Brand/type of rabies vax for dogs?

Looking at the DEFRA site it says that an approved inactive or recombinant vaccination must be administered, and gives a list of 4 currently approved ones:

Canigen
Nobivac Rabies
Quantum Rabies
Rabisin

I don't know if these are brand names or manufacturer names or what?

Cursory research tells me that dogs get inactive and cats get recombinant.  My cats got Merial (Muriel?) - anywhoo a name not included on the above list. 

I'm a little confused.  Can anyone who has recently brought a dog through tell me if they had to insist on a specific brand of vaccination, or did they get through on another inactive brand/type?

Ta muchly.

Canigen Rabies is an inactivated vaccine produced by the company Virbac.

Nobivac Rabies is an inactivated rabies vaccine produced by the company Intervet/Schering-Plough.

Rabisin is an inactivated rabies vaccine produced by the company Merial.

Quantum Rabies is an inactivated rabies vaccine produced by Pfizer.

Rabisin (produced by Merial) can be used in dogs *and* cats, but a recombinant vaccine is produced for cats by Merial called "Purevax" that uses a canarypox vector and essentially removes the adjuvant from the vaccine (a positive in that adjuvant is associated with vaccine-associated-tumor formation in cats).

I would talk to your veterinarian about what rabies vaccines he uses and cross-reference with what DEFRA wants. It is possible that some of the ones listed in the DEFRA website are only available in the UK under the name listed (Quantum for instance, I've never seen in the US).

ETA: Just wanted to note that although I am in the process of going through the PETS passport scheme for my four cats I have *not* brought a dog to the UK so I am just sharing some general knowledge in the hopes that it will help :-) Good luck!!

I just got off the phone with DEFRA.  It's that those 4 are the only ones authorised for use in the UK, not that they must be administered to an animal coming from the US on the PETS scheme.

It's up to US regulations to determine what vaccine the US vet should use.  The type is inconsequental to successful completion of PETS.  Just that it should be inactive.]

The first person I talked to at DEFRA was totally confused by my questions (What do you mean 'inactive'?) but I got transferred to the head office and they were entirely helpful.  They said I wasn't the first to be confused, and that the information could be more clear.

Thanks Reinadeluz!  Things can get really confusing without background information, and it was really helpful to get some definitions from you.

Good luck with everything.  I brought three cats over last year.  The hardest part was the wrangling and the worry about what was going through their fuzzy brains.  It all turned out fine, as I'm sure it will for you too!

I just got off the phone with DEFRA.  It's that those 4 are the only ones authorised for use in the UK, not that they must be administered to an animal coming from the US on the PETS scheme.

It's up to US regulations to determine what vaccine the US vet should use.  The type is inconsequental to successful completion of PETS.  Just that it should be inactive.]

The first person I talked to at DEFRA was totally confused by my questions (What do you mean 'inactive'?) but I got transferred to the head office and they were entirely helpful.  They said I wasn't the first to be confused, and that the information could be more clear.

Thanks Reinadeluz!  Things can get really confusing without background information, and it was really helpful to get some definitions from you.

Good luck with everything.  I brought three cats over last year.  The hardest part was the wrangling and the worry about what was going through their fuzzy brains.  It all turned out fine, as I'm sure it will for you too!

Thanks so much! Yeah, I'm a bit stressed about the whole thing but I can't imagine life without my kitties so they are going wherever we go!

I'm glad you sorted it out!

Just wanted to pop in and back up what Hollyberry has said as I was confused by the 4 UK rabies choices as well.  I don't think they have a single one in the US. 

So I asked my USDA vet for the state of Montana about it, she said that the rabies vaccination had to be inactive and listed on the Compendium of Animal Rabies Prevention - basically, I think this means that it has to be licensed for use in the US.

Here is a link to what I believe to be the most recent "Compendium":

http://www.cdc.gov/mmwr/preview/mmwrhtml/rr5702a1.htm

Laura