I received an email from the Texas Department of Health and Human Services with an informational guide to rabies vaccination for dogs and cats. The laws aren’t new but the guide brings clarity.
All dogs and cats in Texas must be vaccinated for rabies by 16 weeks of age by or under the direct supervision of a licensed veterinarian using a vaccine licensed by the USDA. The vaccine must be approved for that species, and given after the minimum age requirement and by the right route of administration. There are no exemptions to this requirement, even for medical reasons or by demonstrating measurable rabies antibody titers.
Animals should be boosted according to the recommended interval as established by the manufacturer, unless limited by local ordinances. Most rabies vaccines are boosted one or three year intervals. For a USDA licensed triennial (3 year) vaccine, the typical interval is booster 1 year after initial vaccination, and then every 3 years. For a 1 year vaccine, boosters are given annually. As far as I know, all the local cities and counties recognize the 3 year vaccine interval.
So what is the minimum age for dogs and cats? This is usually regarded as 12 weeks. So the sweet spot is to vaccinate for rabies between 12-16 weeks of age.
What vaccines does Garden Ridge Animal Hospital use? For dogs, I use Defensor 3 by Zoetis, approved for dogs, cats, and ferrets, has a 3 year label, and have use it for over 20 year with no problems. But for cats, I currently use Purevax Feline Rabies by Merial since it is adjuvant free, but it only has a 1 year label. The non- adjuvant vaccine is recommended to reduce inflammation at injection site and prevent injection site sarcomas. No one wants their cat to get cancer because of a vaccine, but it can rarely happen. For ferrets, the Defensor 3 is approved with annual boosters.
What about very old pets or “inside only” cats? The law is clear that they must be vaccinated, and stay vaccinated. Realistically, an inside only cat isn’t going to spontaneously get rabies, but if they bite or scratch a human a series of events will happen that puts your unvaccinated cat in rabies quarantine, usually as a shelter. If a vaccinated pet bites a human, the quarantine time can often be served at home. All rabies vaccines are killed, dead, not alive. They seldom make pets even run a fever. The human rabies vaccine that I take is so safe I could get boosted even when I was pregnant. ( Yes, vets are vaccinated against rabies)
What if my pet was vaccinated over 3 years ago, and overdue a booster? Upon receiving a single dose of vaccine, they will be considered current, and assigned the maximum vaccination interval based on the license of the vaccine.
Why does the state care about rabies vaccination and no other diseases like parvo and distemper? Rabies affects humans, is 99.9% fatal, no cure, and the other diseases don’t. We vaccinate pets to protect humans.
For more information= https://www.tvma.org/Portals/0/Images/gr-18-rabies-guidance-DSHS.pdf?utm_source=Texas+Veterinary+Medical+Association&utm_campaign=e85243eed3-EMAIL_CAMPAIGN_2018_01_10&utm_medium=email&utm_term=0_f14b6b00de-e85243eed3-140684925
