3 yr rabies VS. 1 yr rabies?

white cat lover

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What's the difference between the two? Besides the 3 year is good for *supposedly* 3 years & the 1 year is *supposedly* good for one year.

I am switching to the 3 year vaccination schedule is why I ask...the vet wants me to do the 3 year rabies then.... Not sure if I want to!
 

tnr1

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Originally Posted by white cat lover

What's the difference between the two? Besides the 3 year is good for *supposedly* 3 years & the 1 year is *supposedly* good for one year.

I am switching to the 3 year vaccination schedule is why I ask...the vet wants me to do the 3 year rabies then.... Not sure if I want to!
Rabies vaccination - feline

Q: Hello. I'm a physician (ENT) and a cat lover. Your site is outstanding. Would you kindly clear up a simple pair of questions for me?

1) What is the usual regimen of vaccination to initiate rabies immunity in a kitten? That is, one injection, or a series of 2 or 3?

2) As all rabies sera are killed virus, what significant differences exist between sera marketed as annual versus tri-annual? Thank you very much, Dean MD

A: Dean-

Rabies vaccinations are all killed virus products at the present time. The standard protocol is to give one injection of the vaccine at 12 weeks of age or older and to repeat this in one year. Then the vaccine is repeated at one year or three year intervals depending on the state law and choice of vaccine. It has always been my opinion that the one year and three year vaccines were probably the same vaccines marketed differently. I have no proof of this and when I asked one of the vaccine company representatives he told me that there were differences in the adjuvents in some vaccines and rabies strain utilized for the vaccination in others. I have no reason to doubt this but I still can't see where there is probably a lot of difference. There is a significant difference in duration of immunity afforded by the use of differing strains of canine distemper virus, though. So maybe it is important.

It is highly likely that the protection afforded by rabies vaccination lasts much longer than three years but due to the severity of the disease and zoonotic potential most states are very cautious about taking chances and legislate one or three year vaccination intervals.

Mike Richards, DVM

http://www.vetinfo.com/crabies.html
 

stephenq

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Every rabies vaccination increases the risk of fibrosarcoma, a rare but deadly form of cancer. So a 3 year vaccination is a lowered risk of this disease.

Many vets are willing to forgo the rabies vaccination if the cat is an indoor cat (like mine are).
 

jenny82

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I do the 3 year. It's what my vet recommended and it's cheaper.
 

mamakitties

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My two cats are due for their 3 year rabies shot but I remember when I went to the city to register my cats and pay the fees, they said the 3 year rabies shot isn't allowed in the city because it can cause potential harm to the cats. Not exactly sure why because the vet I go to is located in the same city and they are the largest vet care in this area. I'll find out soon.
 
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white cat lover

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So, does the 3 yr rabies & the 1 yr rabies last the same amount of time? I mean, any vaccination can last longer than the 1 yr....is the 3 yr rabies a "higher dose"?

I plan on vaccianting every 3 years, but I don't know if I want to use th 1 yr rabies or the 3 yr rabies!
 

bab-ush-niik

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My vet said that he believes they are actually the same, due to studies done at Cornell. However, your local regulations may require 1 year.

He suggested splitting the difference, and vaccinating every other year.
 
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