My dog was scratched again. Does he need more rabies shots? Overdose?

Question

We had given our dog Babu 3 anti rabies shots on 11th, 14th & 18th day due to a suspected abrasion from a wounded dog. But the dog is still alive after 10+ days have passed. And on 20th, Babu got scratched from another stray dog. So may I give him the next two shots I.e. 4th (14th day) & 5th (28th day) shot to complete the full PEP course?? P.s. Babu was already given an yearly booster in this February after taking 5th PEP shot on Feb 2018 & 2 boosters on July 2018. Does any fear of overdoses??

Anna M., DVM · Accepted Answer

Hello, and thanks for your question. I'm wondering if the rabies vaccine product or protocol is a bit different in India vs the United States. Our typical protocol with a previously vaccinated (up-to-date) dog who may have been exposed to a rabid animal (such as a wild animal or unvaccinated dog) is to booster the dog immediately with another rabies vaccine - just once....and then get back on the standard vaccine schedule of every 3 years. We don't typically do the multi-dose PEP you're describing, although that protocol would be given to people with exposure. However, rabies is much more endemic in your area - so I would defer to the advice of your local vet who treats far more rabies exposure cases than we would. If the original plan (prior to your dog's second altercation with another stray) was to give the two additional shots on the 4th and 5th, then I would probably stick with this plan. All vaccines can carry a small risk of reaction - but there's no "overdose" per say. And any risk of vaccine reaction is negligible compared to the risk of actual rabies exposure, in a rabies endemic area. So it is always best to err on the side of protection from rabies. I hope this helps!

My dog was scratched again. Does he need more rabies shots? Overdose?

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