:
http://www.cdc.gov/mmwR/preview/mmwrhtml/rr5008a1.htm

If you scroll down it clearly states that all rabies vaccines licensed by the USDA have a minimum of 3 year duration of immunity...
Gee what a surprise; my vet 'misled' me!

Thanks Lynne!

~Natalya

I think the only difference in the 1 year and the 3 year rabies vaccine is the label on the outside of the vial.

of course a vet would want you to do the one year vaccine, they make 3 times as much money by putting the fear of rabies and the fear of breaking the law into you, so you will come back and drop a load of cash in their practice. That doesn't count the inevitable medical issues that your dog is bound to develop sooner or later from being overvaccinated. they make money trying to "help" our dogs through that too.

I really don't think most vets do this on purpose,although there are some who know better and still take advantage of pet owners. I believe most vets just parrot the info they are taught in school, and a lot of that info just isn't good for our dogs (or cats or horses, etc)

the important part for people to understand is that once you have been vaccinated, and you become immune to a disease the immunity is not going to evaporate if you don't redo the vaccine every year. It's a big scam, IMO.

Back to the original topic, I would not vaccinate a 4 month old puppy for rabies. I wouldn't be able to sleep at night if I was forced too..... I feel that strongly about it. Of course I don't give any puppy shots at all, so some may think that a bit extreme.

Since I have to show proof of Rabies at some of the events I attend and on the airlines I will probably have to get Ember vaccinated when she is a year old.
My vet said no problem with the three year rather than going with the one year first.

The other dogs will be due for their three year as well in a year so they will all be on the same schedule.

I titer for the rest. And have letters showing what the results are for those. Most are pretty accepting of that.

Cindy,
Weren't you saying that you get letters for the Rabies as well? If so, I would rather go that route with Little Em and I think my vet would be okay with that as well.

 Quote: carol boche

I titer for the rest. And have letters showing what the results are for those. Most are pretty accepting of that.

Sorry, one more question not 100% on topic (but related!!):

Carol (or anyone else who titers), so if you choose to titer a dog who has been vaccinated once in it's life already, instead of re-vaxing every year, or three, how often do you titer? Every year? Every three? Only when you need "proof" of immunity (like in preparation for travel)? I like the titer route, but they're VERY much more expensive than a shot...

~Natalya

*Also, I agree that this pup (4 months) is too young for a rabies shot, if it can be avoided, as long as the dog will not be at any risk for contracting the disease.

We have a pap breeder at our clinic she insists her paps get half dose rabies at 6 months, she only does DHPP half dose only once as well. She titers often and we have NEVER seen any of her well traveled to shows dogs once for being sick. Her titers are always great.

As far as rabies there is a rabies vaccine labeled for 1 year and separate for 3 years. As far as if the 1 year is still good past a year, probably ... but not labeled as so.

I titer every other year. And I just started about two years ago when I first started reading about it.
I probably don't even need to titer, but this is what I am comfortable with right now.

thanks for the advice all. I believe I will wait. It's not so much that I am really worried about rabies. My toy dogs are rarely outside actually since they're litter box trained but it does help for travel and work. I will likely take advantage of this thing for at least the final puppy shot though since I need that to be able to take him to work every day. Really they have a better chance of being struck by lightning than getting rabies but the law is the law.

You'd be very lucky with toy dogs to find many vets worth a lick of salt to work with them well. I ask often to check doses on shots and medications to make sure someone formulated them for a 5lb dog as opposed to a 50 lb dog. I've caught the error 3 times with three different vets. I also ask to speak with who ever does the gas work when I put them under because one of the most common ways to lose these little varmints besides accidental bone breaks due to falls or crushing is too much anesthesia.
I've been working really hard screening vets lately. It's been a challenge. My vet in Colorado Springs was amazing but it appears I'd need to drive all the way to Washington State University here to find a really awesome vet.

 Quote: Carol Boche

Cindy,
Weren't you saying that you get letters for the Rabies as well? If so, I would rather go that route with Little Em and I think my vet would be okay with that as well.

In Wisconsin (not all states) your vet can write a letter of exemption for the rabies vaccine if your dog may have it's health compromised by the vaccination. In my opinion ALL dogs will have their health compromised BUT HEY, it's a start.

for example, if you have a dog that has had a seizure or is on thyroid medication or was a cancer patient or <insert condition here> the vet can write a letter of exemption for that dog so you can still get a license for that particular dog. It's really up to your local officials whether they will accept that or not but I have had her write a letter for a dog that I had placed in a home and that dog had recently been spayed. I didn't want her to have just gone through a surgery, then be vaccinated and then get on a plane and go to a new home. Too much stress. She wrote the letter for me and the airline accepted it without a problem.

now, did the person behind the counter at the airport actually read that letter? I doubt it and I sure didn't point it out to them while I was checking the dog in.