Vaccinate or not?

nala2012

Ok so nala's 2 now and due her booster next month. She had puppy vaccines and booster last april. I've been doing some research and am nearly sure i don't want to vaccinate every year but i'm not sure about lepto does she need booster every year for that? There's a lot of arguement for and against vaccination and i want to do what's best for nala. She's raw fed and never been to the vet for anything other than check up and vaccines before. The vets i normally bring her to sent out a letter about how important vaccination is and if a booster is missed you've to start all over again so i don't think there's much point talking to them about it. I'm in galway if anyone knows of a good vet to discuss this with.

celica00

I find it very good that you question the regulary vaccination!

In fact, the shots last for more than a year. The whole "you have to get it done regulary"-thing comes originally from the companies who provide vaccination-serum.
Therefore there is a bit of money-making behind it.
Many vets actually just dont know better and think and believe that it has to be done.

One of my dogs got her shots every single year for 7 years. I decided that this is enough for the whole lifetime so I stopped it. She is 11 now. Shes has ben very healthy and acutally better than before but could be also a few other circumstances as she gets healthy food (raw food is acutally perfect).

My small feller got his vaccations as a puppy but never since again. He is about 3 years old.
Both are very happy and healthy even though they got in contact with other dogs. No sign of any problems.
So far I think it was a good decision and might get the small fella a shot if hes around 5.
That should do I'd say.

fiounnalbe

Most vet's don't give all the boosters every year anymore, they rotate which one's they give after new research showed that levels remained in the body for over a year.
You might not need to get your dog vaccinations done each year, however some things to keep in mind are:

If your dog is insured and not properly up to date on vaccinations they can refuse to pay for any medical treatment your dog needs.

If you ever suddenly need to travel with the dog (happens more frequently than one would think) all vaccinations must be up to date.

And lastly ever dogs metabolism is different, without doing serum testing there is no way to know each year if your dog is still covered against diseases or not. I saw a dog that skipped only one vaccination year and it died of Parvo. The owners were completely distraught and tried to blame the manufacturing company of the drug, they must have made a faulty batch because protection should have lasted etc etc but they only guarantee a certain time frame that they are a 100% the vaccination will work so it was not their fault, but the owners for not bothering to check the dogs serum levels.

Healthy eating and care for your dog can only get you so far, similarly to humans eating healthily and never getting a common cold etc, but you can be extremely healthy and still catch horrible viruses like meningitis...same goes for your dog.

I'm not against people not vaccinating their dogs each year, but once you are responsible about it and not putting your dogs life at risk.

DBB

I'm not a fan of annual vaccination, but with one exception. I think it's really important to get the Lepto boosted every year. Unlike the other infections we vaccinate against, which are viruses, Lepto is a bacterial infection, and bacterial vaccines just don't last as long. Lepto is also a very real danger for dogs of any age.
Personally, and this is only presenting itself now for me for the first time as I have me first young dog in ten years living with me, I'm going to get her titre tested to see if she has sufficient antibodies from her first vaccinations, instead of just religiously getting her vaccinated every year (except for Lepto).
My oldies haven't been vaxed for some years, and won't be either. Except for Lepto!

PucaMama

please do the right thing and vacinate your dog

lorebringer

The great vaccination debate! If you are not going to vaccinate, you need to get titre testing done to ensure your dog is covered from the illnesses that vaccinations protect against - otherwise there is no way of knowing if your dog is covered or not. Also, you need to get certain vaccines every year - Lepto and Kennel Cough being the two that spring to mind - because these vaccinations often do not cover your dog after a year.

On a quick note - think someone else mentioned this already - insurance companies may not pay out if your dog contracts an illness that should be covered by vaccinations (and you have not been getting your dog regularly done). Treatments for these illnesses are very expensive (and also, the illnesses are life threatening for your dog) so ensure you get titre testing and consult your insurance small print to ensure you are covered. Also, kennels will not accept a dog that is not regularly vaccinated and if you are planning any travel you may need to consider this. Finally, if your animal is going to leave the country for any period of time you need to have them vaccinated, and titre tested for certain illnesses in certain countries, which can take quite a period of time so you need to plan ahead.

Finally, just a word of warming, do not take anecdotal evidence as a be all and end all on your dogs vaccinations - we all know about those people who live to 90 smoking 50 cigarettes a day, and we also know that these are the exceptions - you need to do as much research as possible on what you want for your dogs. I'm talking about peer reviewed papers and consulting with your vet. I know you are likely to try to inform yourself as much as possible but there is a lot of crap info out there and it can be hard to tell the difference.

