Vaccine FAQs

Vaccines work by stimulating an animal’s immunity to defend against potentially harmful agents. The Rattlesnake Vaccine is intended to help create an immunity that will protect your dogs and horses against rattlesnake venom.

For dogs, two vaccine doses (shots) are required one month apart for full effectiveness. For horses, three doses–each one month apart–are required.

It takes around 30 days from the last of two vaccine doses to gain maximum effectiveness. So, if rattlesnake season begins in your area around May, you should consider having your first dose in March and the second dose 30 days after that in April.

For horses, three doses are required so, for the example above, the first dose should be administered in February, second dose in March, and the third in April to be effective in May.

If your dog is exposed to rattlesnakes for six months per year (given that winter is typically when rattlesnake retreat to their dens to hibernate), they will only need one booster per year about 30 days before the beginning of the rattlesnake exposure season. If your dog is exposed to longer rattlesnake seasons or year-round risks, they should be given a booster dose every six months.

Contact your local veterinarian and ask for the Red Rock Biologics Rattlesnake vaccine. Most veterinarians are knowledgeable about the Red Rock Biologics rattlesnake vaccine and either have the vaccine on-hand or can acquire it quickly.

Side effects include a temporary lump at the injection site that clears in a few weeks in around 1% of administrations. One in 3,000 vaccinations report temporary flu like symptoms and fewer than one in 15,000 vaccinations report other miscellaneous symptoms.