Why do dogs have to have...?

Question

Why do dogs have to have rabies vaccinations every year, when humans only need other vaccinations once in a lifetime?
My dog has to have them once a year and it frustrates me. Please tell me, the person with the best explanation will get 10 points!

Answer 1

Because they are much more likely to come into contact with a rabid wild animal and get infected. Most areas have a 3 year rabies vaccine available. Ask your vet. One rabies vaccine most likely lasts for life, but the law says we can't take any chances!

Answer 2

Not all human vaccine are once in a lifetime. Flu and tetanus are examples (those have to be give yearly and every 10 years respectively). Also, a rabies vaccination only last a few years in humans too. The rabies vaccine can actually last more than a year which is why some place that are more urban (therefore less likely to have domesticated animals come infected by wild animals carrying the disease) require the vaccine less often, such as once every 3 years (which I think may be how long it lasts in humans). Veterinarians often are vaccinated every so often to safeguard themselves. Also, think about how many times the general public puts of getting their pets revaccinated until a little while (or alott while) after they were supposed to. By having the requirement be more often, it is less likely that any of those animals ever go long enough without the vaccine to be at any point able to get the illness.

Answer 3

When an animal gets rabies, the veternarian doesn't know it for sure until after the animal is dead. What they do is cut off their head and send it to a lab in Atlanta, GA. There they inspect the brain for the rabies. The vaccines are more for protection than anything. But when I worked at the vets office in VA, they had started a 3-year vaccine. Reason being of the type of area, and the amount of reported cases of rabies.

Answer 4

Actually, now you can ask your vet for the 3 year rabies. They are more prone to rabies, that is why they needed it every year. A few years ago they came out with a 3 year vaccine. So long as your dog has had a rabies vaccine the year before, you can get this and you won't have to go back every year. Ask your vet. I'm surprised that it hasn't been mentioned to you before.

Answer 5

Also consider the fact that most people will not pay 100.00 plus to have their dogs rabies titre checked every year to see if the rabies vaccine is still active in their system.Since rabies is highly zoonotic it has been thought best in certain areas of North America to give the vaccine yearly and in others every three years. there is also the debate on how long do the three year vaccines really work for. So at our clinic our vets have decided to stay with the yearly vaccine as after much research they are not willing to endorse a product that they do not feel is effective for their clients or their pets.Plus we at the clinics see the yearly reports of rabid animals and in Ontario it is on the rise with the bat population and still extremely high in the raccoon population.

Answer 6

Because it is a public health issue!!!!!!! Rabies is 100% fatal in humans and no one wants to take the risk!!!!!!! All other dog vaccines cover diseases that are common only to dogs and not humans!!!!!!!!
I have had the rabies vaccines because of my job and this year I had to have blood drawn for a titer and it is low enough that I need to have a booster this year. So even people need them more than once in a lifetime!!!!!!!!
And they make it a hassle if your dog bites someone and they are not vaccinated!!!!! They can make you quarantine them at a vet facility for months at your cost or euthanize the dog for testing!!!!!
Isn't it easier to get the dog vaccinated!!!!!!!

Answer 7

The short answer is YES - for many vaccinations and MAYBE NOT for others.

For more details, keep on reading!

Rabies

In all states, rabies vaccinations are required by law. The first rabies vaccination is good for one year. In many states subsequent vaccinations are good for three years. In other states, they are only valid for one year by law. Please check with your vet to determine the legal requirements in your state. Vaccinating your pet for rabies may literally save its life for two reasons. Rabies is a threat in many areas and it is a horrible disease. In addition, an unvaccinated pet who bites a human being, even by accident, is subject to long quarantine periods or even death for the purpose of testing for rabies infection. Don't risk your pet's life. Get its rabies vaccination.

Other vaccinations vary in their benefits and risks.

It is extremely important to vaccinate puppies and kittens successfully for several diseases. This is the time that they are most likely to contract many of the diseases which we vaccinate for. Early protection can prevent the heartbreak of dealing with parvovirus in a puppy or feline leukemia in a kitten. Please contact your vet and work with him or her to establish and follow a good vaccination schedule for your pediatric pet! A series of vaccinations is given in the hopes of protecting all puppies and kittens as early as possible but continuing to vaccinate until all patients are protected.

That said, what do we vaccinate for and who needs the vaccinations?

For dogs, the following vaccinations may be advised, depending on the circumstances in your area. They are often combined into a single injection containing several components. Since several combinations are marketed, it is possible to tailor the vaccination schedule for puppies and adult dogs to match their needs.

Answer 8

Probably because your dog is a lot more likely to go messing with rabid animals then you are! And, rabid animals have a tendency to attack fenced in dogs. We've had like 3 rabid woodchucks attack our dog in the past couple years.

I don't really know, but they might even use a different kind of vaccine on people than on dogs.

Answer 9

Rabies like the flue mutates each year, and there for your dog needs anual vaccinations

Answer 10

dog and cats have to get one every year because if you don't
live in the city . they might hunt and a animal with rabies could bite it and it could bite a human and cause them to become really sick . they could catch rabies anywhere though . and you
wouldn't want you dog to catch them would you .?