Whispered

lorebringer wrote: »

The great vaccination debate! If you are not going to vaccinate, you need to get titre testing done to ensure your dog is covered from the illnesses that vaccinations protect against - otherwise there is no way of knowing if your dog is covered or not. Also, you need to get certain vaccines every year - Lepto and Kennel Cough being the two that spring to mind - because these vaccinations often do not cover your dog after a year.

I totally agree, if you're not going to vaccinate then titre testing is essential. I don't know how necessary it is to get them done yearly myself, but as my dogs spend a lot of time in a kennel environment, I prefer to be 100% safe, and obviously the kennel manager/owner insists that all dogs on the premises are covered.

On the subject of kennel cough, I'm a bit less adamant. Having spoken to my vet at length about this I learned that it is similar to the human flu vaccination. There are many strains of KC, the vax doesn't cover them all, a healthy dog should get over the KC easily enough, sometimes with help, but it shouldn't be life threatening. I would prefer to not have them done for KC and deal with the problem if they get it. I also learned that a dog cannot be a latent carrier of the virus, if they have it, they display symptoms.

ISDW

Entirely up to you if you vaccinate now or not, the drug companies themselves acknowledge that the vaccines last for up to 3 years. As pointed out by DBB, the one that you do need to do annually though is lepto.

Kennel cough is only efficient in up to 75% of the current strain, so I think in a healthy, fit dog, there is no need, but catching kennel cough can have a very debilitating effect on very young or old dogs, or those with certain underlying health issues.

If you trust your vet, go and talk to them, a good, modern vet will know about the efficiency of vaccines, and can have a proper discussion with you and give you the facts to make an informed decision.

boomerang

BooBoo and Amber both got the 7-in-1 yearly until they hit seven or eight. From then on I only gave them Lepto annually. Now that Boo's nearing eleven, rightly or wrongly I don't think I'll be vaccinating her against Lepto any more. I stopped giving my dogs annual KC vaccination when they weren't in doggy daycare anymore. They're never boarded and they don't go to training classes so the risk is minimal - or so I thought!

Josie is insured so I have no choice to but ensure she gets all her annual boosters.

Since doing a paper on KC vaccination for college, I seriously question the vaccine's usefulness. It only covers the most common strains and it doesn't prevent infection, but rather lessens symptoms should the dog be exposed. A newly vaccinated dog can experience symptoms of kennel cough and will be infectious to other dogs and cats for up to six weeks! Plus this is a usually self-limiting disease and most dogs recover without any medication being needed at all. My two girls had it last winter and being a nervous nelly about Boo's age, I brought them both in. They got a course of Ronaxan and prednisolone and a shot of dexmethasone, which was probably overkill, really. Boo shouldn't have had corticosteroids at all, as they're contra-indicated for dogs with renal insufficiency! Ironically, they picked up the infection from their cousin Gizmo who was staying with us - and had recently been vaccinated!

FYI:

Nobivac Intrac KC
The Intrac KC vaccine combines a live culture of Bordetella bronchiseptica (strain B-C2) and a modified, live Cornell strain of canine parainfluenza virus. The vaccine is administered into the nostril. The duration of immunity provided is one year. Dogs that are routinely boarded in kennels should therefore be re-vaccinated annually.

As Intrac KC is a live vaccine, both cats and unvaccinated dogs that are in close contact with the newly vaccinated dog may experience mild, transient respiratory signs of the illness. In the case of canine influenza virus, the vaccinated dog is infective for a few days after vaccination. The dog can spread B. bronchiseptica for six weeks post-vaccination.

Vaccinated dogs may experience nasal and ocular discharge, coughing, wheezing and sneezing the day after vaccination. These signs are usually transitory, but may persist for up to a month. Young puppies are most at risk. Severe cases may require antibiotic treatment.

Intrac KC is not a core vaccination. It is indicated for use for periods of increased risk, for example when the dog is going into boarding kennels. The vaccine reduces clinical signs induced by Bordetella bronchiseptica and canine parainfluenza virus. That is to say, if the dog is subsequently exposed to either infectious agent, it will have a milder form of kennel cough than had it not been vaccinated. The vaccine also reduces shedding of canine parainfluenza virus in affected dogs, so that they present less risk to susceptible, unvaccinated dogs.

Intrac KC provides immunity against B. bronchiseptica just three days after vaccination. The onset of immunity against canine parainfluenza virus is three weeks however, and this has to be borne in mind by the veterinarian when a client requests the vaccine for a dog that is to be boarded.

