Annual (or not) vaccinations for adult dog?

Alec Swan said:
Having kept a sheep or two over the years, trust me now and whilst ticks on sheep happen of course, to suggest that they're 'full' of them would raise an eyebrow. Deer also carry the odd tick or two. Infestation levels would lead to anaemia and death and it would be most unusual for any parasite to kill its host.

If your dog was 'covered' in ticks, I'd suggest that he may have some form of 'welcome' which may be worthy of veterinary investigation, as it would be extremely rare for more than the odd-tick-or-two to attach themselves. The truth is that ticks, mostly, trouble humans far more than their dogs! :)

Alec.
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I live on a sheep farm in an area with lots of deer and my dog has not had any ticks from in the 18 months we have been here.
I also help with friends organic flock and take dog/s with me and never picked any up from there either.
The only places I have had an issue have been Tollesbury marshes (the dog and I were covered and I mean covered in ticks) and one out of the dogs would always get a few ticks in the south downs but not anywhere else including the new forest.
I was also chatting to a friend who has shot deer in the area for over 35yrs and he said he saw ticks on shot deer for the first time ever early autumn this year. On 2 deer they saw a few ticks on each (2/3 under one armpit on each deer)
 
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rara007 said:
Read the small print carefully- petplan for one does require it for hoses- flu and tet. Not got my dog polices to hand!
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I've claimed on both horse and dog and been paid out with only puppy vax for the dogs and a missing one for the horse. 3 different companies as well. As far as I'm aware they all say the same, although I've never used PetPlan so havent read their small print.
 
Alec Swan said:
Having kept a sheep or two over the years, trust me now and whilst ticks on sheep happen of course, to suggest that they're 'full' of them would raise an eyebrow. Deer also carry the odd tick or two. Infestation levels would lead to anaemia and death and it would be most unusual for any parasite to kill its host.

If your dog was 'covered' in ticks, I'd suggest that he may have some form of 'welcome' which may be worthy of veterinary investigation, as it would be extremely rare for more than the odd-tick-or-two to attach themselves. The truth is that ticks, mostly, trouble humans far more than their dogs! :)

Alec.
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Goes directly against my experience. Both dogs, horses and people ended up covered in the bloody things where I kept my horses for years! It was from deer in my case, but there could be 20 or more on each horse overnight until I found something that worked to repell them. They seemed to like white and lighter colours more.
 
Leo Walker said:
I've claimed on both horse and dog and been paid out with only puppy vax for the dogs and a missing one for the horse. 3 different companies as well. As far as I'm aware they all say the same, although I've never used PetPlan so havent read their small print.
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That is pretty good!

I don't insure dog as am able to cover canine vet fees myself but very pleased to hear that insurance companies aren't enforcing vaccination in their customers (although obviously not paying out for vaccinatable diseases would be fair enough)
 
Leo Walker said:
Goes directly against my experience. Both dogs, horses and people ended up covered in the bloody things where I kept my horses for years! It was from deer in my case, but there could be 20 or more on each horse overnight until I found something that worked to repell them. They seemed to like white and lighter colours more.
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For some reason I can't multi-quote, I tried to quote all the posts about ticks. However:

My point about living in sheep country and therefore keeping dogs on leads while walking wasn't really about them picking up ticks or anything else from sheep. I don't want them to get near enough for that. My dogs go for a walk on the lead because I think all dogs should be on leads when walking near sheep.
 
Alec Swan said:
Having kept a sheep or two over the years, trust me now and whilst ticks on sheep happen of course, to suggest that they're 'full' of them would raise an eyebrow. Deer also carry the odd tick or two. Infestation levels would lead to anaemia and death and it would be most unusual for any parasite to kill its host.

If your dog was 'covered' in ticks, I'd suggest that he may have some form of 'welcome' which may be worthy of veterinary investigation, as it would be extremely rare for more than the odd-tick-or-two to attach themselves. The truth is that ticks, mostly, trouble humans far more than their dogs! :)

Alec.
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When I say covered, Alec, I took in the region of 10-15 off him after a 16 mile walk ending at Stickleback Tarn, having walked up a mountain covered in skinny hill sheep. Horrible.
 
