Rabies Shots

[countrygirl12]

Honestly, I don't know what would happen if a human was given a rabies vaccine meant for dogs. Feline, canine, and human vaccines all contain the killed rabies virus, but it's formulated differently for each species' immune system.

It is recommended, but not legally required, for anyone working with animals to be vaccinated for rabies, especially if working with wildlife. When I was in college, I had to either get the vaccine or sign a waiver before I could start my internship. I got the vaccine - it was 3 shots in the arm muscle, a few weeks apart. It was about $600, if I recall correctly, and my health insurance wouldn't cover it. If you are exposed to rabies when you are vaccinated, you still have to get post-exposure shots like everyone else, but you only have to get 2 of them instead of 4.

Wow.  I did not know that.  I just wondered because there were a lot of dogs there and some were jumpy so I wondered if the needle accidentally stabbed her if it would hurt her.  OR the pet owner trying to hold the dog.

Getting accidentally stabbed by the needle happens. It's less likely that a person would get stabbed AND push the plunger to inject all the contents, but I'm sure that happens occasionally too. I always left the cap on the needle until the last second after the animal was calm, or I asked the owner or another tech to help restrain the animal.

Edit: I just found the MSDS for the killed rabies vaccine. It says there may be localized swelling from accidental injection, and possibly an allergic reaction to the preservatives. https://www.henryscheinvet.com/Content/pdfs/P011542.pdf

Well several times she stuck the dog and the needle came back out and she had to do it again because it was kind of a bad situation.  It was a clinic where the shots were offered at $10 and they go around to the different schools.  So there were a ton of dogs.  Everybody was excited so I think that made it a little more difficult to be calm.