Originally Posted by
Summerthyme
Goatlady... that may, or may not be true- it depends on the state. Each one has different laws.
Anyway... read the label!! If it's a sub-q (under the skin) injection (Pretty sure it is, but we can't legally give our own here, so we have our farm vet do it when he comes) just lift the skin just in front of the shoulder blades, stick the needle through the full skin thickness (but NOT all the way through both layers so you squirt it out the other side! LOL- usually more common in puppies and kittens, but can happen in a small, thin skinned dog), pull back slightly on the plunger to be certain you don't have it in a blood vessel and then inject.
Done properly, they won't even notice. If you DO see blood in the syringe (never has happened to me in many, many years of vaccinating assorted puppies, kittens, dogs and cats) pull it out and repeat in a different spot.
And no, I would NOT vaccinate a pregnant dog personally, although I don't know what the actual "official" position for this particular vaccine is.
The other thing- are rabies shots required *annually* in your state? In NY, it's an initial vaccine after 6 months, one 12 months later, and then once every three years. And even that is likely overkill in terms of providing adequate immunity... rabies vaccines last a long time in most.
Summerthyme