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Cat under Food and Water Stress
Name: Nitin
Status: other
Grade: other
Location: Outside U.S.
Country: India
Date: N/A
Question:
my dog aged around 3 months died suddenely after fever
around 106 degree farenheit. was anorectic for one day but could
swallow water. few days before he was found eating upon a dead
lizard. i get the necropsy done for my dog and it was diagnosed that
it died of Rabies. Can it be possible for a 3 months pup to be
infected with Rabies as Rabies vaccination is to be done after the
age of 3 months. Then how it can be possible?
Replies:
Hello Nitin,
It is possible for a 3 month old puppy to get rabies. The reason that the first vaccination isn't given until 3 months has to do with maternal antibodies to rabies. The mother dog will pass along protection from rabies to her pups, and this protection can last up to 3 months. If the mother has strong protection against rabies, the pup will be protected until it is 3 or so months of age. If, however, the mother dog does not have a strong immune defense against rabies, that protection may only last for, say, 5 or 6 weeks. The reason puppy's are not vaccinated against rabies prior to 3 months is that the vaccine will be completely useless if the puppy still has maternal protection, and then you'll have a dog that you think is vaccinated but actually isn't. Although it can be determined if a puppy is protected prior to 3 months, it would be expensive to try to figure out when the protection passed on from the puppy's mother goes away - so the 3 month vaccination time was determined so that the vast majority of vaccinations given will be effective.
Sorry to hear about your puppy.
Susannah Sample DVM
University of Wisconsin
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Update: June 2012
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