Are annual shots overkill!!!

[shihtzulover850]

Well as Sarah mentioned previously in this thread, you can get a titer and go to public places without having vaccinations. I know what a titer is now, hehe, didn't at first.

What is a Titer?

[wolfsoul]

What is a Titer?

A titer is a simple blood test that checks the levels of immunity the dog has to certain diseases. Unfortunatly unless the dog has either had the shot or had the disease, the titer will just tell you that the dog is unprotected for the disease -- it won't tell you if the dog can get it or not. For instance, when I titre Visa, the results come back that Visa can not have parvo (as she's already had it) and is unprotected for distemper. Titers have helped to prove that one shot can last a dog it's entire life.

[My Peanuts]

Here's my two cents.
Harley hunts EVERYTHING. Possums, squirrels, skunks. He NEEDS his rabies shot. He and my whole pack get rabies and distemper shots only. Plus there are bats flying around at night here and bats are big carriers of rabies. I might have a different opinion if one of my dogs was directly affected, but in all the years I’ve had dogs (my whole life) nothing bad has happened from shots.
Sylvia, the only one we had as a puppy, got more for her puppy shots and the foster mom gave Morty all his puppy shots too.
RB Angie developed IMHA blood disease and died within 3 days. I don't think it had anything to do with her shots because we were late that year and she didn't get them yet. At the time we thought she got IMHA because we didn't vaccinate her, but now I'm glad we were late because now I would think the shots did it.

[My Peanuts]

I just schduled Morty's rabies and distemper shots and now you all have me worried.

[Jessika]

If shots are good for life, if you get a titer, they will show up, correct?

[IRescue452]

Our dogs have never had a problem with vaccinations and I think this whole thing about vaccines being bad is as publicly misunderstood as the greenies thing. Autumn gets her rabies shot every 3 years and there have been many confirmed cases of rabies in our area. She's getting the lyme disease vaccination this year because ticks are everywhere and there have been 6 confirmed cases of lyme disease this spring in our area.

[Queen of Poop]

I honestly believe shots should be given, but only if there are no side effects. My ferret, Sebastian, had an allergic reaction and almost died from his rabies shot 3 years ago. It cost $300 to bring him back. He still lives today, but does not get any shots. My dog Sasha has had no reactions at all and continues to recive all of her shots regularly as prescribed by our vet, whom I completely trust, who has looked after my animals for 14 years now. Sebastian could contract distemper from Sasha if she did not have her shots and somehow managed to pick it up. I can't take the chance on losing either of them so I do what I believe is best for them, with my vet's blessing.

There is no right answer to this question. It is a matter of personal choice.

[shihtzulover850]

A titer is a simple blood test that checks the levels of immunity the dog has to certain diseases. Unfortunatly unless the dog has either had the shot or had the disease, the titer will just tell you that the dog is unprotected for the disease -- it won't tell you if the dog can get it or not. For instance, when I titre Visa, the results come back that Visa can not have parvo (as she's already had it) and is unprotected for distemper. Titers have helped to prove that one shot can last a dog it's entire life.

Are they expensive?

[wolfsoul]

Are they expensive?

I can't find Visa's titer records so I'm not sure how much it costs here. But I believe her last appointment was around $150, that included a regular examination and a titre testing two viruses.

If shots are good for life, if you get a titer, they will show up, correct?

Yep, Visa is only titered for parvo and distemper, and the titer always says that Visa has antibodies that will not let her get parvo, and that she doesn't have any antibodies to protect her from distemper (as she's never had a distemper shot) but that she doesn't have it.

[Roxyluvsme13]

On the whole you must have a Vet to give vaccines, I know it's not true here. My mom was suggesting a few years ago that she was going to do our Doxie's shots at home.

[dragondawg]

There is always a chance that a vaccine may cause a severe allergic reaction such as anaphylactic shock, or as this thread started out with hemolytic anemia. There could also be localized skin reactions. Some dogs react to any vaccine as their immune systems are hyper active, while most dogs will never have a reaction.

Rabies vaccinations are required in most of the states in the U.S. If you wish to disobey the law, endanger your dog's health, and open yourself up to lawsuits if your dog becomes infected and bites someone, then that is your choice. But it is an irresponsible choice.

A rabies vaccine is a killed virus preparation and as such has absolutely no ability to infect the dog's brain or cause neurological side effects.

Parvo due to its lethality in puppies presents a confused picture. If you do not vaccinate your puppy, then you are trusting that it will never encounter an adult dog which is shedding the virus during that first critical first year. Even a puppy just over a year can get a severe and possible fatal infection from Parvo. On the other hand if you vaccinate too early then maternal antibodies received through the milk will neutralize the virus before an immune response can be mounted. That is why there are usually multiple vaccinations for Parvo to make sure the immune response occured. What happens if you vaccinate a puppy just after it has been exposed to Parvo, or just before it is exposed to Parvo? It will get Parvo as it takes at least a week to 10 days for immunity to build up from the vaccination. There are many occurances where the owner vaccinated and a few days later the puppy got sick. The puppy did not get sick from the vaccine. It got sick because it had been exposed to Parvo before being vaccinated or just after.


(due to thread length end of Part 1)

[dragondawg]

Distemper. If you want neurological problems and/or organ failure problems in later life then skip the distemper shot for your puppy. Why would you want to?

The vaccine schedule I'm following on my current two dogs (now age 3) are:

1. They recieved their "puppy shots" for parvo-distemper, bordetella, and of course rabies.

2. At year 1 and 2 they recieved booster shots for the parvo-distemper.

3. From here on out they will receive a booster once every 2-3 years. The rabies re-vaccination once every 3 yrs.

In addition since my female enjoys wallowing in one particular mud hole in the woods, I'm researching the prevalence of Leptospirosis in my area. Doubtful they will ever get lyme vaccinations, as the disease is easy enough to treat, and has not been a problem here for dogs. In another words some vaccination decisions are a matter of common sense.

The choice for puppies is clear. Vaccinate or take the risk of death or life long serious complications. Once the dog is an adult, give the one booster shot to ensure Parvo-distemper immunity. Then you can decide whether to vaccinate once every 2-3 years, or possibly longer. There are some studies suggesting life long immunity.

Per rabies - vaccinate. Note there are studies to indicate that even dogs undergoing Chemotherapy for cancer, can mount an immune response that is protective to a rabies vaccination. If your dog had an allergic reaction to a rabies vaccine (e.g. hives, breathing problems), then pre-loading with Benedryl is a way around the problem.