What about these yearly vaccinations?

[Sharon_FL]

Well, it's time for Lily's yearly shots again and I am wondering if she REALLY needs all of them. Of course I want her to have everything she truly needs to protect her, but after reading about the side effects of some of these shots and the fact that after a certain point a dog may not even need some of these boosters, I need to know more. Can someone give me some opinions?

She is 4 1/2 yrs old and she is due for:

Bordetella Booster
DHLP-P Booster
Fecal Exam (yearly)
Heartworm Exam-Occult (yearly)
Rabies Canine 1 Year Booster

I know she needs the rabies and probably the other stuff, too. I just want to be sure I am not giving her stuff she doesn't need and putting her at risk for either that or NOT getting her vaccinated when she needs it.

I feel even more concerned this time since my son's little dog (6 month old chi/rat terrier mix) was apparently the victim of a "bad" batch of distemper meds and died.

Anyway, I would appreciate and advice or opinions...
Thanks so much!
Sharon

[Freedom]

I stick w/ the CORE vaccines for my dogs:
rabies (required by law)
and I to the 3 way, NOT the 5 way. I have bichons, and they have a high incidence of reaction to the lepto vaccine, so we don't give that to bichons.

The 3 way covers: canine distemper, canine parvovirus, canine hepatitis virus or adenovirus-2.

I noticed you are getting the 5 way vaccine. You need to know how your breed reacts to make this decision.

I would ask these questions:
bortadella. Why do you get this? Does you dog attend a doggie day care? Do you board your dog when you travel? Do you frequent dog parks or other places with lots of dogs? If not, then you don't need this. Also, FYI this vaccine is only given once a year, but it is only good for 6 months.

Fecal - what is it you are looking for? I only do this when the dog has an issue. I use Interceptor as a heartworm medication; it is also a monthly dewormer, so I don't need to worry about intestinal worms, and I can skip this.

Heartworm - I think most vets insist doing this yearly or they won't sell you the heartworm pills, so you have to get that done.

[pomtzu]

My vet no longer does all the vaccines as a yearly routine - especially now that my pooches are getting older.

We do the 3 year rabies - this is required by law.
We do the yearly Lyme's.
No fecal unless there is a problem.
No heartworm since they stay on the preventive year round - even thru the winter. My vet doesn't require it unless they come off of it for a period of time, but mine don't.
No kennel cough since they are never boarded and don't come in contact with other dogs.

I guess you just need to decide which situations apply to your dog, and go from there. If it's not absolutely necessary, and your vet doesn't require it, then do what you feel is needed and makes you comfortable, and perhaps save yourself a little money.

[binka_nugget]

My dogs only get the 3 year Rabies and that's it. I stopped vaccinating Kai and Kaedyn about 5 years ago aside from the rabies vaccine. Keeva did the full round of puppy shots and has only had the rabies vaccine since then. My dogs are around dogs all the time, especially Keeva as we compete in agility. They ended up getting kennel cough from a dog in agility class.. it was just an inconvenience and not at all something I was worried about.

I make sure to check their stools regularly for signs of worms and will take in a sample once in a while as it's not very expensive. I don't give flea/tick/heartworm meds but will do testing periodically for heartworm.

I try to keep medications to a minimum and treat holistically if possible. My dogs haven't been ill in years and only go in for routine exams. Kai is almost 9, Kaedyn is about 13-14, and Keeva is 4.

[dab_20]

Just judge your situation, find a vet who will tell you the truth. My vet will tell me what really isn't necessary. Rabies is a must have for any dog IMO. If you live in the country in a humid climate, for instance, you would need more vaccines because of the different bugs and animals that can spread diseases. Bordetella is only needed if your dog is around a lot of other dogs. I live in apartments with tons of other dogs, so I do get that done. I also think heartworm meds are important as well.

[IRescue452]

My vet told me they no longer need to test for heartworms for heartgard because they changed the formula.

