Is the rabies vaccine safe for my senior dog with chronic illness?
Updated On September 23rd, 2025
I have 2 older & ill dogs that are up for rabies shots. Will the shots be too hard on their health? One is a 13 yr old pitbull with Cushings disease and she has been dealing with vetyrol for over a year. The other is a 9 yr old pom mix with bloody urine u.i. she has been dealing with for over a year. She hates going to the vet sooooo bad. I am trying to keep them both comfortable.
2 Answers
Most Helpful Answer
Published on April 9th, 2019
Hello, and thanks for your question. The ultimate decision will need to be made by your primary vet - but I would absolutely keep them both current on their rabies vaccinations, even if they have chronic health concerns. The rabies virus is 100% fatal, and can be spread to people, so it's just not worth the risk of letting their vaccine status lapse. In many states the law requires a current rabies vaccine. The rabies vaccine is very safe, so it is very rare that I will stop keeping a patient of mine current on the vaccine. Hope this helps! I can tell you're trying to make the best decisions for your dogs!
2Pet Parents found this answer helpful
Related Answers from Veterinarians
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Published on April 15th, 2020
Yes this is perfectly fine to give him another rabies vaccine. We often deal with lost of stray pets with no knowledge of vaccine history so we vaccinate for Rabies again, regardless of if it is expired or not. There is no harm to the animal in doing so, unless they have a rare allergy. I hope that Max does well with his Rabies moving forward. Best wishes and take care.
1Pet Parents found this answer helpful
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