John, an IT manager from Sacramento, was excited about his new job opportunity in London, UK. However, he was puzzled when his agent from Transcon Pet Movers told him that the United Kingdom deems his dog’s rabies vaccination expired. His doctor had told him it’s valid for 3 years, and there was at least 1 more year to go before it expired. That’s what is written on the vaccination record as well! What’s going on?
Is My Dog’s Rabies Vaccination Valid for 1 Year or 3 Years?
John’s problem isn’t uncommon and happens to perhaps 1 out of 4 pet owners who use our services for their pet’s travel. If caught early, it’s possible to remedy it. Otherwise, you may find yourself in a situation where you put your pet through many other procedures and pay a lot of money for them only to discover that due to the rabies vaccination, everything else done later is now useless.
Let’s identify and break down what the problem actually is: Most countries require a valid rabies vaccination for your pet to enter. Even if it’s the only requirement (besides the health certificate), you need to read the fine print of how to actually meet the “valid rabies vaccination requirement.”
Manufacturer Guidelines for Rabies Vaccination Validity
Understanding the validity of a rabies vaccination involves three key parties: the manufacturer of the vaccine, the veterinarian who administered it, and the country of import that sets the requirements. Among these, the importing country’s regulations hold the most weight. Most countries stipulate that the vaccination is only valid if administered according to the manufacturer’s recommendation or a similar guideline.
Manufacturers like Boehringer Ingelheim/Merial, Elanco, Merck, Zoetis, and MSD produce different rabies vaccination products, typically with 1-year and 3-year validity options. The 1-year vaccine is straightforward, being valid for exactly one year. However, the 3-year vaccine is only valid for three years if it meets certain conditions: it must be administered as a booster to a pet that received a primary rabies vaccination before the age of 3 months. If these conditions aren’t met, the vaccination is considered valid for only one year.
As your pet relocation agents, it is crucial for us to track down your pet’s earlier rabies vaccination records to prove to the importing country that your final rabies vaccination is indeed valid for three years. Without this proof, or if the conditions for the 3-year validity are not met, we often recommend that your pet receives another rabies vaccination. This is also advisable in cases where your pet needs a rabies titer test to ensure compliance with international travel requirements.
Special Case: Validity of a Rabies Vaccination Prior to Microchip Implantation
For most, if not all countries, vaccinations are only considered valid for travel if they were administered after a pet has been microchipped. This is the only way they can verify that the vaccination belongs to your pet and that your pet, being identifiable via a microchip, has been vaccinated on that particular date. There is no “declaration” otherwise acceptable. In turn, that means that while verifying your pet’s paperwork and rabies vaccination records, we have to be “blind” to any vaccination records done prior to your pet being microchipped. That sometimes results in your pet not having that primary rabies vaccination in order for the latest rabies vaccination to be considered valid for 3 years.
Understanding the Difference: Vet vs. Pet Agent Roles
It’s important to understand that veterinarians and pet agents have different responsibilities. Veterinarians focus on your pet’s health and well-being, while pet agents ensure your pet meets the importing country’s requirements. These roles can sometimes conflict.
Your veterinarian may consider your pet’s latest rabies vaccination valid for three years because they know about the previous primary rabies vaccination, even if it was done before your pet was microchipped. However, we, as pet agents, cannot recognize vaccinations given before microchipping for travel purposes.
We always prioritize your pet’s health, but if you plan to travel with your pet, we recommend following our advice to meet all legal requirements.
Some Rabies Vaccination Requirement Examples
Disclaimer: These are only some examples. Please consult with a full-service agent like Transcon Pet Movers to determine what is actually required for your pet.
Hong Kong, Taiwan, South Africa: These countries don’t recognize the validity of rabies vaccinations beyond 1 year. This does not mean that the country doesn’t recognize 3-year rabies products but that if administered, it only offers your pet protection for 1 year. To put it another way, these countries require your pet to be vaccinated against rabies within 1 year of travel.
Singapore, United Kingdom, and the EU: Popular destinations, they recognize 3-year rabies vaccination validities if previous rabies vaccinations can be tracked down to the primary.
Japan, Thailand: Some countries do not explicitly state whether 3-year vaccinations require proof of primary vaccinations to be valid. The best way to negotiate this is to be prepared to provide those documentations or to err on the side of caution and only travel with rabies vaccinations within 1 year.
Rabies Vaccination Certificate
Along with all the hassle of making sure the rabies vaccination is done correctly, the rabies vaccination certificate is a document that needs to travel alongside your pet. Before July 15, there is no specific format the rabies vaccination certificate should look like. However, a few key items that must be on your pet’s vaccination records are:
- Details of the hospital
- Pet’s details including microchip number
- Vaccination details including manufacturer name, product name, batch/serial number, product expiry date, vaccination date, and valid till date.
- Doctor’s name and signature (ideally in original blue ink).
Conclusion
A lucky person might just have had the rabies vaccination for their pets done in the perfect date range, but hopefully, the above has helped someone discover that they are in danger of not meeting their destination’s requirements as they had first thought!
To both, we would like to remind you that rabies vaccination may not be the only requirement your pet has to meet. Procedures like rabies titer tests, parasite treatments, and the final health certificate all have their own “traps” that one might fall into. Do a lot more homework or consider trusting in a company like Transcon Pet Movers to oversee all of these for you.
Please note that John is a fictional character. The information provided about rabies vaccinations is accurate and relevant for pet owners planning international travel.