Yearly dog vaccinations - bad?

Lady La La

Lady La La

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Hi, sorry if this has been asked before but I've just seen a post on Facebook that worried me so I thought I'd come and ask you guys about it.
It was basically a post saying that yearly vaccinations are no good and can be dangerous for your dogs?
This was the post I'm referring too:

vax_zpse115ad8b.jpg


So, is that the case? I have both my dogs vax'd every year and have always done so since thats what my vet says to do, to make sure they are protected. I assumed it was the right thing to do for them, am I wrong? :(
 
If you had ever watched puppies die of Parvovirus or seen a dog with the long term after effects of distemper (which was nearly eradicated but started reappearing when Catherine O'Driscoll first started her campaign against vaccination) you would rush to get your puppies vaccinated.

Some vaccines don't need to be given annually but some do. Same with humans - some last years but some are given annually or every five years.
 
s4sugar said:
If you had ever watched puppies die of Parvovirus or seen a dog with the long term after effects of distemper (which was nearly eradicated but started reappearing when Catherine O'Driscoll first started her campaign against vaccination) you would rush to get your puppies vaccinated.

Some vaccines don't need to be given annually but some do. Same with humans - some last years but some are given annually or every five years.
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Yeah, so from asking on FB it seems that some people vax as puppies and then not at all when the dogs are adults, and some people vax as pups and then just get the required jabs every 3 years through adulthood, and some people like me vax as pups and then every year as per the vets regime.

I was worried that by having my dogs done every year it was harming them in some way but it was pointed out that as my dogs are insured and regularly go into boarding kennels, I would probably have to have them done yearly regardless...
 
s4sugar said:
If you had ever watched puppies die of Parvovirus or seen a dog with the long term after effects of distemper (which was nearly eradicated but started reappearing when Catherine O'Driscoll first started her campaign against vaccination) you would rush to get your puppies vaccinated.



That is almost word for word what I said on Lady La La's fb !
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s4sugar said:
If you had ever watched puppies die of Parvovirus or seen a dog with the long term after effects of distemper (which was nearly eradicated but started reappearing when Catherine O'Driscoll first started her campaign against vaccination) you would rush to get your puppies vaccinated.
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Is this true regarding the reappearance of distemper?

I have not vaccinated my dogs for over 20 years, they have their puppy injections but that is it.

I think that annual injections are unnecessay as per the manufacturers instructions.

Annual vacs are required if you attend some training clubs or you wish to board your dog.
 
s4sugar said:
If you had ever watched puppies die of Parvovirus or seen a dog with the long term after effects of distemper (which was nearly eradicated but started reappearing when Catherine O'Driscoll first started her campaign against vaccination) you would rush to get your puppies vaccinated.

Some vaccines don't need to be given annually but some do. Same with humans - some last years but some are given annually or every five years.
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THIS!

Have watched pups die of Parvo, it's horrible and something I would not wish on anyone to witness...and certainly wouldn't want one of MY or anyone else's dogs to go thru it.

Not sure if it's entirely necessary to have them vax'd every year, but certainly would get pups done at the very least.
 
PucciNPoni said:
THIS!

Have watched pups die of Parvo, it's horrible and something I would not wish on anyone to witness...and certainly wouldn't want one of MY or anyone else's dogs to go thru it.

Not sure if it's entirely necessary to have them vax'd every year, but certainly would get pups done at the very least.
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I have experienced the opposite, seen a pup die after having a reaction to his first injection. That was horrible and the poor pup suffered, again, I would not want anyone or their dogs to go through it. It was my boys brother.

It has made me highly aware of vaccinations but I still believe that pups should have their first vaccs dispite what I have experienced, but are not needed after that.
 
I would do the initial vaccine puppy course,boost a year later,and thereafter have annual lepto and possibly parvo,although this second would stretch to two or three years.Lepto is definitely annual,and rats are everywhere,so just do it!
 
I think that is the vacc regime a lot of vets offer nowadays EK. djlyn, I can imagine it must have been awful seeing a pup die after a vaccine reaction, but if everyone stops vaccinating then it won't be just the odd pup that will die. When parvo first emerged breeders were losing whole litters, and older dogs too, it truly was horrendous. Parvo is still about , I imagine most vets see several cases each year but the fact that most dogs are vaccinated means it doesn't become an epidemic.
 
I do puppy vaccinations, first booster and then nothing. I am considering 3 yearly vaccinations but I am not yet convinced. Vaccinations after the puppy ones just does not sit right with me, and I am still not completely happy giving a first booster.

The thing that concerns me, is that some of the illnesses/diseases we vaccinate against come in a number of different strains... So, it is still possible for your dog to get that illness if they are not vaccinated against that particular strain. Not that long ago, someones puppy (5 or 6 months at the time) caught parvo from a show... this puppy had her vaccination mere months before, and there she was fighting for her life. Thankfully, she survived... However, the vaccination did nothing for her. She caught an illness that she should have been protected against. I have heard accounts of that happening many many times so vaccinations are certainly not foolproof.

