To Vaccinate or Not?

granite said:
Our current vet uses titers to determine the need for vaccination. I've been very pleased with his decision-making and skills.
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Pardon my naivity here but what does titers mean? Megan only received the core vaccinations and just a few days ago, rabies. If we ever decide to board her when we go away or have her professionally groomed than we have to do the Kennel Cough vacc. I didnt really ask the Vet about Mercury in the vaccinations, but Megan took the shots and didnt skip a beat!:wink2:
 
For a titer, the vet draws blood and then runs the blood through lab tests known as titers to see if the antibodies show up. The presence and concentration of the antibodies means that your dog is protected against that particular problem (rabies, for example).
 
My thoughts on this... I honestly don't know. A dear friend of mine... her recommendations are... do the puppy shots series... and then only give rabies. She's been a breeder/shower for years and have yet had a problem there. I myself worry somewhat about this because of the fact my dogs are exposed to dog shows and the like where hundreds even thousands of dogs are a part of. And, the thoughts of not given the shots worry me. My vets are the firm believers of giving shots, including rabies yearly. I to have been in the dark about the blood test. I'm sure because of the fact that my vet, I've used him for years, does not practice that type of a vaccination protocol. I for one would love to find a nice holistic, homeopathy practicing sort of vet... but, I'm in the dark their too. I really find the facts about vaccinations causing problems very interesting and something that I have heard about before. It will be something that I will continue to look into... I for one want what is best for my dogs. If I decide to go for this... I hope I can find a vet who supports it.
 
My breeder said have the first entire series of vaccinations and then that's it. She recommended against ever having Lepto and Bortella and I 100% agree. Years ago I watched my dog almost die in my arms after having a reaction to Lepto. I turned around on the shoulder of a highway and barely made it back to the vet in time to save his life.

My groomer requires the vaccine for Kennel Cough, which I am totally against, but Ellie LOVES her groomer and I do too, so I went ahead and had that done. My state mandates rabies yearly. :mad:

My opinion is that people have over-vaccinated dogs and have made them weakened and more susceptible to getting sick. Vaccinations, by their very nature are toxic. But then, I am one of those people who are basically afraid of pills and vaccinations and told my own physician that I want her to cure me of illnesses with soap and water. :winkgrin::rolleyes2:
 
I do not have any medical facts to back my opinions up, but I think they fall under the category of common sense!

Even with my human kids I have always taken a conservative, minimalistic approach when medicating, do only what is necessary. Megan received just the core vaccinations and nothing else and I feel good about that and my Vet does too! It also depends on risk factors like exposure, i.e, where are we taking our pets daily? I think if I was going to take Megan to dog parks or into other unknown risk area's, I probably would have done more vaccinations. :wink2:
 
Lahree said:
My breeder said have the first entire series of vaccinations and then that's it. She recommended against ever having Lepto and Bortella and I 100% agree. Years ago I watched my dog almost die in my arms after having a reaction to Lepto. I turned around on the shoulder of a highway and barely made it back to the vet in time to save his life.

My groomer requires the vaccine for Kennel Cough, which I am totally against, but Ellie LOVES her groomer and I do too, so I went ahead and had that done. My state mandates rabies yearly. :mad:

My opinion is that people have over-vaccinated dogs and have made them weakened and more susceptible to getting sick. Vaccinations, by their very nature are toxic. But then, I am one of those people who are basically afraid of pills and vaccinations and told my own physician that I want her to cure me of illnesses with soap and water. :winkgrin::rolleyes2:
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My breeder also said don't get the lepto vaccine. Bailey has the core vaccine, rabies and kennel cough. She just got the kennel cough today. I'm going to start getting her groomed, taking her to day care and obedience school, so I wanted her to be a protected. A lot of dogs at our park are coming down kennel cough.
I'm also considering the lyme disease vaccine when the weather gets warmer. My vet said they see almost one dog a day come in with lyme disease.
 
Meggie's breeder also cautioned against Lepto. She had a dog that nearly died from a reaction to the shot.

I have to say that I'm kind of in the dark about vaccinations. Meggie had the usual puppy vaccinations and has had rabies as required by law. That's all I've given her. I will check again with her breeder and she what she says.
 
Puppy shots followed by titers to check for declining immunity as age advances really is the way to go. Rabies, of course, is a must.

I just want to take a moment to say that vaccination saves lives, both human and canine. There is risk involved in any medical procedure, but in my mind, this risk is far outweighed by the "emergency response test" given to the immune system by the vaccine. Vaccination also protects both individuals and communities - some people (infants, the elderly, those with certain preexisting conditions) cannot be vaccinated safely, and rely upon the "herd immunity" provided by their vaccinated neighbors to protect them from deadly diseases. The preceding sentence applies to all animals, human and otherwise, and the current trend against vaccinating children at all makes me very nervous (and very frustrated).

That said... after those very-important puppy shots, the risks outweigh the benefits. The annual boosters won't do your dog any good (unless the titer shows that s/he has declining immunity), and the risk of adverse reaction remains. Of course, if you want to help your vet pay for his vacation home... :wink2:
 
That is one thing that my vet is against I am proud to say. That do not give Lepto at all. The things that I have heard about Leptospirosis is that it is not common at all anyway. People can catch it from their animals... how many people have you heard of that has had it? :yes: The last that I have heard Florida, Alabama, Georgia, Massachusetts, Michigan, New Jersey, and New York are the only states that have experienced the Lepto virus.
 
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