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New Rabies Vaccination Requirements
On February 27, 2003, the Texas Board of Health approved
changes to the Texas Administrative Code, pertaining to Rabies
Control and Eradication. The amended law went into effect
on March 19, 2003.
One of the most important effects of this revision of the
law has been to permit pet owners and veterinarians to
elect to vaccinate dogs and cats against rabies only once
every three (3) years – under some circumstances – instead
of instead of vaccinating against rabies every single year,
like we’ve always done.
These amendments are posted
on the Texas Department of Health Zoonosis Control Division’s
website at www.tdh.state.tx.us/zoonosis.
The new language for Section 169.29 (a) is as follows:
The owner or custodian
(excluding animal shelters) of each domestic dog
or cat shall have
the animal vaccinated against rabies
by four months of age. The animal must receive a
booster within the 12-month interval following
the initial vaccination. Every domestic dog or cat must
be revaccinated against rabies at a minimum of at least
once
every three years with a rabies vaccine licensed by the
United States Department of Agriculture. The vaccine
must be administered
according to label recommendations. Livestock (especially
those that have frequent contact with humans), domestic
ferrets, and wolf-dog hybrids should be vaccinated
against rabies.
Nothing in this section prohibits a veterinarian and
owner or custodian from selecting a more frequent rabies
vaccination
interval. Health and Safety Code, §§826.014
and 826.015 allow local jurisdictions to establish more
frequent
rabies vaccination intervals.
In summary, here is what all that means:
- All dogs and cats must
be vaccinated against rabies by the time they are 4 months
(16 weeks) of age.
- All
dogs and cats must receive a second rabies vaccination
within one year of receiving their first vaccination,
regardless of the type of vaccine used or the age at
which the animal
was initially vaccinated.
- If the
animal has received at least two vaccinations and the
last vaccination consisted
of...
a. an annual rabies vaccine, then the animal must
receive a vaccination within 12 months.
b. a triennial vaccine, then the animal must receive
a vaccination within 36 months.
- If the
animal has received at least two vaccinations prior to
this amendment and
a triennial vaccine was used for
the last vaccination, this amendment is retroactive (i.e.,
the animal’s next
vaccination
will be due within 36 months from the date of its
last vaccination).
- Pet owners and veterinarians
may continue to vaccinate dogs and cats against rabies
every
12 months, if
they wish.
- City, town and local
governments and local Animal Control departments may
choose to require
a more
frequent rabies
vaccination interval, even though the Texas
department of Health suggests that vaccination
of dogs and
cats against
rabies every three years is fine. Please see
below for more
For more detailed information, pet owners can contact their
Texas Department of Health Regional Zoonosis Control office,
or Dr. Jane Mahlow, Director, Zoonosis Control Division at
512-458-7255 or email The.Vet@tdh.state.tx.us.
What about my area?
Please see here for the Texas
Dept. of Health's list
of local rabies control authorities and rabies vaccination
requirements.
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