I am not happy vaccinating against lepto. Lepto is the one that is recommended to be done every year, however, it causes the worst reactions... I do not feel comfortable giving that.
 
Holden said:
I do puppy vaccinations, first booster and then nothing. I am considering 3 yearly vaccinations but I am not yet convinced. Vaccinations after the puppy ones just does not sit right with me, and I am still not completely happy giving a first booster.

The thing that concerns me, is that some of the illnesses/diseases we vaccinate against come in a number of different strains... So, it is still possible for your dog to get that illness if they are not vaccinated against that particular strain. Not that long ago, someones puppy (5 or 6 months at the time) caught parvo from a show... this puppy had her vaccination mere months before, and there she was fighting for her life. Thankfully, she survived... However, the vaccination did nothing for her. She caught an illness that she should have been protected against. I have heard accounts of that happening many many times so vaccinations are certainly not foolproof.

I am not happy vaccinating against lepto. Lepto is the one that is recommended to be done every year, however, it causes the worst reactions... I do not feel comfortable giving that.
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I lost my dog of a lifetime to Lepto, he was innoculated against it but it appears to have been a very rare strain. As we live on a farm and have haybarns and the like and all my dogs love to hunt this is one vaccs I would never stop giving.
 
Dobiegirl said:
I lost my dog of a lifetime to Lepto, he was innoculated against it but it appears to have been a very rare strain. As we live on a farm and have haybarns and the like and all my dogs love to hunt this is one vaccs I would never stop giving.
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I still vaccinate against lepto, albeit my oldest dog hasn't been vaccinated at all for two years... but I am still not happy about it. It is a decision that each owner needs to make, and decide what they feel most comfortable with.

There are many strains of Lepto, so IMO there is always a risk of them getting Lepto, vaccinated or not.
 
I had two black labs that had their puppy jabs and then nothing for the rest of their very long lives. They were the healthiest, happiest dogs ever. I now have a springer/collie and a springer, they are both injected every year and my vet has never suggested any different although he has recommended to only inject the horses every other year. I also have two cats that had their kitten jabs and no more since, they are now 13 years old and have always been healthy.
 
I guess we all have our experiences/comparisons with dogs living years with or without them.
I have never experienced a bad reaction with a vaxed dog for example and have worked in practice for 14yrs and obs the hundreds we have vaxed in rescue (apart from the usual lethargy), also never seen a dog get parvo thats been vaxed (or owner) certainly could not prove vax details even if they stated they had been vaxed. (again thats me saying, it does happen clearly) I just have not seen it.
I have seen more than my fair share of parvo/lepto and indeed it's one of the most distressing things to see let alone live or die through.
I have worked in practice where we would see far more cases than other vets. So no doubt thats why I witnessed high volumes.
I would never ever not vaccinate at all, but indeed there are now options to vax over the yearly periods or titre test.
The practice I now work in still do yearly vax and I just asked a friend out of interest what their practice is doing these days. (still awaiting answer):p
Otherwise Its each to their own I guess, so you research and make an informed choice, but I agree primary and atleast 1st year vaxes are crucial and take into consideration as I mention on the other discussion board, kennel boarding and insurance.
 
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As stated on the other thread, I give the pups their jabs and the first booster. Thereafter everyone is titre tested and only jabbed if their immunity is low.

To me this is the best of both worlds; you minimize the chemicals you put in your dog and you ensure that their immunity is sufficient to protect them.

Unfortunately, not all insurance companies accept titre results; ditto kennels. It also is not cheap.
 
We vaccinate every year for Parvo / leprosy as OH is a vet and dog is in practice office so very likely to be exposed to Parvo (even though OH takes precautions) if it's around and likes swimming so Lepto is a risk. KC only gets done if kennelling. Has been rabies vacc'd and titred but let that lapse as unlikely to be going abroad with us.

Seen too many dogs die of preventable diseases to take the risk given the higher risk of exposure. Plus he is a blood donor so had ti be vacc'd up to date
 
I wasn't a big fan of vaxing my elderly dog hadnt been done for fair few years before I lost her to old age.
I then got a puppy and as I wanted to do classes got him vaxed. When he went in for the snip he got very poorly after and spent nearly a week on a drip. Turned put he had a strain of parvo and he wasn't even that young at this point.
Luckily he pulled through I think because he had the jab he had built up some antibodies to fight it. I will now keep up to date for my peace of mind. I couldn't forgive myself if either of mine died from something I could have given a £30 jab against!
 
I vaccinate annually but its lepto & parainfluenza (i think) given each year and the rest every 3yrs. I'd wrongly assumed it was all parts annually till one of these threads prompted me to look at the vaccs card sticker & check the manufactures website. At the moment i feel its best for us to continue and like wishful my dogs are also blood donors.
 
