Vaccine Question.. opinions?

Question

If you dont know anything about vaccine reactions, titers, or immunity.. then dont bother answering! Im looking for opnions from those who know what they are talking about.

My breed is prone to vaccine reactions. Fred is 4 years old and has had all his shots yearly on schedule. I do NOT get the lepto or corono in his vaccines. Last year he only had the 5-way and he was throwing up for a few hours later that nite. I was assured that it wasnt a serious reaction tho, and no need to take him to the vet for care.

He is coming up due for his 3-year Rabies, and the "reccommended yearly" distemper/parvo shot. I have an appt Sept 2 for his rabies... I am ONLY getting the rabies at this time.

The question is.. do I reschedule for his parvo shot again in a few weeks, or just wait until a later time? His breeder told me that her vaccine schedule includes puppy vaccs, a yearly booster.. and then every 3 years after that.

I tried looking into doing titers once, but none of the vets I talked to seemed knowledgeable about them.. and it was going to be costly since the titers would have to be sent off to a lab.. it will cost me $60-80 per test (each disease is tested separatly!).. plus the exam fee and fee for drawing blood.

I'd appreciate advice from anyone who is knowledgeable about vaccines and titers!

Answer 1

Many vets have gone to the 3 year protocol for DHPP(distemper, hepatitis, parainfluenza, parvovirus).  Since only the rabies is regulated by law, you are within your rights as a pet owner to request a 3 year DHPP, instead of a recommended annual vaccine by your vet.  You are right about not vaccinating against leptospirosis--Unless your dog were at risk environmentally it should be avoided, as it carries the highest risk of anaphalaxis of any of the commonly used vaccinations.  

The risk of the individual dog in contracting leptospirosis has to be weighed against the possibility of vaccine reaction.  What was explained to me was that the dogs of highest risk are working dogs, gun dogs, etc, that regularly have access to areas of marshes and stagnant water, that are infected with leptospirosis from the urine of wild animals, livestock, and other dogs infected with lepto.   For many dogs the risk of contracting lepto is low, and their possibility of vaccine reaction is high.

Can you find a vet that is more current with vaccine schedules, and who will not fight you on the titres?  A titre is not 100% effective in measuring immunity, but you should have that option if you choose.

Answer 2

Did you get the name of the vet that she took the pups to that supposedly gave them all the shots? Or you could call the breeder and see if she could give you name of the vet and you can see without doing a costly titer if your baby has had the parvo shot. I know parvo has been proven to be effective for 3 years, but it is still recommended yearly. I, personally, would wait a few weeks to give Fred his parvo shot, since he's sensitive to them.

I think you misunderstand, I'm not suggesting you take the dog to her vet, I'm suggesting you CALL her vet and have them fax YOUR vet the pup's vaccination records from when she had him.

Either way, I think you'll be safe waiting a little bit to have Fred get his Parvo shot, as I said the Parvo shot is proven to be effective for 3 years, waiting a few weeks past one year isn't going to hurt him at all.

Answer 3

There is a great group here on yahoo.com called "The Truth about Vaccines" you should check out.  Also here are a couple of other websites that might help you:

http://www.critteradvocacy.org/

http://drkimberly-dvm.com/html/vaccines....

You are smart to question the annual shots.  Many vets and owners all over the world are doing the same thing.  In fact, Colorado State University recently revamped their vaccine protocols.

If you can find a good homeopathic vet near you, you would get much more support for discontinuing the vaccines.  And since distemper is a puppy disease, your only real concern is Parvo.  Is your dog at risk for exposure to parvo?  If not, after 4 years of vaccinations, I would probably stop them from what I have read.

But only you can educate yourself and make a decision with which you are comfortable.  A homeopathic vet, or one who is willing to adopt newer protocols would make that easier for you.  I am in the process of sharing all this information with my vet and he is considering changing his protocols, so it might just be an issue of educating your vet.  Good luck.

You might also check out the group, "RAWFEEDING".  Lots of people on there don't vaccinate after the puppy shots either.

Answer 4

I am a Chi breeder and use Progard 5 (Intervet is the manufacturer) on my pups.  (No lepto or corona)  I have never had a reaction even in 6 weeks olds.  I had two Chinese Cresteds some time ago and never had a reaction with them either.  I would suggest contacting the vaccine company.  They may have the answers you need.  When I did, I was very satisfied with the information I was given.  I believe it was a vet I spoke with who was very knowledgeable about their product.

Good luck to you!  

Answer 5

I would honestly wait a few weeks to set up the appt for the 5-1 at this point from what you said, IMO, the benefits still outweigh the risks. I would still consult your vet and maybe talk to an area pet hospital who might be more knowledgable about titers. I personally think the titers would be good at this point only if you had money to burn. I would wait atleast  week then would recomend that you schedule your appt. for the morning just in case he actually has a serious reaction.

At the recomendation of other local rescuers and my vet my guy gets 5-1, bord and lepto every 6 months due to the frequency and severity of illnesses he is exposed to on a very regular basis. He has never had any reactions beyond sleepiness, I still schedule for the morning with my guy.

Answer 6

I haven't had to deal with a vet yet, but I will let you know what I know.

Vaccines should never be done in a combo and most should only be done once in the pets lifetime.

I have never done titers, but I have heard holistic vets are more knowledgeable about titers and are willing to order vaccines that are separate. This site can help you find a holistic vet:

http://www.ahvma.org/

This forum is more knowledgeable about vaccines than I am: www.bigdogsporch.com

Other helpful websites:

http://www.shirleys-wellness-cafe.com/pe...

Answer 7

http://www.doglogic.com/vaccination.htm

Jean Dodd is very knowledgeable on vaccines,you may want to contact her for a consult.

My thoughts are after a vaccine reaction,never give mutiple shots at one time,research any disease outbreaks in your area and vaccinate for it and consider spending the money to titer instead of putting your dog's health at risk.There is an address to send blood for titers in the link,as well as any university vets in your area