Don抰 Forget Your Dog抯 Annual Rabies Shots

When you own a dog, part of the health care of that dog has to be getting regular rabies shots. Most dog owners don抰 keep these shots up to date and feel that if their dogs aren抰 running free, the shots aren抰 important.

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燱hat you don抰 understand is that even if your dog is kept on a leash, or in a fenced yard, there抯 no guarantee that he won抰 be exposed to rabies. Your dog can pick up this virus just by licking the ground. A rabid animal may have left bodily fluid on the ground shortly before your dog licks it.

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Most owners concentrate on teaching their dogs obedience, while thinking about health care only when the dog is first brought home or gets sick. This is a mistake that can become fatal. Rabies shots are vital if you抮e serious about keeping your dog healthy. Should your dog have contact with an infected animal, such as a skunk or raccoon, your dog may have to be euthanized. Not only that, but rabies is also a threat to your family.

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As scary as rabies is, it抯 also simple enough to protect both your dog and your family. Just keep your dog抯 shots up to date. As the vaccine becomes less effective over time, it抯 imperative that you keep up with how often your dog needs to be re-vaccinated. The time between shots is usually 6 months and 2 years. However, by 2 years, the vaccine may be totally ineffective. To be completely safe, your dog should have a rabies shot every year.

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Preventative health care for your dog is very important. It keeps your dog protected from painful and deadly diseases, such as rabies. This disease produces horrible suffering as it affects the whole nervous system before causing your dog to die. As of now, there抯 no cure. But there IS a preventative vaccine.

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There抯 never a definite way to know when your dog will come into contact with rabies. A neighborhood cat can be infected and wander into your yard. Raccoons and skunks can also walk through your yard without you knowing it and leave their infected saliva for your dog to lick later.

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Never assume that your dog can抰 get rabies. Instead, have the dog vaccinated regularly to keep everyone safe.

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