Rabies vaccine recall prompts warning to pet owners from Allegheny County Health Department
The Allegheny County Health Department is warning pet owners about a rabies vaccine recall.
According to a message that the health department posted to Facebook on Tuesday, Boehringer Ingelheim Animal Health issued a voluntary recall because some vials contained sterile water instead of a rabies vaccine.
What should pet owners do?
The health department says owners of pets that received a rabies vaccination after Sept. 29, 2025, should review their certificates and contact their veterinarians if this product was administered.
In a statement posted to its website on Feb. 13, Boehringer Ingelheim said a limited number of vials in the serial were impacted, but the company decided to issue a recall "out of an abundance of caution."
Boehringer Ingelheim said vets and clinics that received vaccines from this batch have been notified and will contact pet owners. The company recommends revaccinating any impacted pet to avoid gaps in protection, maintain compliance with local rabies regulations and protect public health.
What vaccines were impacted?
The recalled lot is IMRAB 3TF with the serial 18665 and an expiration date of March 12, 2027, the Allegheny County Health Department said. That represents about 2.5% of the total IMRAB doses sold in the U.S. in 2025, Boehringer Ingelheim said.
"While the impact to the total U.S. population of veterinary clinics and pets is limited, we recognize that it is a significant impact to those veterinarians, clinics, and pet owners and we are committed to supporting them throughout this process," the company said on its website. "As a company, Boehringer Ingelheim remains dedicated to the health and well-being of animals and people as well as continuing our history of disease prevention."
Rabies vaccine required under Pennsylvania law
According to the health department, Pennsylvania law requires that cats and dogs be vaccinated against rabies within four weeks after turning 12 weeks old. Pet owners are also required to maintain a current rabies immunity.
Rabies is a deadly virus spread through the saliva of an infected animal, usually from an animal bite. Once symptoms appear, it's almost always fatal, the health department says. It's spread by high-risk animals like raccoons, skunks, bats, foxes, coyotes and groundhogs as well as domestic animals like cats, dogs and ferrets.
