To vaccinate or not?

[Fides]

Try again with the pic

As for the question in question - I immunise with the initial, 2 sets of boosters and then 7 yearly.

 

[SusieT]

Yearly-if you don't want to do yearly vaccinations as you think they are covered-then blood test them for their titres. Of course that is more expensive but since you're not vaccinating because of worries about the health of your dog rather than cost, that won't matter surely..

 

[suzysparkle]

Ideally I would like to titre test as I found the rabies titres we used to do very eyeopening(amazing how many did not make the titre on one vaccine!
.

Interestingly it was us who had to tell our vets that dogs under 12 months need 2 rabies jabs not 1. They didn't believe us until we insisted they checked with the manufacturer (verbac) who confirmed what we told them. All ours have passports and most were done when titre tests were a requirement. All those over 12 months had 1 jab, the 2 who were under 12 months had 2 jabs. They all passed the titre test. I know someone who had his whole litter done at 7 months and every single one of them failed the titre test, they only had 1 jab. Luckily we did our research and didn't just go with the vets advice.

We do the initial puppy course of 2 and then booster everything every 3 years. This is generally what is done in the US unless the dog is at high risk of Lepto (which is the annual booster). Our vet is happy with what we do. I wouldn't vaccinate for kennel cough as I think it's a waste of time and more than one vet has agreed with me on this one. There are too many strains of it. I remember about 20 years ago we put our 2 labs into kennels and they had to have the kennel cough vaccine. They had the vaccine 2 months in advance, but still caught horrendous kennel cough.

 

[Fides]

You would always need a booster for full immunity simply because of how our immune system works. If you only have one vaccine your dog may still get the disease but it will be a milder illness and usually of shorter duration. Once you have had the disease you will have lifelong immunity so will not need further immunisation. The booster initiates the secondary immune response which basically fixes the immunity by initiating the secondary immune response. In theory, even though titres will fall with time (the actual antibodies), your body will still have the activated lymphocytes that will produce further antibody pretty sharpish if an infection occurs. Just because titres ahve fallen to a level that isn't detectable, doesn't meant the antibodies aren't there.

So basically from an immunological standpoint two should be enough (even with tetanus in humans they now say that when you have three you need no more) but so few people are willing to take the chance. I am confident that vaccination twice will be enough, but even I have a booster for my dogds every 7 years.

It's a hard one... But better to have one than none at all

 

[Toffee44]

I was going to titre test (3years since last jabs)this year but ringing around kennels none accepted titre testing. So have given in and restarted jabs as I will likely need kennels now on my own with the boys if I wanna go away for a bit.

And also I hate to say it had a few cases of parvovirus too close to home now.

 

[mandwhy]

Try again with the pic

As for the question in question - I immunise with the initial, 2 sets of boosters and then 7 yearly.

Exactly!!

I am due to get my dog vaccinated, he came from rescue so had all of them plus kennel cough, I dog walk and look after some dogs sometimes so I think it is a good idea to keep it up, although most of the visiting dogs are vaccinated for everything they can be.

 

[stevieg]

Try again with the pic

As for the question in question - I immunise with the initial, 2 sets of boosters and then 7 yearly.

Well! A bit rude but I certainly wouldn't want to sound like 'an ignorant idiot'!
I attended a talk given by Catherine O'Driscoll (Canine Health Concern) and she did make me think a little but if she was incorrect about the mercury then I guess she could have been incorrect about other things too.

 

[noodle_]

i considered not vaccnating after this year...eldest is 8...however i will continue until she is 10ish... then stop

i have my reasons for this.

the younger one is two and will be vaccinated until the same age and then again stop...

i would never consider not vaccinating a puppy, or that initial booster...

i do however space the vaccinations out and vaccinate every 18 months not 12 :]

 

[SusieT]

Noodle- and after ten will you just hope they are covered?
why did you choose 10?
why did you choose 18 months?
Are you going to titre test?

 

[noodle_]

Noodle- and after ten will you just hope they are covered?
why did you choose 10?
why did you choose 18 months?
Are you going to titre test?

ive always done 18 months as i normally forget.. then realised after speaking to many people and vets concluded they actually don't need it bang on every 12 months...

no titre test - i did look into this and do a thread on the subject a while ago but open to this testing before vaccinating

and after 10... personal choice - i may change my mind when she gets there but a complication with a friends dog/age and vaccination makes me feel this way.

 

[SusieT]

Have to say, I think you ae taking a lot of risk arbitarily deciding an age and not titre testing. If she succumbed to a disease you could have protected how would you feel?
My bet is your friends dog was ill (like most who suffer a vaccine reaction bar the few unlucky ones) before said reaction or in poor health?

 

[blackcob]

A timely bump - saw a dog PTS this morning due to parvo, age in double figures, last core vaccine four years ago.

Lost a pup to lepto last week as well (unvaccinated farm collie).