Can a Dog Get Rabies After Being Fully Vaccinated

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Posted Oct 15, 2024

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Close Up Shot of an Injecting Vaccine
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While getting vaccinated is a crucial step in protecting your furry friend from rabies, it's natural to wonder if it's foolproof. The good news is that a fully vaccinated dog is highly unlikely to contract rabies.

However, it's essential to understand that no vaccine is 100% effective, and there's a small chance of failure. In fact, the article notes that even with a proper vaccination series, a dog can still contract rabies if they're exposed to a high enough dose of the virus.

Despite this risk, the chances of a vaccinated dog getting rabies are extremely low, and most veterinarians agree that vaccination is still the best way to protect your dog from this deadly disease.

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Rabies and Vaccination

While the rabies vaccine is quite effective, it doesn't guarantee 100% protection. If your dog is exposed to rabies and their vaccination is up to date, they'll receive a booster vaccine immediately and be placed into strict quarantine for 30 days, followed by 60 days of confinement.

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Quarantine and confinement times vary by state and county, so it's essential to report potential rabies exposures to your vet and local public health unit and follow their directions carefully.

The rabies neutralising antibody titre test measures the effectiveness of the rabies vaccine by testing for antibodies in the pet's blood sample. This test is significant for pets travelling from countries where rabies is prevalent to a rabies-free country.

An antibody level of 0.5 IU/ml or more suggests that your pet has been adequately protected against the virus. Many countries have a waiting period of 180 days after the sampling for the rabies titre test to ensure your pet is completely protected before travelling.

Rabies vaccination is the only immunization required by law for domestic companion animals in the United States. While 3-year rabies vaccines are recognized in all 50 States, annual or biannual revaccination for rabies is still required by some State municipalities.

Scientific data suggest that commercial rabies vaccines confer durations of immunity well beyond 3 years, and vaccinating dogs against rabies triennially may be unnecessary.

Testing and Diagnosis

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The rabies neutralising antibody test is a crucial tool in determining the effectiveness of the rabies vaccine in your dog. This test measures the level of antibodies in the blood 30 days after vaccination.

An antibody level of 0.5 IU/ml or more suggests that your dog has been adequately protected against the virus. Many countries have a waiting period of 180 days after the sampling for the rabies titre test to ensure your dog is completely protected before travelling.

Rapid Fluorescent Focus Inhibition Test (RFFIT) of serum samples is also used to diagnose rabies in dogs.

Rabies Antibody Titre Test

The rabies antibody titre test is a crucial step in ensuring your pet's protection against the virus. It measures the level of antibodies in the blood after vaccination.

The test is usually conducted 30 days after the pet is vaccinated. This timing is significant because it allows the antibodies to develop and reach a detectable level in the blood.

An antibody level of 0.5 IU/ml or more suggests that your pet has been adequately protected against the virus. This level of protection is essential for pets traveling from countries where rabies is prevalent to a rabies-free country.

Animals

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A total of 100 female beagle puppies were used in the study, randomly distributed into experimental and control groups.

These dogs remained in the breeding colony for 5 years and 5 months to 8 years and 0 months, under standard husbandry conditions.

Only 65 of the original 100 dogs went on to participate in challenge or revaccination trials.

The remaining 35 dogs were spayed and adopted as family companions at the end of the study.

Dogs were transported to a USDA-licensed biosafety level 3 isolation facility for the challenge trials.

Due to facility space constraints, challenge trials could only contain up to 15 dogs each.

In the first and second trials, 10 vaccinated and 5 control dogs were challenged.

The number of non-vaccinated dogs was decreased in later trials, with only 3 control dogs challenged in the third trial.

The experimental group consisted of a single animal in the study.

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Revaccination Trial

In a revaccination trial, 10 previously vaccinated dogs received a single dose of Vaccine A, while 10 unvaccinated dogs received a single dose of Vaccine Cf.

Person Aspirating the Vaccine from the Vial
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The previously vaccinated dogs had received two doses of Vaccine A 6 years and 1 month earlier.

The vaccinated and unvaccinated dogs were given blood tests at intervals after vaccination to detect anamnestic humoral responses.

These responses indicate whether the dogs have developed immunity to rabies after vaccination or exposure.

The trial aimed to evaluate the effectiveness of revaccination with a single dose of Vaccine A or Vaccine Cf in previously vaccinated and unvaccinated dogs.

The results of this trial could provide valuable insights into the duration of immunity provided by rabies vaccination and the effectiveness of revaccination strategies.

Sample Collection

Sample collection is a crucial step in the testing and diagnosis process. Serum was collected from all dogs at yearly intervals until time of challenge.

