Auburn Rabies Titer Test: How Auburn's FAVN Lab Works for Pet Travel

An Auburn rabies titer test is a blood test performed by the Auburn University College of Veterinary Medicine Serology-Virology Laboratory that measures the level of rabies-neutralizing antibodies in a dog, cat, or other animal's serum. Most commonly this means the Fluorescent Antibody Virus Neutralization (FAVN) test, which pet owners need for international travel, and sometimes the Rabies Fluorescent Focus Inhibition Test (RFFIT), used for vaccine or occupational titers. Auburn appears on the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's (CDC) list of approved rabies serology laboratories and is a European Union-designated testing lab under Regulation (EU) No 576/2013, so results from Auburn are accepted by both U.S. and EU authorities for most destinations.

What Is a Rabies Titer Test, and Why Does Auburn Run It?

A rabies titer test does not diagnose rabies. It measures whether a previously vaccinated animal has produced enough circulating antibody to be considered protected. Auburn University's Department of Pathobiology runs two versions of this test through its Serology-Virology Laboratory:

• FAVN (Fluorescent Antibody Virus Neutralization) — the test most international destinations and the CDC recognize for travel purposes, according to Auburn University College of Veterinary Medicine's rabies serology page.
• RFFIT (Rabies Fluorescent Focus Inhibition Test) — offered for vaccine or diagnostic titers in dogs and horses, not for pet travel, per Auburn's "Other Serology Tests" page.

Auburn's lab explicitly notes that RFFIT is no longer used for pet travel submissions; anyone requesting a titer for international movement should ask for FAVN specifically.

Who Actually Needs an Auburn Rabies Titer Test?

Four groups of pet owners and veterinarians typically request this test:

1. Owners moving pets to countries with a titer requirement — many rabies-controlled nations and territories require proof of a passing FAVN result before entry, alongside microchipping and vaccination.
2. Owners of dogs entering the U.S. from CDC-defined high-risk countries — the CDC's dog importation rules allow a rabies serologic titer from a CDC-approved laboratory, drawn under its prospective serologic monitoring (PSM) protocol, to support importation without a lengthy quarantine, according to CDC's dog importation FAQ page.
3. Working and service dogs re-entering the U.S. from high-risk countries, which the CDC says need a valid rabies serology titer from a CDC-approved lab before arrival to avoid additional holding requirements.
4. Veterinary clinics running routine vaccine titers (RFFIT), unrelated to travel.

How to Submit a Sample to Auburn's Lab

Based on Auburn University College of Veterinary Medicine's own submission instructions, the process runs as follows:

1. Microchip the animal first. Auburn requires the microchip to be implanted by a licensed veterinarian before blood is drawn, and the number must appear on both the report form and the sample tube.
2. Draw the serum. Auburn's domestic clinic instructions call for 1-2 mL of serum in a separator tube, then transferred into an untreated 3.0 or 5.0 mL tube (0.5 mL minimum for RFFIT vaccine titers).
3. Complete the FAVN Report Form online before printing, or by hand in capital letters, and label the tube legibly — Auburn states that unlabeled tubes are cancelled without exception.
4. Ship via UPS or FedEx with a frozen gel pack, avoiding Friday shipments so transit does not exceed two days; Auburn's lab operates Monday-Friday, 8 a.m.-5 p.m. Central Time.
5. Submit through Auburn's online portal (patho.vetmed.auburn.edu) if requesting expedited processing — expedited requests must be entered before the sample ships.
6. International submissions require prepayment before testing begins, per Auburn's expedited FAVN page.

Samples go to: Auburn University College of Veterinary Medicine, Serology-Virology Lab, 350 Greene Hall Annex, Auburn, AL 36849-5519.

Turnaround Times and Fees

Auburn's lab states it is not currently approved for testing dogs traveling to Japan, so travelers with that destination need a different CDC-approved or Japan-recognized laboratory.

Auburn FAVN vs. CDC Dog Import Rules vs. EU Pet Travel Rules

This is where confusion is most common, because three different agencies reference "rabies titer testing" for three different purposes, and their published thresholds are not identical. Sources disagree on how precisely a numeric threshold is specified: the EU regulation states one explicitly, while the CDC's public FAQ describes a "passing result" without republishing a universal IU/ml figure of its own.

