Does anyone administer rabies vaccinations themselves?

The title pretty much says it all. My vet passed away and I am thinking about giving spring shots myself this year. I have never had rabies vaccinations given to my horses before......my vet didn't think it was necessary. But it is listed as a core vaccine and we live in a wooded area with pretty much all of the carrier-type animals like foxes, skunks, bats, etc.

I noticed you can buy rabies vaccine from the same catalogs you can buy their other vaccines. It's inexpensive and from what I can tell is pretty safe as far as vaccines go. Or at least I didn't hear any horror stories on the internet when researching it. I am thinking about giving it.

Does anyone else give rabies vaccine themselves?

I don't but pretty much because in the state that I live in rabies vaccine has to be given by the vet to be recognized. So a lot depends on your state laws. If I could give it myself I probably would, even if not required by law it is good protection especially if rabies has been found in the wildlife in your area.

We gave all our shots this year to horses and dogs. The rabies isn't recognized, but some companies will send you the tag apparently, but we did not receive the tag with the order for some reason.

I think in most states a vet must administer the rabies vaccine in order for it to be recognized. I prefer it that way. If something were to happen with my dog, its nice to have that paper trail that says she is vaccinated.

If you administer the vaccine and something happens where you need to prove she is vaccinated, good luck if you don't have a paper trail. I doubt a receipt or shipping memo will be enough.

It's illegal to do so in most states.

Not illegal to administer yourself but just not recognized. If you keep your horses at home and would really have no need to prove to anyone that it was given there is no reason not to give it yourself.

Dogs and cats are another story.

Wetrain,

Definitely agree. I am going to have to get everyone redone by a vet in a few months when we move with the Coast Guard. I didn't want to have to pay the vet fees twice in such a short amount of time.

What you also have to worry about is vaccines not being stored properly (at wholesaler/shipping) and becoming inactive.

I've always given my own shots for just about everything, rabies, tetanus, botulism, west nile, even antibiotics. If you've never given a horse a shot before, it's nice to take a few lessons from someone who has a lot of experience just so you can learn how to do it quickly and easily without making the horse needlephobic.

With deepest sympathies to the vet's family and friends --- you are still going to need a vet when other issues crop up, so why not start the search now and let the new vet introduce him/her self to your horses via the rabies shot?

Or if you live in a fairly remote area to where you have to wait for a vet to come to your local facility, I would still call a facility nearest you and ask for a vet to administer rabies shots. Perhaps you could a few neighbors to make it worth the vet's time and travel????

I ditto everyone's reasons to not give your own.

Even if I wanted to, I think in the state of Tennessee, the vet has to give the shot

The vet records the injection so if there are any issues - you as the horse owner are protected.