Blood samples were taken at specific intervals after secondary rabies vaccine administration. For the re-vaccination trial, blood was collected at days 0, 3, 7, and 14 after secondary rabies vaccine administration.

A Veterinarian Vaccinating a Dog
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To ensure the safety of technicians working with challenged dogs, prior vaccination and extensive personal protective gear were used. Proof of protective antibody response against rabies was also required.

Dogs were anesthetized before handling procedures during the challenge phase. Acepromazine was administered orally via "pill pocket" followed by tiletamine/zolazepam administered intramuscularly via pole syringe.

Blood samples were also taken at the time of euthanasia, and brain tissue was collected for viral determination. This provided a comprehensive picture of the dog's condition.

Assays

Assays are a crucial step in the testing and diagnosis process, and they come in various forms. One such assay is the Rapid Fluorescent Focus Inhibition Test (RFFIT), which is used to analyze serum samples.

RFFIT is completed at an accredited veterinary diagnostic laboratory. This specialized testing helps determine the presence of certain diseases. The RFFIT test is particularly useful in diagnosing rabies.

Memory cell response is measured using flow cytometry, a technique that sorts and analyzes cells based on their properties. This helps researchers understand how the immune system is responding to a particular disease.

Brain tissue can also be assayed for the presence of rabies virus via immunohistochemistry and reverse transcriptase-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR). This method is used by the challenge facility to detect the virus in brain tissue samples.

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Article Structure

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When writing about a complex topic like rabies in dogs, it's essential to have a clear structure in place. This ensures that your readers can easily follow your train of thought and understand the information.

The article should be divided into several sections to make it easy to digest. This includes an introduction, a discussion of the risks and benefits of vaccination, and a conclusion summarizing the key points.

To write an effective article, you should start with a clear and concise introduction that sets the stage for the rest of the content. This might include a brief overview of the topic and a thesis statement that outlines the main argument or point of the article.

The introduction should be followed by a section that discusses the risks and benefits of vaccination. According to the article, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) recommends that dogs be vaccinated against rabies to protect both humans and animals from the disease.

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Results

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In a challenge trial involving 15 dogs, 40% of unvaccinated control dogs showed signs of rabies virus infection, while both groups of vaccinates showed zero mortality.

The challenge virus used in the first trial was found to be insufficiently virulent, leading to a re-evaluation of the results.

All unvaccinated control dogs in trials 2 and 3 showed signs of rabies disease between post-challenge days 13 to 21 and were humanely euthanized.

In trial 2, only 1 of the 5 dogs vaccinated 8 years previously with Vaccine A showed protection against rabies, while 4 of 5 dogs vaccinated 6 years 7 months previously with Vaccine B were protected against the live rabies virus challenge.

Memory antibody responses by post-challenge Day 12 correlated strongly with protection against rabies in both trials.

The surviving vaccinates were observed for a total of 90 days to detect late development of clinical signs of rabies, with no clinical signs occurring in any of the dogs.

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In trial 3, 6 of 12 dogs vaccinated with Vaccine B 7 years and 1 month earlier were protected against challenge and were free of signs of rabies for a total of 90 days post-challenge.

Post-challenge day 12 antibody responses were strongly linked with survival, and a statistically significant increase in memory B-cells was seen in vaccinates at 4 days post-challenge.

Discussion and Conclusion

The study found that vaccinated dogs can still get rabies, but the duration of immunity extends beyond 3 years. In fact, the study showed that vaccinated dogs can survive a rabies challenge for up to 8 years after vaccination, but the survival rate decreases over time.

Vaccinated dogs that were challenged with virulent rabies virus at 6 years 7 months after vaccination had a 80% survival rate, but this rate dropped to 20% at 8 years 0 months. This suggests that the immunity provided by the vaccine wanes over time.

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The study also found that the type of vaccine used can affect the duration of immunity. The non-adjuvanted recombinant rabies vaccine induced excellent antibody responses in previously vaccinated dogs 14 days after administration, but it's unclear if this type of vaccine provides longer-term immunity.

The study's data demonstrate that immunologic memory exists even in vaccinated dogs with serum antibody titers less than 0.1 IU/mL, which is a key finding for understanding the immune response to rabies vaccination.

Jenna Koch

Senior Writer

Jenna Koch is a versatile and passionate writer with a keen interest in exploring various topics. Her writing career has taken off with a focus on informative and engaging content, covering a range of subjects that spark curiosity and interest in readers. Jenna's expertise lies in crafting well-researched and accessible articles that cater to diverse audiences.

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