The AVMA is alerting its members to reports of pet owners forging rabies certificates to procure licenses and tags.

People who believe vaccinations hurt their pets are allegedly using the names and license numbers of veterinarians obtained from Web sites published by state licensing boards, along with vaccine lot numbers to forge the documents. Practitioners are encouraged to report suspicious rabies certificates to the appropriate authorities.

The AVMA Council on Public Health and Regulatory Veterinary Medicine examined this issue at a recent meeting and expressed concern because of the potentially serious public health risks created by false information of rabies vaccination status.

The rabies vaccination status affects decisions regarding management of animals after they are exposed to rabid animals. The rabies vaccination status could also affect treatment decisions for humans bitten by animals falsely identified as being currently vaccinated.