What age is best to give rabies shot and why? I do NOT want ages excet the fact of why I can't get my dog a rabies shot at 11 weeks old instead of 12 weeks!!

It all depends on the immune system. You don't want to over load the immune system, which is why the series parvo shots is over a span of 3 months. Depending on which vet clinic you go to, will depend on the age the rabies shot is given.

Personally, I wait until 6 months to give the rabies shot. It gives their bodies a rest of invasion. Some vets give the shot at 12 weeks. The way I see it is.. what is your dog doing to be exposed to rabies at 12 WEEKS!

Follow the advise of your vet. They spent 8 years or more going to school. They will know what is best for your pet.

OK if you say that then that this inconcertation what if your dog get bit by an infected rat or coon at the age of 6 weeks what would you do then? I just don't see why the vets wouldn't let a person give their dog a rabies shot 1 week early? I mean I took my dog today for an eye problem and asked about the shot and he said "i would wait til she is 12 weeks," but never said why and I don't get it, it is just 1 week right?

This is a little too close to call, but it seems to me...

The immune system isn't functioning reliably before 12 weeks. There are very few absolutes in medicine, and I don't see why this would be one of them. Also, it is conceivable, and more likely, that the pup has some maternal immunity still in it's system, and a vaccination would probably not 'take', but lull one into a false sense of security.. I say conceivable because 'all dogs over 6 months are required by law (in most states) to have a current rabies vaccination.' (Right, like that always happens !)

Further, because a rabies vaccination AFTER a rabies exposure (every exposure is treated as real unless confirmed not to be by a test) will confuse the waiting period for confirmation of infection, his reason could well be for safety's sake, since rabies is a fatal disease. Vaccination after exposure can delay the appearance of rabies for several months, not the normal 14 day waiting period, necessitating the lifesaving series of anti-rabies shots because actual infective rabies virus may be present and will be transferred from the vaccinated animal... just not the characteristic signs.

The maternal antibodies consist of what the mother is currently immune to, and are transferred from the mother to the pups in the colostrum, or 'first milk'. It is also in the normal milk, but after a few days of life, the pup's digestive system has further developed to not permit the immunity molecules to be absorbed into the pup's system. Instead, the large protein molecule is digested, like any other food stuff. This immunity disappears from the pup's system in a predictable rate, such that little is gone at 6 weeks, some at 8 weeks much at 12 weeks, and all by 16 weeks. As long as any remains, it works on the vaccine just as it would on the actual virus, thus defeating any vaccination shots for those particular diseases making up the pup's maternal immunity. To confuse the situation further, only the strongest immunity Mom has to give will last all 16 weeks, so some of the immunities disappear sooner than others. This is the reason for the series of puppy shots... there are no 'temporary' vaccinations covering 3-4 weeks. There is no 'puppy' vaccine, with the exception of a measles vaccine,. all dog vaccines are adult strength, It takes or not. The 16 week shot is considered to be either a booster, or the vaccine that confers adult immunity.

One exception... Maternal Parvo virus immunity can last longer than 16 weeks, so a 'final' parvo vaccine is usually given after 20 weeks of age.

So, accept the vet's reluctance to vaccinate at 11 weeks as his knowing you wouldn't want to listen to his possibly full reason for waiting. Nor would he want to give it. (It's even worse typing it)

Any further question, along these lines, just ask me and I'll try to answer, OK?

OK I get that but why do people still cronantine young dogs when they bit a person and people can't do anything unless the dog has its rabies, it is unfair, cause a pup is the best time to train them! And they will leason with out having to repeat a thousand time! I would rather have them get it in ten tries than about 100 and they still might not remember!!

I think you must be misunderstanding something... there is nothing about training a dog to do anything.

The dog is quarantined, held in a confined space, like the pound, for 14 days to observe whether he will develop into rabies or not. Usually there is some investigation into why the dog bit the person and if it looks like play or the person was teasing the dog, then the dog may not be quarantined.

Does this clear it up any better? Please write any answer in the usual reply box, OK? and not as a comment?