45 years ago, when I questioned my vet about the realities of vaccinating dogs, he said that puppies were vaccinated and that the vaccine gave them a degree of protection up until they were a year old, "by which time, they'd built up their own immunity". That's what he said, and it made perfect sense to me, because;

At the time, I worked in the Battersea Dogs Home, and we never re-homed puppies, because they were invariably returned with what was then called 'Hard-pad' or 'Distemper'. It was endemic within the home, despite daily use of a fog gun and our better than reasonable hygiene standards. The adult dogs, and I can't believe that back then they were all vaccinated, had built up a level of immunity, and it was very rare to see a case, despite the fact that all adult dogs were subjected to the various carrying bugs.

Whether the booster jabs are responsible for any health issues with dogs, I can't say, but I am fairly sure that they are a complete and utter waste of time, and have been and are recommended by vets who see them as a revenue source.

My gundog puppies are vaccinated because they may well come into contact with other dogs before they're a year old. My sheepdogs, and there must have been 30 or so, over the last 10 years have never even had the initial vaccines, because they never come into contact with other dogs. I've never had a slip-up, yet! Nothing gets boosters.

Kennel cough worries me a little. I don't vaccinate against it, because it's a live vaccine, and my OH cannot come into contact with any live vaccines, from any source.

I didn't see the FB page, which is a pity, I'd have liked to have had a read.

Alec.
 
we have all ours vaccinated yearly, it would seem daft not to. We also don't have to pay extra for ours as we have vets4pets care plan which costs us £9.99 a month per dog (we have 5 dogs) but covers us for Unlimited Sick Pet Consultations,2 Comprehensive Health Assessments, Vaccinations/Booster Vaccination, Micro-Chipping, Nurse Clinics, Nail Clipping, Annual Diagnostic Urine Tests, Annual Diagnostic Blood Tests, Annual Ear Swabs, Anal Gland Expression. It might seem a lot but after loosing 3 older dogs to cancer at the beginning of the year i'd pay anything for peace of mind knowing my dogs are healthy and looked after.
 
Some vaccines last for years if not a lifetime. Parvo & lepto are recommended for annual jabs. Kennel Cough is not worth doing at all(in my opinion) as it doesn't last long & benylin usually will get a dog over it, no problem. Once they have had Lennel cough it never seems to come back.
 
i must admit that we only get the first jags done then have never botheredwith boosters etc - both are working gun dogs so come into contact with lots of other dogs but only in that situ - not in towns/parks etc. they ar enever put in kennels as i get a house sitter to do all animals
i've never had a problem (but now feel like i am tempting fate!)
 
For the last 18 years I have puppies vaxed and they get their 1st year booster. Then nothing. As I had a similar conversation as Alex with a friends brother who was a leading vet at the RCV.
 
As a scientist I am really interested in people saying they don't have any boosters and some how imagining that will cover the dog for life. Or is that not the assumption people are making?

All vaccines are different obviously but if you think about the vaccinations you have as a human there are very few which last you a life time. Why would dog ones be any different?

Really the only way to know for sure is to take blood and check titres of course but I think I will continue to have my mutt jagged as per. as I can't really be bothered with blood tests and waiting for results when it's so much easier to have him vacc'd.

I wouldn't decline my hep jab at work on the basis that I had had one five years ago unless I had had my titre checked and it was proven that it wasn't required.

Is there some kind of pharma conspiracy that I should know about that means my logic is flawed?!
 
Dobiegirl said:
http://www.dogs4dogs.com/blog/2008/10/22/titer-test/



A very interesting article.
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As you say, an interesting article, thought provoking, too,

jesstickle said:
As a scientist I am really interested in people saying they don't have any boosters and some how imagining that will cover the dog for life. Or is that not the assumption people are making?

All vaccines are different obviously but if you think about the vaccinations you have as a human there are very few which last you a life time. Why would dog ones be any different?

Really the only way to know for sure is to take blood and check titres of course but I think I will continue to have my mutt jagged as per. as I can't really be bothered with blood tests and waiting for results when it's so much easier to have him vacc'd.

I wouldn't decline my hep jab at work on the basis that I had had one five years ago unless I had had my titre checked and it was proven that it wasn't required.

Is there some kind of pharma conspiracy that I should know about that means my logic is flawed?!
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I'm not qualified to contradict you, jesstickle, but have you read the article which Dobiegirl's offered up?

Perhaps there are those diseases to which mammals build up their own level of immunity, and perhaps there are also those to which immunity needs annual boosting.

Would I be right in saying that soil borne diseases, Tetanus and Pasturella, for instance, need annual or periodical boosting, but with those diseases which are passed, from mammal to mammal, but within species, then resistance will be self produced? It would seem that with Distemper, this is most probably the case.

Alec.
 
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