Rabies blood test - vaccinate again?

Hi, my daughter wants to take her dog and it had a rabies vaccination around 6 months ago, she ended up not getting the blood test done due to us changing the dates of when we were planning to go (long story). Now we have got ourselves back into a plan for going next Feb/March, can she get the blood test done now or does she need to vaccinate again first? If another vaccination is required does the dog have to wait a certain amount of time before getting it? Thanks

The import permit for Oz only lasts for 12 month so if you applied for it now ,provided the blood tests which you woul need to have done were OK , you would need to be sure of your dates

We had out boy vacinated then 20 days later the blood test which was fine - but they still can't fly until the vaccination has been done for 180 days Ie he had rabies mid October he can fly mid April ( as long as blood test is ok )

I would check too if the rabies shots was a 12month or 3 year thing

Was the dog checked for his microchip and the injections done by a government approved bet in the UK it's all relevant to getting him the import permit

The import permit for Oz only lasts for 12 month so if you applied for it now ,provided the blood tests which you woul need to have done were OK , you would need to be sure of your dates

We had out boy vacinated then 20 days later the blood test which was fine - but they still can't fly until the vaccination has been done for 180 days Ie he had rabies mid October he can fly mid April ( as long as blood test is ok )

I would check too if the rabies shots was a 12month or 3 year thing

Was the dog checked for his microchip and the injections done by a government approved bet in the UK it's all relevant to getting him the import permit

Microchip was done, and we are not applying for import permit yet. I need to know if the blood test can be done now, 6 months after the vaccine was done or if he needs the vaccine redone and then test 30 days later. Vaccine is a 2 year one.

Microchip was done, and we are not applying for import permit yet. I need to know if the blood test can be done now, 6 months after the vaccine was done or if he needs the vaccine redone and then test 30 days later. Vaccine is a 2 year one.

I think you could have the blood test now as it will show if the vaccine has taken there is step by step guidelines of the Australian quarantine site Once you have the RNNAT ( I think that's what they call the specific blood test ) then you can apply for the import permit but it would need to be in the time frame of when the next rabies booster is due

I think you could have the blood test now as it will show if the vaccine has taken there is step by step guidelines of the Australian quarantine site Once you have the RNNAT ( I think that's what they call the specific blood test ) then you can apply for the import permit but it would need to be in the time frame of when the next rabies booster is due

Thats great, thanks x

Hi Cherry

Sorry for the late reply.

If you are not going until early next year then get a rabies vaccine done again and then blood test around 3-4 weeks after the rabies vaccine. The thing is that the amount of rabies antibodies rise after a vaccine and then reduce again slowly. The rabies test is to make sure your pet has over a certain amount of antibodies in their blood. So the longer after the vaccine the more chance there is that your pet will fail. The rabies blood test is the expensive part so you want to do what you can to make sure that it gets passed first time.

Hope that helps

Bob

Hi Cherry

Sorry for the late reply.

If you are not going until early next year then get a rabies vaccine done again and then blood test around 3-4 weeks after the rabies vaccine. The thing is that the amount of rabies antibodies rise after a vaccine and then reduce again slowly. The rabies test is to make sure your pet has over a certain amount of antibodies in their blood. So the longer after the vaccine the more chance there is that your pet will fail. The rabies blood test is the expensive part so you want to do what you can to make sure that it gets passed first time.

Hope that helps

Bob

Right OK, that makes sense then, thanks Bob

Hi Cherry

Sorry for the late reply.

If you are not going until early next year then get a rabies vaccine done again and then blood test around 3-4 weeks after the rabies vaccine. The thing is that the amount of rabies antibodies rise after a vaccine and then reduce again slowly. The rabies test is to make sure your pet has over a certain amount of antibodies in their blood. So the longer after the vaccine the more chance there is that your pet will fail. The rabies blood test is the expensive part so you want to do what you can to make sure that it gets passed first time.

Hope that helps

Bob

Yes mine had a rabies vaccination in May and a blood test in December - failed - so had another rabies vaccination and then after 30 days the next blood test - passed

We are just waiting now for the blood test results. My vet didnt seem to think we would need another vaccination, even though it was done in September. Her logic is that the vaccination is designed to last for 3 years, so the antibodies should not have dropped that much in 7 months. If it did fail, it would have been because it didnt work in the first place, in other words a fail at 7 months would have been a fail at 1 month. Whether or not that is correct I dont know as I dont always believe everything vets say, but we dont have much choice other than to wait for the results from this one and then if no good, vax and retest again

We are just waiting now for the blood test results. My vet didnt seem to think we would need another vaccination, even though it was done in September. Her logic is that the vaccination is designed to last for 3 years, so the antibodies should not have dropped that much in 7 months. If it did fail, it would have been because it didnt work in the first place, in other words a fail at 7 months would have been a fail at 1 month. Whether or not that is correct I dont know as I dont always believe everything vets say, but we dont have much choice other than to wait for the results from this one and then if no good, vax and retest again

I admit I am really surprised at your vet not thinking there wasn't any need to re-vaccinate and if it was going to fail it would have anyway etc....I saw this post back when you originally posted it ...and immediately thought at the time about the dropping levels of antibodies over time as Bob mentioned... given the amount of time since vaccination and the requirement for certain levels I too thought there was a good chance they might have fallen too low to get the desired result...but thought well he's a vet and I'm not so he would be more able to answer that than me. I hope that isn't the case and the levels are still high enough for your results. I just think well vets are human too, and yes mistakes can happen.

