The rattlesnake vaccine is made by using a toxoid to immunize the dog. A toxoid is a toxin that has been altered in some way to not cause the same biological reaction (ie toxic effects) but still cause the same immune response in the animal. It does not mean that the dog will not need antivenom, but the vaccine may provide some protection in the case of a bite. 'Protection' means that the symptoms and effects can be less severe, and that less antivenom or maybe none will be needed. Because each bite is different, it is impossible to say what exactly may happen if your dog got bit, SO YOU SHOULD STILL TAKE YOUR DOG TO THE VET IF A BITTE OCCURS. If I lived out west in an area where rattlesnakes were common, and my dog spent a lot of time outside, I would probably do it.
I really like the fucosi site, but that is not current research being done on human vaccines. It is a synopsis of the old work done in Japan on a habu toxoid, which is not in use because it was deemed too dangerous for human use. The entire site seems to be a collection of papers and references on a wide variety of topics, and snake antivenoms are just one of the topics covered. Glenn and Straight actually tried to make a human vaccine (again using a toxoid, not raw venom) years ago, but stopped because it was deemed to be too risky and expensive to be feasible.
-Kristen Wiley
KY Reptile Zoo

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