Hi Poh,

Thanks for the question.

A vaccination program for an individual dog should be tailor-made. It’s important that you speak to your veterinarian about the individual health concerns and also issues of travel and lifestyle when considering a vaccination. In the case of a rabies vaccine, here in Ontario Canada, every dog and cat must be up-to-date with its rabies vaccination status.

Having a skin disease and early stage kidney disease is not a contraindication for receiving a vaccine. Sometimes a vaccine can challenge the immune system making an infection slightly more possible. You’ll want to discuss the pros and cons of vaccination with your veterinarian but you can start by watching our videos on vaccination, reactions and boosters. I think it’s important that every veterinarian ask questions about a pet’s risk of exposure to the disease to determine the value of vaccination against it.

I would recommend you investigate options for frequency of vaccination in your area. I believe in judicious vaccination and not creating a vaccine protocol that every dog should follow. I always recommend a 3-year rabies vaccine rather than 1 year product unless you have a pet that is interacting with wildlife that has a higher risk of exposure to rabies. I would not expect a vaccination to create complications with the conditions you mention, but many people have different opinions about the impact of vaccination on a pet’s health and they may disagree. What is most important is that they back that theory up with good reliable research studies.

I really encourage you to check out our vaccination videos. It will lay the basis for an informed discussion with your veterinarian.

I hope this helps,

Dr. Clayton Greenway