When I started off this process and all the way through my vets took all the info home with them and studied the most up to date requirements ...to make sure they knew exactly what was required of them. I'm very grateful to my vets for all the efforts ....they don't assume they double check which is really reassuring....they have a big file on my trio with all the requirements in it and yep they do look at it for reference at each stage so they know exactly where each one is at etc....A little example of that is them looking at the words 'continuous' ....1 of my dogs when looking at her vaccination record had had her vaccination booster the month needed BUT the dates showed it was actually 12 months and 2 days apart ....so we re-did them ...we felt it could be construed that there hadn't been 'continuous' cover due to the 2 days over the 12 months ...so we felt it was better to make sure there was no doubt she is completely vaccinated and it has been continuous and up to date etc. Little things but very important as the Aussie regulations are very exacting and is has to be right.

Will be hoping for your sake there is no need to re-vaccinate BUT just remember it's not the end of the world if they do ...it's very rare for two fails, most do pass the 2nd time around and you can then get on with the rest. The important thing is you've allowed yourself time in case there's any need to re-test any of the tests or treatments along the way.

cheers Mary-Anne

I hadn't realised when I replied to your original post that the levels would drop overtime But as Maryannen said if it fails the. You have time to get anothe vaccine - then test around 20 days after wards and if that ones ok you can send your pets 185 days after that

Your vet is by the way UK government approved not all vets are ?

I hadn't realised when I replied to your original post that the levels would drop overtime But as Maryannen said if it fails the. You have time to get anothe vaccine - then test around 20 days after wards and if that ones ok you can send your pets 185 days after that

Your vet is by the way UK government approved not all vets are ?

Spot on right Pat must be a UK Govt approved vets also known as OV vet ....even then it might have been a while since they prepared an animal for Australian export ...very important they know the most up to date requirements ...or as my vets said when he took the up to date documents home with him ....oh good got some 'light reading' to do tonight lol ... good sense of humour also a great trait in vets imo !!

cheers Mary-Anne

My vet has done pet exports before and I already have one dog done with the certificate which I presume means they are government approved. We have allowed ourselves time, however would prefer to go sooner than later obviously! So I guess fingers crossed is all I can do until I get the results back. Unfortunately I live in the middle of nowhere and this is the only vet for about 50 miles.

Maybe give your vet a call Cherry just to ease your own mind apart from anything else and make sure he has that precious red stamp

The company taking our Pei in April take his vets card and it travels with him

http://www.agriculture.gov.au/cats-dogs

if you go onto the link to the Oz government website and type in the date you would like your dog to travel it them comes up with the step by step instructions of what to do when

I originally printed it all out and showed by vets as they had sent dogs to the USA and Canada but not Australia

Maybe give your vet a call Cherry just to ease your own mind apart from anything else and make sure he has that precious red stamp

The company taking our Pei in April take his vets card and it travels with him

http://www.agriculture.gov.au/cats-dogs

if you go onto the link to the Oz government website and type in the date you would like your dog to travel it them comes up with the step by step instructions of what to do when

I originally printed it all out and showed by vets as they had sent dogs to the USA and Canada but not Australia

The rnatt declaration I had done by them for my other dog (a few months ago) has a green stamp on it, done by them, saying 'official veterinarian united kingdom' on so I am guessing thats ok?

The rnatt declaration I had done by them for my other dog (a few months ago) has a green stamp on it, done by them, saying 'official veterinarian united kingdom' on so I am guessing thats ok?

It would seem so if they say that our vets stamp is red so goodness knows

I must admit I check check and double check everything as we took our Cocker Spaniel many years ago when we originally emigrated and know we had to jump through hoops

Keep the forum up to date when you do get the results and hope all goes well

My anxiety levels are very high at the minute as our boy gets picked up on the 18th April and will fly on 27th !

It would seem so if they say that our vets stamp is red so goodness knows

I must admit I check check and double check everything as we took our Cocker Spaniel many years ago when we originally emigrated and know we had to jump through hoops

Keep the forum up to date when you do get the results and hope all goes well

My anxiety levels are very high at the minute as our boy gets picked up on the 18th April and will fly on 27th !

Im stressing so much over this, the dogs are my life and I couldnt go without them but goodness its all so complicated! I worry so much about the quarantine, let alone all the paperwork and dates etc. We are going with only a few thousand dollars, selling everything so that we can take our 2 dogs. Wouldnt be without them though! Will keep you updated, am really hoping it will all be fine. Good luck with your trip xx

The rnatt declaration I had done by them for my other dog (a few months ago) has a green stamp on it, done by them, saying 'official veterinarian united kingdom' on so I am guessing thats ok?