Because thresholds and timing windows vary by destination, owners should confirm the exact rule with the destination country's veterinary authority or a USDA-accredited veterinarian rather than assuming one titer standard covers every trip — a point the U.S. Department of Agriculture Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (USDA APHIS) makes directly on its pet travel guidance, which recommends contacting an accredited veterinarian as soon as travel is planned.

Important: A Titer Test Is Not a Travel Document or Pet Passport

A rabies titer result is a laboratory report, not a legal travel document. It typically supports, rather than replaces, an official health certificate and vaccination record. It is also distinct from the EU pet passport issued under EU rules for pets that already reside in the EU, and from the CDC's Dog Import Form — the titer is one piece of evidence within those larger official processes, not a substitute for them.

It's worth being precise here because "pet passport" and "animal passport" get used loosely online. The official EU pet passport and the CDC/USDA pet travel paperwork are government or EU-recognized documents governed by the sources above. Animal Passport is a different, unrelated product: a phone-based digital identification system that uses muzzle biometrics (a nose print, unique like a fingerprint) to bind an owner, breed, an estimated age from a dental photograph, a body condition score (1-5) from a side-profile photo, and vaccination history to an individual animal's record. It does not perform rabies titer testing, does not issue government travel documents, and does not provide veterinary diagnoses. Where it has been used in the field — for example, during livestock flood rescue efforts in Pakistan in August 2025 — the goal was reuniting farmers with animals after paper tags washed away, not international pet travel. Owners preparing an FAVN submission for Auburn still need a licensed or USDA-accredited veterinarian, a physical microchip, and the destination country's official paperwork.

For livestock owners who want a durable, tamper-resistant identity record alongside conventional microchipping and vaccination paperwork, Animal Passport's biometric approach is described in more detail on the Animal Passport blog.

FAQ: Auburn Rabies Titer Test

What is an Auburn rabies titer test?

It is a blood antibody test, most often the FAVN (Fluorescent Antibody Virus Neutralization) test, performed by Auburn University College of Veterinary Medicine's Serology-Virology Laboratory to measure a dog or cat's rabies antibody level, typically for international pet travel or CDC dog-import purposes.

How much does the Auburn FAVN test cost?

Auburn's published fee schedule adds a $25 flat domestic report/shipping fee, a $60 flat international report fee, and a $5 accession fee for expedited requests, on top of the base test price listed in Auburn's Pathobiology Diagnostic Services catalog; domestic clinics are invoiced monthly rather than prepaying.

How long does an Auburn rabies titer test take?

Standard FAVN testing takes approximately 3-4 weeks from when Auburn's lab receives the sample; expedited processing, requested through Auburn's online portal before shipping, takes approximately 1-2 weeks.

What titer result counts as "passing"?

Under EU Regulation (EU) No 576/2013, a passing result is at least 0.5 IU/ml, measured on a sample drawn at least 30 days after vaccination. The CDC's dog-import rule refers to a "passing result" from a CDC-approved lab but does not itself publish a single universal IU/ml figure, so U.S. import requirements should be confirmed directly with the CDC or the testing lab.

Does Auburn's lab test animals traveling to Japan?

No. Auburn's Serology-Virology Laboratory states it is not currently approved for testing dogs traveling to Japan, so travelers heading there need to use a different CDC-approved or Japan-recognized laboratory.

Is a rabies titer test the same as a rabies vaccination certificate?

No. A vaccination certificate documents that a shot was given; a titer test independently measures whether the animal actually produced a protective antibody level, which is why some import programs require both documents together.

Can a pet owner submit a sample to Auburn directly?

The blood draw and microchip implantation must be done by a licensed veterinarian, and Auburn's submission forms and portal are built around veterinary clinic accounts, so owners work through their veterinarian rather than shipping samples themselves.

How is Animal Passport different from a rabies titer test or an EU pet passport?

Animal Passport is a phone-based biometric livestock identification product using muzzle (nose print) ID, estimated age, body condition scoring, and vaccination-history records; it does not perform rabies titer testing, issue government travel documents, or replace the official EU pet passport or CDC/USDA pet travel paperwork.

Key Takeaways: Getting an Auburn Rabies Titer Test Right

As of September 2026, the fastest way to avoid delays is to confirm your destination's exact titer threshold and timing window before your Auburn sample is drawn, request expedited FAVN through Auburn's online portal if you're on a deadline, and remember that Auburn's lab is not currently valid for Japan-bound animals. Always pair the lab result with the official government or airline paperwork your route actually requires — the titer test is only one component of a compliant pet travel file.