The Tails of Truth Podcast:

Tails of Truth: The Rabies Vaccine Recall: What Pet Parents Need to Know

The Boehringer Ingelheim rabies vaccine recall caught clinics and pet parents off guard. Here's what actually happened.

A single lot of IMRAB 3TF rabies vaccine, Serial #18665, was found to contain sterile water in a small number of vials. Boehringer Ingelheim recalled the entire lot. Every pet vaccinated from that lot, regardless of whether their vaccine was affected, is now considered legally unvaccinated in most states.

That means: an invalid rabies certificate and a phone call from your vet telling you to come back in for a repeat rabies vaccination.

Dr. Angie and JoJo cover what happened, why titers aren't the simple answer you might hope for, what this looked like from inside a clinic making 55 of those calls, and why this particular recall landed differently for guardians who already approach vaccines with care.

If your pet was vaccinated between September 29, 2025 and January 8, 2026 check your certificate for Serial 18665. Then listen to this episode.

Key Takeaways

  1. The recalled product is IMRAB 3TF, Serial 18665, expiration March 12, 2027, distributed to vets between September 29, 2025 and January 8, 2026.
  2. Only a small sample of vials were found to contain only sterile water but that triggered a recall of the entire lot.
  3. Any pet vaccinated from this lot is considered legally unvaccinated regardless of whether their specific vial was affected.
  4. Dogs, cats, and ferrets are all included in the recall and revaccination recommendation.
  5. Rabies titers are not a recognized substitute in this situation as most jurisdictions do not accept titers in place of a valid rabies certificate.
  6. Revaccination is considered safe. A second rabies vaccine does not pose a significant health risk for most pets.
  7. The recall placed a disproportionate emotional burden on holistic-minded guardians who made the vaccine decision carefully to begin with.
  8. The hidden cost of the recall fell largely on veterinary clinics with phone calls, lost appointment slots, follow-ups, and re-entering rabies certificates.
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Sound Bites

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  • "It's its own class of vaccine because it's protecting against a disease that kills people uniformly." ~ Dr. Angie

  • "It is the vaccine that every pet should have." ~ JoJo

  • "And, I have one case in particular that I used this recalled vaccine for that just breaks my heart."~ Dr. Angie

  • "Because it is rabies and it kills people too most places don't support titers and we don't know how long they last and there's not enough evidence." ~ Dr. Angie

  • "It's not just dogs. In case you're listening and you have ferrets, they get this vaccine as well. And so can cats." ~ JoJo

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