Yep green stamp is fine ....see below an little excerpt from the official UK vet guidelines

CERTIFICATION BY AN OFFICIAL VETERINARIAN (OV)

This certificate may be signed by an Official Veterinarian appointed by the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra), Scottish Government, Welsh Government, or an Authorised Veterinary Inspector (AVI) appointed by the Department of Agriculture and Rural Development Northern Ireland (DARDNI), who is an Official Veterinarian (OV) on the appropriate panel for export purposes. OVs/AVIs should sign and stamp the health certificate with the OV/AVI stamp in any colour OTHER THAN BLACK.

Any corrections made to the certificate must be struck through, remain legible and be signed and stamped by the Official Veterinarian (correction fluid must not be used).

A certified copy of the completed certificate must be sent to the

APHA Centre for International Trade (CIT) in Carlisle, within seven days of signature.

The OV/AVI should keep a copy for his/her own records.

Yep green stamp is fine ....see below an little excerpt from the official UK vet guidelines

 

CERTIFICATION BY AN OFFICIAL VETERINARIAN (OV)

This certificate may be signed by an Official Veterinarian appointed by the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra), Scottish Government, Welsh Government, or an Authorised Veterinary Inspector (AVI) appointed by the Department of Agriculture and Rural Development Northern Ireland (DARDNI), who is an Official Veterinarian (OV) on the appropriate panel for export purposes. OVs/AVIs should sign and stamp the health certificate with the OV/AVI stamp in any colour OTHER THAN BLACK.

 

 

Any corrections made to the certificate must be struck through, remain legible and be signed and stamped by the Official Veterinarian (correction fluid must not be used).

 

 

A certified copy of the completed certificate must be sent to the

APHA Centre for International Trade (CIT) in Carlisle, within seven days of signature.

 

 

The OV/AVI should keep a copy for his/her own records.

Just wondering who sends the certified copy - the dog owner or the vet ? I hadn't heard that bit before ........

Just wondering who sends the certified copy - the dog owner or the vet ? I hadn't heard that bit before ........

The company shipping our boy are doing the Defra bit we have done the rest as in gone through tests etc and got the documentation

Plus I waded through the BICON site to get the import permit for Australia took a bit od ping but got there in the end !

Just wondering who sends the certified copy - the dog owner or the vet ? I hadn't heard that bit before ........

The Vet sends it off to APHA ...APHA sends the Export Health certificate forms straight to the certifying vet at around 10 days before pet is due for export from the UK....they (ie the vets) will then fill those forms out on the day of the final exam. The vet keep a copy for themselves and they return another copy to APHA. ...oops thought I'd best add this bit ..The original certificates then travels with the animal.

cheers Mary-Anne

Well unsurprisingly my dog has failed his rabies test. When the vet told me I mentioned that she had said it would be fine to test without a re vax first, of course she still thinks she did the right thing. And so now yet another vax and blood test, costly times

Hi Hun,

Sorry to hear the result was a fail I gather the antibody levels had dropped that bit too much.....has your vet offered any help with the re-test costs etc given it was their advice to not re-vaccinate beforehand? Might be worth asking if they would at least in part met your costs for the second vaccination or test ? Cant hurt to ask and see what they think is fair... It's a blow...can understand how frustrating it is ... but on the bright side it's very rare for a dog to fail twice so hope it goes well this time around. Keep us posted

cheers Mary-Anne

Hi Hun,

Sorry to hear the result was a fail I gather the antibody levels had dropped that bit too much.....has your vet offered any help with the re-test costs etc given it was their advice to not re-vaccinate beforehand? Might be worth asking if they would at least in part met your costs for the second vaccination or test ? Cant hurt to ask and see what they think is fair... It's a blow...can understand how frustrating it is ... but on the bright side it's very rare for a dog to fail twice so hope it goes well this time around. Keep us posted

 

cheers Mary-Anne

The result was 0.3, so yes guessing the levels had dropped too much. The vet knew I was upset about it as I did bring it up on the phone about them recommending the blood test instead of a revax, its my daughters dog and she is only 21 and a student so this is very costly for her. The vet was quite defensive and said the dog would have failed no matter what as she doesnt believe the levels would have dropped that much. So I am not expecting any help with costs from them, but will mention it at the appointment for the revax today. We are using Pet Air Scotland and they have said to get the blood test done 3 weeks after the revax. Fingers crossed!

The rabies vax and test is one of the expensive parts for sure. It is a lot of money, especially for a student, to come up with twice ....Perhaps your dog might have failed regardless as yes some do fail the first one even if it is done within the recommended time frames. However maybe your vet might have chosen to put it a bit more diplomatically and said it could have failed rather than would have failed ...as the truth is that's not known even by the vet had it been done after 3 weeks .... so I think could might have been a better choice of phrasing on her part....it can't be proved one way or another now as to whether your dog would have passed or not. All that can be done is to revax and then re=test in 3 weeks. I'd still ask what she thinks is fair ....just my opinion but sounds like she was making unproved assumptions there. Can't hurt to talk with her about it all...

Hope it all goes well this time around

cheers Mary-Anne