We used to go camping every year in the grounds of Highclere Castle. These were sheep fields I believe. I once picked 23 of my collie. Mine always pick up one when we go to the New Forest too. That’s a field frequented by deer. These days I make sure they are treated for ticks before we go away anywhere.
 
Pearlsacarolsinger said:
For some reason I can't multi-quote, I tried to quote all the posts about ticks. However:

My point about living in sheep country and therefore keeping dogs on leads while walking wasn't really about them picking up ticks or anything else from sheep. I don't want them to get near enough for that. My dogs go for a walk on the lead because I think all dogs should be on leads when walking near sheep.
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Mine dont go off the lead near any live stock. Working bred whippets who dont see livestock enough to be stock broken wouldnt be a good combo!
 
Pearlsacarolsinger said:
tbh, I would have expected a sheep farmer to understand that immediately.
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Well, we were taling about preventable diseases and vaccinations, a bullet although possible in your scenario is perhaps not vaccinatable against! I would have thought, having sheep, you could stock break your dogs? Although you have said their recall is poor. Mine go off lead in sheep areas, not in fields of sheep, out on the moors I would let my dogs off and we see sheep. They are totally steady.
 
My 3 dogs have their jabs as pups, then no more.
Here in Wales we are surrounded by sheep and cattle, thousands of them yet my dogs have not had 1 single tick on them and they walk amongst them but back in Caterham on the North Downs which is teeming with deer to the pont of being pague proprtions, we had regular tick plucking sessions with the tick comb as they picked them up frequently.
 
They use sheep as tick mops on the moors I understand. I imagine most sheep are treated with a pour on that keeps them relatively clear.
 
Clodagh said:
They use sheep as tick mops on the moors I understand. I imagine most sheep are treated with a pour on that keeps them relatively clear.
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yes, you are correct Clodagh-some estates make more of an effort to control ticks than just slaughtering every mountain hare they can find and tick mops is one way.

ticks seem to be very area specific. I live and walk the dogs on moors and in forestry-deer and sheep all around. Not picked up a tick here in 4 years. In East Lothian though the dogs and the horses picked them up regularly-just deer round those parts.

eta my dogs get everything up until they are an age where they aren't really out and about much. I work in veterinary vaccines and tbh the hype about over vaccination doesn't seem to be supported by actual data-so in younger dogs I would sooner vaccinate than not.
 
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Clodagh said:
Well, we were taling about preventable diseases and vaccinations, a bullet although possible in your scenario is perhaps not vaccinatable against! I would have thought, having sheep, you could stock break your dogs? Although you have said their recall is poor. Mine go off lead in sheep areas, not in fields of sheep, out on the moors I would let my dogs off and we see sheep. They are totally steady.
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Yes we were and I stated my position on vaccs. Then put in an explanation of why I am not particularly worried about diseases such as lungworm (because they do not get the chance to scavenge, drink from stagnant water etc).

ETA, The Rotters will pass anything on their leads and totally ignore. I could not guarantee that they would do that off lead. And as we also have rather more deer than I would like - and none at home to train the dogs to, that is another reason to keep them on their leads.
 
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Mine are vaccinated annually, but my older bitch has increasingly had longer and longer depressed periods after vaccinations. Who knows if it is linked or if she is just morose about having been to the vet (!). She's slowed down and aged very suddenly, so I will be titre testing next time and only vaccinating if not enough antibodies (she goes to kennels - hopefully they'll accept a titre test!).
 
MissTyc said:
Mine are vaccinated annually, but my older bitch has increasingly had longer and longer depressed periods after vaccinations. Who knows if it is linked or if she is just morose about having been to the vet (!). She's slowed down and aged very suddenly, so I will be titre testing next time and only vaccinating if not enough antibodies (she goes to kennels - hopefully they'll accept a titre test!).
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Remember you can’t reliably test for lepto and KC so you’ll still need these if that’s what the kennels ask for- the next 2 years you’re not even ‘due’ a DHP so nothing to test for 3 years since last vaccine :)
 
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