I have a girl with a pet passport.
Her rabies jab is due in January and I was going to get it done now as I'm planning on mating her and she could have babies in January.
Well, she has only gone and started her season early!

I called the vet who was not very useful at all, saying I could vaccinate now or in January...
Did not seem to get my concerns at all telling me the vaccinations are tested and safe and blahblah -new vet, our brilliant vet has left the practice.

Neither vaccination sits perfectly well with me (especially in January where she will have babies suckling from her) but I would prefer not having to go through the passporting process again.
Not only because of the hassle&cost of it but what about if she fails and I can not get her a passport again!

Now, the baby we will keep will need to get a passport as well so they can travel out of UK...
I have heard of few cases where the bitch has been rabies vaccinated right before her season and the resulting puppies have struggled to get high enough antibody readings for the passport...even after being boostered few times in trying to get the antibodies going.
I don't know if this has been a coincidence or if the just renewed rabies jab has made a difference.
I know this is  long shot but does anybody have personal experiences in the matter?

I think with either vaccinating g now or in January you could and up with pups having maternal antibodies to the Rabies, but less chance I would think if she was vaccinated after they are born as the maternal antibodies are passed before birth and in the colostrum which is available in first few days after birth.

So I would wait until after pups are born when the vaccine becomes due.

Just checking my girls, Lexi was last vaccinated for Rabies Oct 2007 adn ehr daughter Inka was born July 2008, and was first Rabies vaccinated for pet passport in Dec 2009 and blood sampled April 2010 (wanted her to qualify for travel to Scandinvia where the time from Rabies vacciantion and blood sampling has to be longer, 120 - 364 days from last Rabies vaccine), she then had her blood taken.  She passed no problem.

Her mother was born Sept 2003 after her own mother had been Rabies vaccinated in 2001.  She had been re-vaccianted for Rabies only a month after lexi's birth, adn Lexi was vaccinated at 12 weeks and blood tested a month later and passed.

Thank you very much for your reply.

Did I get it right Lexi's mum was re-vaccinated 4 weeks after having Lexi?
As this is more of less exact situation we will be in, pups being 4 weeks when she is due to have the jab if I wait till January.

I know quite a few dogs that have passed the UK tests when young but then failed for the Swedish rules little later and been unable to pass the test for Sweden despite being re-vaccinated... Which is why I'm thinking what about if my girl is one of those e.g. She had the antibodies for the original testing when young but what about if they are now gone as she would not pass again!

The whole passporting scheme and rules are pretty rubbish, considering dogs are allowed here if they pass the initial test... Although later tests prove they no longer have the antibodies when tested after 120 days... makes the whole 6 month wait totally pointless...
Never mind, must follow what the DEFRA says, even if it seems there is no scientific backing to it :).

Yes that is rigth, and it didn't affect Lexi passing her blood test done as a baby.

I would be happier having the vaccination done after puppies were born rather than before pups if it were me.

OK now you've got me paranoid.  I thought I'd sorted this with my vet, but now your post is worrying me again and no one (ie my vets or anything definitive on the internet) seems to be able to give  me a definite answer so maybe you can point me to where I can find it (sorry to hijack the thread).

My girls have received their rabies vaccine, and have now been issued their Passports today now that their titres have come back.  Obviously I have to have had these ones done in order to return (done 3 weeks after vaccinations), but do I also need to have another test done 120 days from their vaccine as well in order to enter Sweden? 

I opted to just have one jab and titre (rather than over-vaccinate - then if it had been too low I would have given them the second one and re-titred).  Their titres were plenty high enough so I'm obviously set for getting back in to the UK, but now you've got me worried about being able to get into Sweden?

So do you know (or know where I can confirm) - do I need to have a second titre done? (now paranoid about failing that since I only had the one vaccine done) and then is there a separate place for recording that in the passport?

I'm travelling in May/June.  It wasn't going to be tight until having to take this extra titre into account.

thanks for any advice you can give - I thought I had it all covered but maybe not :(

> but do I also need to have another test done 120 days from their vaccine as well in order to enter Sweden? 
>

Yes http://www.petrelocation.com/resources/international-regulations/sweden that is why I waited so as not to have to do it twice, as I had plenty of time from starting to when I need to travel.

Rules for Norway are the same (Titre test 120 - 364 days after latest Rabies vaccination), but no probelms with Finland, same as rest of EU.

> and then is there a separate place for recording that in the passport?
>

There is space in Pet Passport to record further Titre tests,a nd there is no waiting period from the Titre test result to when you can enter Sweden, the return to UK (6 months waiting) will count from the first titre test so you will be fine coming back, but will need to point out the first titre result in case they don't get it when checking the Passport.

Thanks Barbara (and Noora for your pm).  Just when I thought I had it all together - bang - it's all up in the air again.

I'm off to pick up the passports from the vets office now so will have a word when I get there.

Thanks so very much!  I'm so glad I saw this topic.