How to Give a Rabies Shot to a Dog

There are many good reasons for giving your pet his initial or booster inoculations. Many vaccines are easy to find and simple to administer with a little practice. As a rule inoculations are given subcutaneously (under the skin) not in the muscle, in between the shoulder blades where the skin is loose enough to pick up to form a pocket. Giving inoculations to your pet can save you a great deal of money because you can often buy the actual vaccines cheaper than a vet would charge, and save money on office visits as well as time and money traveling to and from the vet's office.

Things You'll Need

• Cotton swab
• Rubbing alcohol
• Syringe
• Single dose vial of rabies vaccine

Instructions

1. Keep in mind that even if you can purchase vaccines many states regulate the sales of syringes and you will need to obtain a prescription from your veterinarian to order them. If you have a good relationship with your veterinarian he will likely not give you a problem writing the prescription, but don't expect him to be happy about it, as he loses money when people give their pets shots. However, many veterinarians understand that people who own several dogs need to conserve money and will oblige especially if you are a regular customer.

2. Choose a location on the hip near the fleshy part of the buttocks for the shot and swab the area with a cotton swab soaked in alcohol to sanitize the area.

3. Fill the syringe with the rabies vaccine. The vaccines come in single dose containers of 1.0 ml.

4. Inject directly into the muscle tissue of the buttocks.

5. Have epinephrine on hand to counteract any adverse reactions to a rabies shot. All inoculations should be carefully observed for swelling, breathing difficulties or other distress caused by the vaccines.

6. Understand that it is illegal in the United States to administer your own rabies shots to your pets. Most other vaccinations are legal for home inoculations but any vaccine meant to protect the general public from a 'zoonotic' disease (one that can be passed to a human being), such as rabies vaccines, must be given by a licensed veterinarian who will provide you with the proper paperwork as proof of inoculation. However, having a better understanding of the procedure can give you greater insight into your pet's health.