When you take your dog in to have their yearly exam, you want to make sure they are also up to date on their shots. If you always use the same vet, then they should have all the info you need on file and know what shots your dog is in need of. You also want to be sure you keep your dog current with regards to their rabies licensing and vaccination. The time they can go between boosters regarding the rabies shot varies according to the manufacturer of the last shot they had. In order to better understand some of the benefits of keeping your dog up to date on their rabies vaccination, you can review the information below:
They will be protected – Obviously, you won't need to worry about them getting rabies when they are vaccinated against it. There are actually a lot of different ways that a dog can end up getting rabies, so you don't want to take the chance and let them go unprotected. They can get infected if they are bitten from a rabid dog, as well as by coming into contact with many other types of animals with a few examples being bats, rabbits and rats.
You will be protecting people – If your dog ends up with rabies they will lose their mind and this can turn the gentlest dog into a vicious one that will attack anyone. This means that your rabid dog will put anyone it can reach in danger. If a person is bitten by a rabid dog then it is a hard thing to go through. That person will need to go through a series of shots so they don't end up getting rabies. These shots aren't cheap and they can be painful. The person won't be able to miss any of their shots either.
You can register your dog – You want to make sure your dog is registered with your local shelter or humane society so they know that you are the legal owner of that dog. If your dog gets loose and it isn't registered, then the shelter won't know who owns the dog. This means they can't contact you. Some shelters move quite quickly when it comes to putting dogs up for adoption and they can also end up putting the dog to sleep if you don't find it in the shelter fast enough. Also, when the dog is unregistered and gets picked up, you will need to pay hefty fines to get it back. In order to register the dog, you will need to show proof that it has had its rabies vaccination. You will also be given rabies tags as proof to anyone who wants to make sure they are vaccinated.
