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My dog's 1-year rabies expired. Why wait 2 weeks for 3-year vaccine?

Updated On September 23rd, 2025

Pet's info: Dog | Mixed Breed | Female | spayed | 1 year and 5 months old | 13 lbs

After rabies 1year vaccine has expired, why do I have to wait 2weeks to have my pup vaccinated with 3year?

2 Answers

Most Helpful Answer

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Answered By Jennifer Summerfield, DVM CPDT-KA

Veterinarian, Certified Dog Trainer

Published on April 29th, 2017

I'm not sure why this would be - I can't think of any reason that you would be required to wait, and this is not our policy at my clinic. I would suggest asking your vet why he/she recommends waiting, as this isn't common practice in my experience.

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1Pet Parents found this answer helpful

Related Answers from Veterinarians

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    Answered By Dr. Elizabeth

    Veterinarian

    Published on November 3rd, 2019

    Most veterinarians feel comfortable administering another 3 year vaccine as long as the vaccine is only later by a month. Try to get her in obviously as close to the regulatory schedule date as possible. You may also call your vet and confirm they are comfortable administering another 3 year vaccine a little late. I hope this helps and please feel free to post any additional questions.

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How close to my animals expiration of rabies vaccine can I get them vaccinated
That partially depends on the state laws and where you live. Generally most vets will give the vaccine if the expiration date is within 6 weeks. If live in a state that allows 3 year rabies vaccines and you pet has already had one and is due for another 3 year vaccine, the vet may give that 6 months before the actual due date if it is more convenient for the owner. It does all however depend upon the doctor. I hope this helps and thank you for using Boop by Petco.
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I read that the first rabies vaccine is good for 1 year, and my dog is a 1 and 1/2 years old. She hasn't had her 2 rabies vaccine
You are correct, the first rabies vaccine is only good for one year. After that, depending on where you live, the next rabies vaccine could be good for three years. Some cities/states still require the rabies vaccine to be given every year though so you need to check what the law is in your area. Your vet will know. All, that being said, with her rabies vaccine being overdue - you need to update it as soon as possible and it may only be marked good for one year because you are overdue. Again, you must check with your vet regarding your local laws. Regardless, you need to get her rabies vaccine booster as soon as you can. Hope this answers your question. Best wishes!
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My 13 year old dog has always been vaccinated. Her rabies expires November 2019. Can I wait till December 1st to get her shot? Also she’s on the 3 year booster. Will she be able to get that or does she have to go back to a one year
Most veterinarians feel comfortable administering another 3 year vaccine as long as the vaccine is only later by a month. Try to get her in obviously as close to the regulatory schedule date as possible. You may also call your vet and confirm they are comfortable administering another 3 year vaccine a little late. I hope this helps and please feel free to post any additional questions.
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To license my dog in my area he has to have valid rabies vac TIL April2020. I adopted him 6 months ago. On Oct 2018 he was given a 1 year rabies vac, they couldn’t give 3 year as Didn’t know his history. I got a form for my vet to fill out but it say
So if I'm reading this right, you're trying to get a three year rabies booster now and your vet doesn't want to give one until October. For a normal healthy dog, doing the booster now wouldn't be a concern, even in the "worst case" scenario you outlined. You could ask your vet if there's something in particular about Brady that makes them want to wait. It's also possible that your particular vet has a policy of waiting until it's due to booster for some reason, which would be fine, but a problem for your particular situation. In that case, it would be reasonable to get a second opinion because you'll find most vets are ok doing the booster now.
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We give our own Canine Spectra vaccines, have for many years. We have always gone to the vet right around the same time to have the rabies done too. We've never had any problem doing things this way. Saturday we did all the annual vaccines for the do
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My dogs yearly vaccinations expired late June however I can’t get her into the vet til august 12 will that put her at Risk with a gap of a month
Hello and thank you for reaching out to Boop by Petco. It is unlikely that being late by a month will increase Riley's risk of becoming infected with any of the diseases that are prevented by the vaccines. The vaccines work to increase Riley's immune protection, and this should last long enough until she gets her next vaccine in August. Based on what state you are in, there are different laws for the Rabies vaccine. If she is late even by one day, some states require her to get the Rabies vaccine that only lasts 1 year, rather than the one that lasts 3 years. That is the only issue I can think of that could apply, but again, this depends on what state you are in. I hope this is helpful!
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Hi! I was wondering if someone could tell me the difference between the 1 and 3 year rabies vaccines for dogs? I understand that one is intended to be given annually, and the other to be given every 3 years, but is my dog more likely to have a reacti
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My Rottweiler is 2year old i gave him rabbies injection 1year ago and now its due date came can you please tell me rabbies schedule
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How long vaccines can be delayed for 6 years old dog
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