Are annual shots overkill!!!

[Corinna]

Rabies is the only one I get for my pets one becouse of the law, and we live in an area with proven rabied bats.
I got my kids their first 2 vaccines and both got sick , and then I started reading about them . I stopped getting them , too many factors show that too many other things are happening to the kids getting them. ( hyper activity, autism, and immume defistionsys(sp) ) Son got hyper active after his two. Plus the pertusus in the whooping caugh one each one spiked a 1o4 temop in 20 mintues( so did I as a kid)

[wolfsoul]

I stopped getting vaccines after getting sick too. After my second HepB shot I was sick with flu-like symptoms for two weeks and developed a phobia of anything sharp. Now whenever I need my blood tested I have an absolute panic attack. My dad developed both the hyperactive and innattentive subtypes of ADHD after getting his first shots, so he never had any shots for the rest of his life. My stepmom always laughs because she got all of her vaccinations and still got mumps, my dad didn't get any vaccinations and barely gets a cold.

[Sevaede]

Hmmm. I think I am divided on this issue. Where I live, I am pretty sure there are things that are really common besides heartworm (which, as we all know, is not taken care of by vaccination but rather a topical or pill.). I would just be worried about my fur babies coming in contact with any diseases. Hmm. I shall do some more research.

So far, (even though this doesn't apply, exactly) Soni has been vaccinated against rabies, feline leukemia, and fvrcpc. I will do the same for Isis because not only is it required by law but I have to do it in order for her to be spayed (some even require a bordatella vacc.).

edit: As far as human vaccinations go, I have had a polio vaccination, and have started the hep b several times but never finished, amongst others and have never had a problem with them myself. Then again, I've always been pretty darn healthy minus the ear infections when I was way younger and especially concerning something else.

[wolf_Q]

I've also been worried about the annual vaccines. Nebo has received all of them each year and is due this July (annual, next year rabies) but I don't think I'm going to do the annuals. I've asked about the titer tests but I haven't yet found a vet that does that, I will keep looking. Are any of the diseases the annual vaccines are made to prevent life threatening in a healthy adult dog (besides rabies)? I know parvo can be life threatening but I thought it was a lot more serious in puppies.

I do think he'll still get a rabies vaccine though, because I'm paranoid. I know that if by chance he bit anyone if I couldn't provide proof of a current rabies vaccination he'd have to be quarantined for at least 10 days. When I was bit by a cat at work and it was not current the cat had to be (by law) quarantined, or kill the cat to test it (I'm not sure if I, being the one bit, actually could choose to have that happen? I didn't and wouldn't of course). I didn't want to get the rabies shots, so I rather just hoped I didn't get a phone call saying the cat showed symptoms of rabies, bad idea I know. I don't think rabies is *that* common around here but I do go camping often where there's lots of wild animals........like I said, I'm paranoid.

*edited to add: I got a flu shot once and became extremely ill from it and I have sworn to never get one again!