Rabies certificate to take my puppy on the flight?

Question

My puppy got her rabies shot last September,

Last Dacember I tried to take her to overseas, so I have got a rabies certificate

(even though I didn't take her because of the problem with her kennel) Now I actually lost that certificate.

And I'm going overseas this Friday, so I went to the same hospital to get a rabies certificate, but the different vet came in.

I asked him to give me a rabies certificate and he said he can't unless my puppy got another rabies shot.

So I told him that I got one in December at the same hospital, but he just kept saying he can't give one and he doesn't knoe about that case...

So I looked up the internet and everybody says I could absolutely get one from the vet. It that true?

So I made an appointment tommorrow again. If he says he can't give one again, could I just ask him that I need a copy of the rabies certificate? Do they keep the copy of the certificate(that hospital is where my puppy gor her shot)?

Thank you so much..

Answer 1

Sophie,

The receptionist there should be able to look up your records for your puppy and see that they gave him a rabies vaccination, and give you a new certificate. If they cannot, go to another vet and do not go back to the original one.

I assume that you are in the USA. Vets are REQUIRED by law to keep records of rabies vaccinations.

Regards,

Dan

Answer 2

Don't even talk to the vet. Talk to the office manager or appointment setter. You are paying for a vet visit that you may not need. Since the rabies shot was given in December 2007, it is still valid. Regardless of age of the dog when the first shot is given, the first one is good for one year. After that first year, get another shot and then they are good for three years at a time. Request a duplicate certificate or other documentation showing that the dog was vaccinated in December of 2007. The doctor and the hospital are both required to keep records of animals they vaccinate in case that animal bites someone and the police or medical personnel need the records.

Rabies may not be the only vaccination your dog needs, however. Parvo and distemper are also common requirements. I suggest you thoroughly check the entrance requirements for the country you are visiting as well as the re-entry requirements for the USA.

A bigger issue: either you have an ignorant vet this last visit or he is trying to scam you. Either is bad. Talk to the hospital office and let them know about your experience. More importantly, if the vet truly did not know anything about your dog before seeing him and you had previously been to this same facility, switch now and fast. That means he either did not have or did not bother to read your dog's medical history and chart. This is just as important for a pet as for humans. Would you want treatment from a doctor in the hospital who had not read your chart before offering treatment options?

Answer 3

You need to ask some more questions at the vet as many vets are not up on all of this. There are a couple of countries that will take a vet issued certificate. But then you can run into the need for various other shots with the country or the airline.

Rabies takes a couple of weeks to manifest to most countries will not just take a piece of paper from the vet. That can mean denial of entry or a substantial quarantine period.

In most cases the vet has to draw blood and sent it to one of the few testing centers that are allowed to issue a valid international certificate. We are talking about two weeks processing time. I laughed when I recieved it all back. Essentially my dog has it's own doggie passport complete with a picture.

Of course see what is needed for where you are going. The vet thing is bull pucky. You need to get mad as by law they are required to keep records of vaccinations. It matters not if it a different vet. in the same place. Ask what this is all about since if you had vaccinations and whatever procedures done before they really keep no records?

You wonder about how that provides care and how the authorities would view this. So what other shots might be over lapped and cause issues? What shots might just be a money making thing for them. Be calm but firmly say I want my certificate from before. Sure rabies could be annual but they need to figure out the previous ones.