Rabies injection for cats, Side Effects & Safety Guide
Hi, I’m Doctor Anne Marshall, and today we’re going to be administering a rabies vaccination to a feline. So obviously, the first step in this process is that we have to draw up our vaccination. Most of our rabies vaccinations here in the United States come in single dose vials that are about one milliliter. And so that’s what we have right now.
You need to puncture the soft part of the vial. I like to keep my needle at the edge here so that I can get all of the vaccination. You’re going to draw all this back, and then I spin my vial to make sure that I have all of it in here. And then once you remove, you’ll lose that negative pressure. And then we don’t have any bubbles in this one. But I like to make sure there are no bubbles trapped anywhere in my vaccination.
Really important that we also change our needle before administering to our patients so that we have a fresh needle. And we’re not trying to poke through skin with an old needle. And then again, getting rid of all the excess air. And we are ready.
The other important step that we like to do here is to remove the label from the vial and put it on the vaccination record so that obviously this is staying in my hands today. But if this were my technician or my assistant drawing this up and handing it to me, I know what’s being given and I can double check it as a safeguard before administering it to my patient. It also allows us to keep track of the serial numbers in case there were a vaccination recall, or we have a vaccine reaction, it’s important to have those numbers available.
Sanji is a year and a half old, domestic medium hair, male neutered cat and rabies vaccinations in cats. We want to give them low on the right rear leg. It’s really important that they have a full physical exam before vaccination or recently, especially with rabies, because we want to make sure that we know whether or not anything is present prior to vaccine administration. Sanji is a very good candidate here and had a normal physical examination. So we will go ahead and get this vaccination.
We’re going to go as low as we can on the right rear leg. We’re going to go subcutaneous. I like to tent the skin going in at a 45 degree angle popping in and pull back to make sure that we don’t have any. We have negative pressure. So we’re subcutaneous. And now we’re giving. And then there’s going to be a little bump that’s normal.
Things to Watch For After Administration
Some things that we want to watch for after administration of a rabies vaccination or any vaccine, it’s important to be aware of what your shock organs are. In our patients and cats, the shock organ is going to be the respiratory system.
So any difficulty breathing can indicate a really serious vaccine reaction. But the other normal monitoring includes watching for any vomiting, diarrhea, any hive development or facial swelling less common in cats than dogs. But it can happen. And then it’s very normal for our patients to be a bit lethargic or a bit sore at the vaccine location after administration for about 24 to 48 hours afterwards.
However, if it’s extending beyond that, then sometimes we talk about changing our vaccine protocol, administering fewer vaccinations at the same time, things like that.
FAQ
What size are most rabies vaccine vials in the United States? Most of our rabies vaccinations here in the United States come in single dose vials that are about one milliliter.
Where do we give rabies vaccinations in cats? We want to give them low on the right rear leg.
Why do we change the needle before injecting? Really important that we also change our needle before administering to our patients so that we have a fresh needle. And we’re not trying to poke through skin with an old needle.
Why do we put the vial label on the record? It allows us to keep track of the serial numbers in case there were a vaccination recall, or we have a vaccine reaction.
What is the shock organ in cats for vaccine reactions? In our patients and cats, the shock organ is going to be the respiratory system. So any difficulty breathing can indicate a really serious vaccine reaction.
Conclusion
Administering a rabies vaccination to a feline involves drawing up the vaccine carefully from a single dose vial, changing to a fresh needle, and giving it subcutaneously low on the right rear leg after confirming a normal physical exam. After the injection a small bump is normal. Watch for any difficulty breathing, vomiting, diarrhea, hives, facial swelling, or prolonged lethargy or soreness beyond 24 to 48 hours. These steps help keep the process safe and effective for the cat.
