Cheaper way to get rabies vaccination?

[Gurame21]

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Hey everyone,

As I'm sure you all know, getting vaccinated for rabies is very pricey. I know that matriculating at a vet school would require me to get this vaccination, but I am interested in getting it now. Doing so would allow me to be more hands on in volunteer activities, especially those involving stray or wild animals. When I participated in operation catnip, for example, I was really only allowed to record the dosages being administered to the cats and was not allowed, for my safety, to handle them. The vaccinated pre-vet students were allowed to help transport the animals and even allowed to administer subcutaneous fluids and injections, which could be good practice.
Thanks!

 

[Gurame21]

oops I forgot to actually propose my question! Are there cheaper ways to get vaccinated or is it a relatively stable price?
My mom jokingly said I should go into the woods and allow myself to get bitten by something so our insurance will cover the shots XD

 

[katryn]

If you've been working with a vet on a regular basis, ask them to keep an eye out-sometimes the local vma organizations will sponsor titer/injection clinics for vets and staff.

 

[crazy bout qtrs]

oops I forgot to actually propose my question! Are there cheaper ways to get vaccinated or is it a relatively stable price?
My mom jokingly said I should go into the woods and allow myself to get bitten by something so our insurance will cover the shots XD

You can try to find a job that pays for the series . The lab I work at paid for the whole series, nurse visits, and the titer.

 

[cowgirla]

Insurance covered mine

 

[chickenlittle]

In the college town that I used to live in, one of the plasma donation centers would pay for rabies vaccines if you committed to donating plasma a certain number of times. (That's how they get the post-exposure immunoglobulin injections.) Not sure if places still do that or if you live in an area with one of those centers, but it may be worth looking into.

 

[LetItSnow]

In the college town that I used to live in, one of the plasma donation centers would pay for rabies vaccines if you committed to donating plasma a certain number of times. (That's how they get the post-exposure immunoglobulin injections.) Not sure if places still do that or if you live in an area with one of those centers, but it may be worth looking into.

Ha! I always wondered where the human Ig came from for post-exposure treatment.

I mean, I knew it came from humans. Never mind. You know what I mean.

OP: Call your insurance company and tell them you will be working in a high-risk environment (volunteering with wildlife) and ask if it's covered. Like cowgirla, my insurance provider covered it.

 

[bbeventer]

You can try to find a job that pays for the series . The lab I work at paid for the whole series, nurse visits, and the titer.

Like she said, some labs will pay for the series. I know in my lab if one of our projects funding went through, my series would of been paid for because I would be handling wild animals. Other labs I know will pay for the series if you are directly related to a project. As it is, I will be stuck dishing out the $700+ for the series. 🙄

 

[Lupin21]

Along these same lines, I got my series in 2010 when I was working with wildlife. How long is this good for? So far, I have found that at two years, a titer will be necessary and if the antibodies are still present, it's all good. Anyone else heard anything?

 

[crazy bout qtrs]

Along these same lines, I got my series in 2010 when I was working with wildlife. How long is this good for? So far, I have found that at two years, a titer will be necessary and if the antibodies are still present, it's all good. Anyone else heard anything?

My lab requires titers every year just because of the nature of our work; lot's of rabies suspect cases in pathology... I had to get my titer done 6 weeks after the series to show I had sufficient antibodies. As far as I know nobody I work with has had to get boosters.

 

[wildcatj]

Along these same lines, I got my series in 2010 when I was working with wildlife. How long is this good for? So far, I have found that at two years, a titer will be necessary and if the antibodies are still present, it's all good. Anyone else heard anything?

It's been my understanding that it just depends on the person. I've heard of someone who didn't have sufficient titres after their first round and had to get a second (think it was someone on here actually). Then other people are good for 10+ years. I think average is probably like 4-5, but I could be making that up.

 

[orcagirl]

Along these same lines, I got my series in 2010 when I was working with wildlife. How long is this good for? So far, I have found that at two years, a titer will be necessary and if the antibodies are still present, it's all good. Anyone else heard anything?

I've heard you need titers like every two years and the vaccine every 7-10 years.

 

[LetItSnow]

I've heard you need titers like every two years and the vaccine every 7-10 years.

Just depends on the level of coverage you want or your employer requires, which ought to be based on the risk of exposure. In the grand scheme of things you can just titer however often you want and there's no reason to ever booster it unless/until it falls below the level accepted as providing protection. I know some people who got a series two decades ago and still have good titers.