Rabies is a zoonotic disease, meaning it can be transferred from other mammals to humans.  In veterinary terms, rabies is one of few diseases that can be transmitted from dogs or cats their owners or other humans.  Rabies is deadly and only one known individual has survived a rabies infection without treatment.  For this reason, rabies vaccines are required by law for all domestic animals. 

In order to ensure the validity of the vaccine, rabies, by law, must be given by a veterinarian.

Rabies is considered a viral zoonotic disease; a virus (not treatable with antibiotics) that can be transmitted from animal to human.  It causes encephalitis (inflammation of the brain) in mammals and is generally fatal after symptoms have developed. 

Generally symptomatic animals are euthanized and the spinal chord is tested for presence of rabies vaccines.  All wild bats that have been in contact with humans are tested for rabies and so are most wild animals that show unusual aggressive behavior. 

Unregistered domestic animals that bite humans are quarantined for approximately 10 days for observation.  Neurological symptoms of rabies manifest within 10 days in an infected individual and these animals are generally released back to their owners pending an updated rabies vaccine. 

Common rabies vaccines can be good from one to three years depending on the manufacturer.  Despite three-year vaccine expiration, however, some counties and cities across the U.S. still require annual rabies vaccinations.  This is usually due to large numbers of wild animals in the area and a greater risk of rabies spread to domestic animals.

The adjuvents (preservatives) in some common rabies vaccines cause an inflammatory response in tissues that, under some circumstances, can lead to abnormal cell growth and cancer.  This has been observed in cats where an invasive cancerous tumor called a Fibrous Sarcoma develops at the injection site for rabies vaccine.  As a result, the company Merial genetically engineered a rabies vaccine specifically for cats by combining a killed rabies virus with the shell of a canary virus.  This vaccine, called Purvax, is generally considered a safer rabies vaccine for cats, but, at this point, can only be good for one year at a time. 

[Note that each vaccine is given in a separate area of the body, usually above limbs, so that any reactions can be traced back to the vaccine and serial number.  They are given over the limbs so that, if a cancerous tumor or other sever reaction occurs, the limb can be amputated to save the animal’s life]