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My dog's rabies shot expired. Is it safe to delay her vaccine?

Updated On September 23rd, 2025

Pet's info: Dog | Shih Tzu | Female | unspayed | 1 year and 4 months old | 18 lbs

I have a dog and her rabies shot expired today, I told my brother many times to book an appointment but nothing is open today so she'll have to wait till this Saturday. Should I be worried or is there a place where I can take her fat to get her shot?

2 Answers

Most Helpful Answer

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Answered By Anna M., DVM

Veterinarian

Published on July 27th, 2017

It's great that you're being conscientious about her vaccines! From an immunologic perspective, nothing significant is changing in Lola's immune system between now and Saturday, so getting the booster done then will be fine. From a legal perspective, the rabies vaccine expires exactly 1 year from the initial booster, so she will be considered "unvaccinated" for a couple days. I wouldn't be too worried about you boostering her a couple days late - but to be on the safe side, just limit her exposure to strangers or other dogs for those few days until she's vaccinated again, to avoid the rare chance of someone getting bitten and inquiring about her rabies status. Hope this helps.

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Other Answers

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    Answered By Anna M., DVM

    Veterinarian

    Published on November 16th, 2017

    Hello, and thank you for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach. As far as Benji's immune system is concerned, it will be fine to give his vaccine a couple days after the official expiration date - the vaccine doesn't suddenly stop working the day after it expires, so as far as his own safety and the effectiveness of the vaccine, this is just fine. However, from a legal standpoint, Benji will spend a few days with a legal status of "unvaccinated" for rabies. So, it's worth taking extra precautions for those few days until he gets his vaccine boostered - stay away from dog parks, don't let him interact with strangers, etc. In short, avoid any possible situation where he could bite anyone and his rabies status brought into question. Hope this helps!

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