Species
raccoon walking down path in woods

Our Partners

Government Agencies

Boehringer Ingelheim Animal Health USA Inc. is proud to offer government agencies an oral rabies vaccine for use in wildlife called RABORAL V-RG®. It can be used in rabies control programs to protect your community against rabies in raccoons and coyotes.
 

There are many examples of successful wildlife rabies elimination programs listed in the Resources on this website. In the United States, wildlife rabies programs have prevented the westward spread of the raccoon rabies variant beyond the Appalachian Mountains, eliminated the gray-fox variant from Texas, and nationally eliminated the canine variant of rabies.
 

Today in the United States, more than five million doses of RABORAL V-RG are distributed each year into wildlife habitat.1 Vaccine-filled baits are distributed by airplane, helicopter or by hand to reach the target species. Aerial distribution is an efficient way to deliver bait units into remote areas not accessible by vehicles or hand-baiting efforts. Both fixed-wing aircraft and helicopters follow computer-generated flight lines and are guided by global positioning systems (GPS). The baits are released by a timing mechanism to ensure even distribution over the treatment zones.
 

Contact Us to learn how your agency can partner with Boehringer Ingelheim Animal Health USA Inc. to protect the residents of your community, county, parish or state.

To Our Veterinary Partners

Boehringer Ingelheim Animal Health USA Inc. appreciates your role as an accredited veterinarian in the community. Veterinarians are relied upon to educate the general public and especially your clients about rabies. You and your clinic’s team safeguard their pets, and thus their families, against this deadly disease. Conventional rabies vaccines, administered by veterinarians, will always remain the primary method of protecting pets and thereby humans against rabies.

 

In the United States, RABORAL V-RG was licensed for use in raccoons in 1997, and for use in coyotes in the year 2002. Prior to licensure by the USDA, the vaccine was approved for environmental release, and a wide range of safety was demonstrated by testing it in more than 60 non-target animal species, including primates.
 

The RABORAL V-RG vaccine is a modified-live, recombinant poxvirus expressing the rabies glycoprotein. Since it contains only one gene of the rabies virus, it cannot cause rabies. The vaccine is a live virus, so it is important to use safety precautions when handling the product. For additional information, or for reporting an animal that has eaten a bait unit, or if your client or a client’s pet contacts the bait, please call this toll-free number (1-877-RABORAL or 1-877-722-6725) to be routed to the local rabies control program office for more information.
 

The RABORAL V-RG vaccine has been safety tested in more than 60 species. The vaccine cannot cause rabies. Even so, do what you can to avoid direct contact with the liquid vaccine inside the bait. If your pet has eaten a bait or a person has contact with the liquid vaccine, call BI Veterinary Technical Solutions (1-888-637-4251 Option 1, then 4) to report an adverse event.
 

If you have any questions after reviewing this site, please  Contact Us.

General Public

Boehringer Ingelheim Animal Health USA Inc. is partnering with public health officials to fight outbreaks of rabies in wildlife populations by providing a unique, highly specialized and safe vaccine, RABORALV-RG, an oral rabies vaccine for wildlife.


RABORAL V-RG is approved for immunization of raccoons and coyotes, two of the most significant wildlife vectors of rabies in North America. It has also been used experimentally in foxes.


RABORAL V-RG was developed to create a secondary barrier against rabies by immunizing populations of wildlife in their natural environment.

Helicopter used to distribute Raboral V-RG
Dynamic Airplane used to distribute Raboral V-RG

Photos courtesy of USDA-WS
 

In the United States, agencies involved in rabies control efforts distribute doses of RABORAL V-RG vaccine over wide geographic areas by airplane, helicopter or other means to immunize raccoon and coyote populations against rabies.


Since coyote and raccoon populations have adapted to living near humans, it is important to remember they are wild animals. To keep them in their natural environment, one should never encourage wildlife to accept human food. Be sure to limit access to outdoor pet food bowls and garbage cans.


To learn more about rabies and what you can do to protect your family against rabies, check out our frequently asked questions page.


Reference

1 Data on file at Boehringer Ingelheim.

 

RABORAL V-RG® is a registered trademark of Boehringer Ingelheim Animal Health France, used under license. ©2022 Boehringer Ingelheim Animal Health USA Inc., Duluth, GA. All Rights Reserved.
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