What do you consider basic care - and why?

titers are blood tests you have the vet do.  They take a sample of blood and send it to a lab and you get back a short written report that gives you a pretty fair idea of how much immunity your dog's blood shows against distemper and parvo.  You only need to vax if the titer numbers come back below a certain level.

It's not "foolproof" however, but I always use it in lieu of vax records when we kennel, etc.  This year Luna and Kee both received a round a modified live core vaccines so I likely won't have to vax Luna for many years and Kee likely never. 

There is a titer for rabies but you can only get it under certain circumstances (like Billy has had IMHA so he can *never* have ANY vaccine ever again -- not for any reason at all).  Kansas State is the only vet school in the country (the only lab I know of *period*) who will do rabies titers.  It's not something typically done -- only in extreme cases like Billy's.

But I simply will not vax for things like lepto or Lyme, etc.  The DHLLP shot (and the other additions to other combo shots) are killed vaccines - they aren't very long lasting and it is a TON to hit a dog's immune system with in any event. 

Some vets are open to titering, some aren't.  I honestly wouldn't go TO a vet who wouldn't titer. 

Typically a titer that produces a report for both Distemper and Parvo is around $45 for the actual 'test'.  (plus whatever your vet would charge to do it, if anything)  However, I usually ask that the titer be sent to Cornell, rather than just a lab simply because it gives me a more definitive answer (it's a numerical ratio rather than a cumulative 'pass/fail' test).  Cornell's titers are more -- about $90, but -for example - knowing that Luna and Kee were both "close" I didn't want to vax them unless it was absolutely necessary and I have wanted to keep track of the numerical value of the reduced immunity -- not necessary, just a "me" thing.

The American Veterinary Hosp. Assn. has now encouraged vets to go to at least a 3 year protocol and NOT annual vaccines.  And they are recommending the modified live vaccine and not the killed vax. 

Hope that made sense?

There are several of us on here who have dogs (or have had) that have suffered from auto-immune type diseases (Willow, my Billy and slr2meg's Pirate are 3 who have recently dealt with it) and many others who have passed thru -- it's the diseases like IMHA and others that result often from the too frequent vaccines that have many of us encouraging titers.

Edited to add: -- just from a common sense angle - WE humans don't get vaccines every year -- maybe a flu shot if that is someting *you* do but nothing else.  It just seems so ludicrous for dogs -- and the whole "you have to have bordatella to kennel your dog" thing is just SO dumb -- a bordatella shot supposedly may protect YOUR dog from **getting** kennel cough -- it doesn't prevent your dog from GIVING it to another dog.  And, it's very like a flue shot -- it's only effective if the current 'strain' of kennel cough is covered by the vaccine your dog gets. (and the current bordatella shots are made from strains several years old)

I also happen to be one of those testy dog owners who believe we are overvaccinating. I actually spoke to a specialist who "claimed" that rabies vaccines dispensed at a rate of every three years is too much. Sadly. law requires it. Never mind the yearly vaccinations.

If you look up Kris Christine's posts on here about the Rabies Challenge study that's exactly the purpose of it.

 Food, love, mental stimulation, exercise appropriate to the age and breed, training also appropriate to the age and breed.  Vet care, of course, when needed and also yearly just for checkups.  I'm glad we're a rabies-free country and I don't have to vaccinate for that at all, and I think this coming year when Ben is due for his jabs I will have him titred instead. 

Most of all a dog should feel it belongs, that it has a place in the family and knows what that place is.  I think it's really difficult to neglect everything else I listed when that is the case, because it becomes a cycle.  I give Ben food, he knows I care....because I care about him, I give him food.  It's all just a natural part of dog ownership, for me anyway.  

Benedict

I'm glad we're a rabies-free country and I don't have to vaccinate for that at all,

Wow,no kidding? Not even in the wild animal population? We have alot of bats here and once and awhile one even gets in the house.A three year rabies vac is all that's required by law here.

Tena

4HAND

Wow,no kidding? Not even in the wild animal population?

Nope.  We've been rabies-free for some time now and control it with strict guidelines on bringing dogs into and out of the country, using quarantine when necessary.  Easy to do on an island, I suppose.  

Thank you for the explanation about titers.  I got my current rescue last summer and need to work on her shots.  Rescue thought she was 10-12 years old (ridgebacks average 12 years expectancy).  My vet thinks more like 7 or 8, but nobody knows and apparently there is no definitive way to tell.

Anyway, I probably should get the rabies, since she needs it to get a license. I'd like to take her to a dog park--there is one maybe 1/2 a mile from my house, but figure maybe I should vacinate her first. Is there anywhere I could read up on the risks of a dog contracting a disease that they could have been vacinated against?

An old rescue I had before I vacinated at 14 or so.  Three months later he developed a growth on his bone (cancerous tumor) that pinched off his colon and required me to put him to sleep.  I shall never know if somehow the vacines triggered the growth of the tumor.

 Agnes

Benedict

4HAND

Wow,no kidding? Not even in the wild animal population?

 

Nope.  We've been rabies-free for some time now and control it with strict guidelines on bringing dogs into and out of the country, using quarantine when necessary.  Easy to do on an island, I suppose.  

I think Ireland is the same way.  Someone on the GSD board moved there and I believe her dog was in mandatory quarantine for 6 months!  Paid for by her of course.  An acquaintance of mine was going to move to Ireland after having worked there and really liking it, but ultimately she couldn't because she wouldn't give up her dog and could not afford SIX MONTHS of boarding.

I don't think I could go through the six months of quarantine, I love my dogs way too much , they are family.

I would add that having some form of identification on your dog is part of basic care in the form of an ID tag and a microchip.  Our cairn got out of the backyard once, and was gone over an hour before we even knew he was missing.  A kind person saw him, put him in their own yard, and called us because our phone number was on his ID tag.  People are always losing and finding dogs in the neighboring areas, posting "lost" and "found" dog notices with pictures.  If the dog has an ID tag and microchip the chances are better for it to get back home.

Here are some suggestions from my end for natural pet care:

1) De-stress pets with herbs.
2) Avoid additives in pet food
3) Treat minor ailments naturally
4) Prevent urinary tract problems with herbs
5) Boost antioxidant levels.