I do 3 year rabies and the 5 way every 3 years. I go to the dog park and my dogs have never gotten kennel cough. It can spread by walking down the same sidewalk as a dog who had it so your dog is at risk even if you don't meet other dogs directly. Kennel cough is actually an upper respiratory infection caused by several potential viruses or bacterias, its not a disease in itself. You do need it if you want to board your dog and I suggest it if your dog is not healthy overall or if you have a very old dog who is susceptible to pneumonia.

[Sharon_FL]

Well, I guess I don't need "Bordetella" since I never board my dog, have stopped going to dog parks because she doesn't seem to enjoy playing with the other dogs anymore and we will just encounter the occasional random dog for a quick sniff on our daily walks. She doesn't go to doggie daycare, either.

Do most of you just get the 3 way vaccines? Lily is a Yorkie/Maltese mix. I don't know what they are looking for in the "fecal" test. I suppose worms. We live in FL. It is hot and humid, but she doesn't dig around in any dirt. She mostly goes potty on grass on our walks and isn't outside by herself ever.

I give her "Advocate" for Heartworms/fleas and I believe it also takes care of worms and a bunch of other stuff.I don't even get it from my vet. I get it online a bit cheaper than they would charge and she gets it all year, of course, since we live in FL.

My vet has never mentioned a 3 yr Rabies shot. She always just gives her the yearly one. I guess I have to ask for it, huh?

I would love it so much if someone would look over the list of what my vet thinks Lily should have and read what info I have given here and give me some suggestions as to what your opinions would be as to what you think she actually only needs....

I am thinking to drop the "Bordetella", tell her she doesn't need a "fecal" .... just need to know which of those 5 way vaccines i don't need? Seems to be the "Lepto" is not so needed and the "Parainfluenza"?

Does that sound right? Just get her the 3 core ones (DPH?) + Heartworm.... Someone mentioned Lymes disease. How important is that in my area. Anyone know? I worry so much about my little Lily. I want to make sure that I make the right decisions in her health care. I love her so much!


Thank you guys so much for helping me. you don't know how much I appreciate your time and patience. Truly, thank you....

[pomtzu]

Sharon - Lyme's has been found in every state, but it is most prevalent in the Northeast region of the country from the DC/MD area, north to Maine. It probably wouldn't be a huge issue in FL, but you might want to ask your vet about it. My dogs get vaccinated every year, but it still isn't 100% effective either, as Sparky had it a couple of years ago. He tested false negative when my vet suspected he had it, but he actually did have it, and after a round of antibiotics for 30 days, he was back to "normal".

[Shelteez2]

If I were you I wouldn't revaccinate my dog. I don't believe in vaccines in general, and I most certainly don't believe in yearly vaccines. Here is a video you can watch on vaccines. It isn't a sensationalized extremist point of view, it is one vet interviewing another. It is long (about 53 minutes) but it is definitely worth watching. View it with an open mind and take notes to ask your vet about.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L1Xd5ghnlJ4
People can tell you what they would or would not do, but ultimately you need to do what you are comfortable with.

[MonicanHonda]

I believe in only Parvo/distemper as a puppy (rabies at the appropriate age) and then I only booster for rabies. There are plenty of studies done showing that vaccines last for seven years or even longer. Most, if not all, vets now come out of vet school doing every three year shots. I like to raise my dog's natural immunity with a good diet and minimal use of heartworm medicine and no harmful insecticides for fleas/ticks. I will eventually titer, but haven't had the need to yet, as my training facilities implement a holistic approach, along with my awesome vet whom I love.

[Asiel]

None of my dogs have gotten vaccinated for anything after the round of puppy shots. After having a severe reaction to a rabies shot by one of my dogs I dropped that one too. We live in the country and in all these years none of my dogs have ever picked up anything. After discussing my feelings with my vet she no longer sends reminder cards for the shots and respects my decision. Even if they need treatment for something she won't try to push the vacs on them. I bring in a stool sample yearly just in case but they are always negative.