What I mean about training is like puppy kindergraden or obendence, and things like that, that is what I mean about training the dog so the dog will leason to a person.

Puppy training is a bit different than the topic originally started here, but, most training at this young age starts with simple leash training, to teach the pup how to behave walk on a leash and pay attention to the person holding the leash. Simply paying attention to the person is a big start in his training. Most trainers don't expect much real progress with obedience until a pup is at least 6 months old.

Best for you is to find a puppy training class and speak to the trainer about your pup. Trying to learn how to train a dog by only reading a book is difficult. The dog always learns, and as a result, you never find out what to do when the dog resists being trained. Books work best when you have an instructor who can teach you how to teach your dog. Training dogs is fairly easy... Training the owners is the hard part.

Interestingly, I suspect you will have to have proof of vaccination of your pup against distemper and parvo at least, and rabies of course, before you can start the pup in a class.

Most puppy schools allow pups once they have had their initial set of shots.
Here we give ours what is known as a C3, this vaccinates for Distemper, Parvo and Hepatitis.
Vaccinations take 2 weeks to take full effect so if your pup is vaccinated at 8 weeks of age, it is *safe to take to puppy school at 10 weeks.

This is one of the many reasons people recommend puppies are not sold until 8-12 weeks of age. It's not only about learning behaviors at home, but many people (myself included) believe a pup should stay in the home until at least the first vacc has taken effect.

Unfortunately I can't be much help on rabies as I do not vacc for it, can anyone here answer what the legal age is a pup must have their rabies vacc in the USA?


*safe
No dog is ever 100% safe from any illness, even adult dogs vaccinated yearly can still contract parvo, it is just much more unlikely.

Yes, the required age for rabies vaccination varies with the state, and sometimes the county if there is a rabies outbreak locally, for example. Call any vet and ask. One of the clinic staff can give you the proper ages.

Shaz,

No vaccine will take effect until the maternal immunity in a pup is sufficiently gone so as to not interfere with the vaccine. Suppose a conscientious breeder keeps her brood ***** well immunized, well, lets just say her first litter, since new protocol says not to vaccinate annually.

Anyway, she has maximum immunity in her system and will pass this in the colostrum to the pups. This puppy immunity will start to wane immediately at a predictable rate, Depending on how much the pup gets initially and in the first couple days of nursing, it may last maybe through 14, even 16 weeks. Thus, the 8 and possibly even the 12 week vaccine will be treated just like the real virus and counteracted by the puppy immunity. The 16 week vaccine will then be like the first and need boostering in a month, depending on one's belief.

In actuality, with an old, or no known vaccination history, we 'assume', or used to, that half a litter can be successfully vaccinated at 8 weeks, 3/4 of the pups so at 12 weeks, and all the pups at 16 weeks. This has been the rational for the 2 or 3 shot series in the past. This is statistically... of the litter, half, or 3/4, etc, can be successfully vaccinated, having lost sufficient maternal immunity. Without doing titers on teach pup, there is no way to know for certain which 'group' the pup may be in. So, basically, you take the shot, hope for the best, and stay out of crowds... just in case.

Interesting, thanks paleo.
So it is really only the 16 week vacc that has a real effect on the pup?
I was always under the assumption that the 8 week vacc would provide a level of immunity by 10 weeks.

I don't mind being corrected, vaccinations are still something I am learning about.

Would you recommend a b*tch intended for breeding be vaccinated every year?
Currently mine have their booster done at 12 months, then I do not vacc again for 3 years.
I plan on getting a b*tch soon for breeding so would be good to get another opinion.

Just want to state. A dog that's 6 weeks old should still be with its mother and litter mates. It should not be exposed to coons, or anything else that can pass rabies. A real breeder won't release a dog at 6 weeks, and that puppy will be protected by being kept indoors. So this is a moot point, unless you're purchasing a dog from a backyard breeder or puppymill, which are the worst of the worst and don't care about the legal age a puppy should be released, or shots.