Animal Rabies Vaccine Recalled

The Rhode Island Department of Health (RIDOH) and the Rhode Island Department of Environmental Management (DEM) are alerting pet owners, animal control officers, and municipal clerks that a shipment of rabies vaccine is being recalled because some vials in that shipment may have contained sterile water instead of rabies vaccine.

This vaccine was received by veterinarians, including veterinarians in Rhode Island, between September 29, 2025 and January 8, 2026. The recalled vaccine was made by Boehringer Ingelheim Animal Health. The recalled lot is IMRAB 3TF, vaccine; 1 mL; Serial 18665; expiration date March 12, 2027. Other manufacturers and brands, and other serial lots manufactured by Boehringer Ingelheim, are not affected by this recall.

Rhode Island law requires dogs, cats, and ferrets to be vaccinated against rabies. Any animal that was vaccinated with this lot will not be considered currently vaccinated for rabies management or dog licensing purposes. Any pet that was administered this recalled product should be revaccinated against rabies. There are no health concerns for pets with being administered sterile water or with being readministered rabies vaccine.

Veterinarians who received the affected vaccine shipment have been notified by the vaccine manufacturer. They have been instructed to contact the owners of pets that were administered this product. Animal control officers and municipal clerks in Rhode Island are also being notified for rabies management and dog licensing purposes. As an added precaution, the owners of pets that were vaccinated against rabies after September 29, 2025 should review their rabies vaccine certificates and contact their veterinarian if this product was administered. Animal owners with questions should contact their veterinarians.

Rabies is a viral disease that is deadly if people do not receive medical care before symptoms start. Rabies is transmitted primarily through the saliva of infected animals, usually through bites, scratches, or contact with broken skin or mucous membranes. The animals most frequently found with rabies are bats, skunks, raccoons, and foxes. An unvaccinated pet that is infected with rabies by another animal can transmit the virus to a human. For this reason, the vaccination of pets is an important measure to prevent human rabies cases.

For more information about rabies, see: https://health.ri.gov/rabies