Dog/Cat with lapsed rabies vaccination, recommendations from the Compendium of Animal Rabies Prevention and Control, 2016

Dogs and cats that are overdue for a booster vaccination and that have appropriate documentation of having received a USDA-licensed rabies vaccine at least once previously should immediately receive veterinary medical care for assessment, wound cleansing, and booster vaccination. The animal should be kept under the owner’s control and observed for 45 days. If booster vaccination is delayed, public health officials may consider increasing the observation period for the animal, taking into consideration factors such as the severity of exposure, the length of delay in booster vaccination, current health status, and local rabies epidemiology.

 

Dogs and cats that are overdue for a booster vaccination and without appropriate documentation of having received a USDA-licensed rabies vaccine at least once previously should immediately receive veterinary medical care for assessment, wound cleansing, and consultation with local public health authorities.  (a) The animal can be treated as unvaccinated, immediately given a booster  vaccination, and placed in strict quarantine (

(a) The animal can be treated as unvaccinated, immediately given a booster  vaccination, and placed in strict quarantine (see Part I. B. 5. a) (2)). (b) Alternatively, prior to booster vaccination, the attending veterinarian may request guidance from the local public health authorities in the possible use of prospective serologic monitoring. Such monitoring would entail collecting paired blood samples to document prior vaccination by providing evidence of an anamnestic response to booster vaccination. If an adequate anamnestic response is documented, the animal can be considered to be overdue for booster vaccination (

(b) Alternatively, prior to booster vaccination, the attending veterinarian may request guidance from the local public health authorities in the possible use of prospective serologic monitoring. Such monitoring would entail collecting paired blood samples to document prior vaccination by providing evidence of an anamnestic response to booster vaccination. If an adequate anamnestic response is documented, the animal can be considered to be overdue for booster vaccination (see Part I. B. 5. a) (3)) and observed for 45 days. If there is inadequate evidence of an anamnestic response, the animal is considered to have never been vaccinated and should be placed in strict quarantine (see Part I. B. 5. a) (2)).

THE FULL COMPENDIUM CAN BE VIEWED HERE.