Pfizer Bronchi-Shield
Bronchi-Shield offers immunity against a strain 92B of Bordetella bronchiseptica. This is a different strain of B. bronchiseptica to that included in the Intrac KC vaccine. Bronchi-Shield does not provide immunity against canine parainfluenza virus. It stimulates active immunity against the 92B strain. This reduces coughing should the dog be subsequently infected.

Like Intrac KC, Bronchi-Shield is a live vaccine, so it may cause coughing in the first days following vaccination. In some cases the dog may also experience a nasal or ocular discharge. The manufacturers state that these clinical signs are transient and should only last for 24 to 48 hours. In severe cases however the dog may require antibiotic treatment. If the antibiotic treatment is given within two weeks of vaccination, the efficacy of the vaccine is impaired. These dogs will require re-vaccination once the course of antibiotics has been completed.

As with the Intrac KC product, dogs vaccinated with Bronchi-Shield may be infective for up to seven weeks post-vaccination. Recently vaccinated dogs should be isolated from immune-compromised or unvaccinated dogs. Both cats and unvaccinated dogs in contact with vaccinated dogs may experience moderate clinical signs of kennel cough, including sneezing and discharge from the eyes and nose. In other words, the vaccine can cause kennel cough outbreaks. Some boarding kennels will not accept dogs that have received a kennel cough vaccine within the previous ten weeks.

The duration of immunity provided by Bronchi-Shield is one year. Annual re-vaccination is recommended for dogs that are routinely exposed to risk, such as dogs that are boarded. Immunity is achieved from five days after vaccination.

boomerang

I should have also mentioned that the annual 7-in-1 booster vaccination (DHPPi plus Lepto) includes canine parainfluenza virus. I don't know does an already vaccinated dog benefit from the additional, intra-nasal vaccine.

fredweena

If you don't vaccinate then be sure you won't need to put him in kennels in an emergency or anything like that. The farm dog at home doesn't get vaccinated but he never goes anywhere. Our dog is vaccinated mostly to keep insurance valid etc. No difference in the health of the two.

TooManyDogs

Interesting note on Lepto vaccine, I read in Dogs Naturally website recently that the 3 most common strains of Lepto that effect dogs are only covered for about 2 weeks by the Lepto vaccine. Now that's a scary thought, would love to hear more about it because I've heard of a few dogs who have been vaccinated against Lepto but contracted it and died anyway, and the lepto vaccine seems to be responsible for the most side effects compared to the other vaccine.

http://www.dogsnaturallymagazine.com/leptospirosis-vaccine-protection-and-dogs-what-you-need-to-know/

I'd be interested to know what you guys make of it

nala2012

PucaMama wrote: »

please do the right thing and vacinate your dog

my dog is vaccinated, i don't want to over vaccinate her.

nala2012

On the kennel cough vaccine, nala used to go to dog daycare regularly and just before she was due kc booster there was an out break in the creche. All the dogs had been vaccinated that got it. I called my vet to discuss it with her and she said the vaccine only covers the worst strain of kennel cough and that its only really older dogs and puppies that would suffer the most from it. I think it's a bit of a farce like the human flu vaccine, my friend who's in her 20's and healthy got vaccinated and ended up having the worst flu she ever had! I'm definatly going to get the titre test done. If anyone knows of a good vet in galway please let me know.

Bullseye1

DBB wrote: »

I'm not a fan of annual vaccination, but with one exception. I think it's really important to get the Lepto boosted every year. Unlike the other infections we vaccinate against, which are viruses, Lepto is a bacterial infection, and bacterial vaccines just don't last as long. Lepto is also a very real danger for dogs of any age.
Personally, and this is only presenting itself now for me for the first time as I have me first young dog in ten years living with me, I'm going to get her titre tested to see if she has sufficient antibodies from her first vaccinations, instead of just religiously getting her vaccinated every year (except for Lepto).
My oldies haven't been vaxed for some years, and won't be either. Except for Lepto!

Apologies for resurrecting this thread but can you ask the vet to just do the Lepto Test/vaccination? I was contemplating the Titre Test on both dogs with the view to do away with annual vaccinations.

fits

A vet nurse friend of mine reckons it is very important to vaccinate very young and old dogs. In middle age their immune system is at its strongest but it can weaken as they get older.

Mine were vacc'd yearly until they were about 5 or 6, then it lapsed for a few years, and I started back last year when they were 9 or so. I am not so worried about them getting the booster on time though.