Yearly vaccinations

 Prevention is cheaper than healing.  Right now, rabies is a 1 or 3 year vac.  Same shot, different marketing, with research being done to see effectiveness over longer periods.  But the law says every year, or every 3 years.  You have to follow the law (okay, you will probably get away with the cats).  The area you live in effects your vac schedule.  Some areas are just more dangerous than others.  Ticks, mosquitoes,rodents, fleas, raccoons,  all carry something.  I don't like to over vac my dog, but I trust my vet and follow his recommendations.

You will get some better, more informed advice soon.  Researching your animals needs is a good thing.  You will probably hear about titer rates and other good things.

If your dogs have had at least one MLV vaccine at 1-year or older for parvo, distemper, and adenovirus (cross protects for hepatitis), I would not vaccinate for those diseases again.  I would not vaccinate ever for Coronavirus (useless) or Giardia (useless). 

Lepto (bacteria) vaccine dangers lkely outweigh possible benefits - especially for puppies and small dogs.  http://www.caberfeidh.com/Lepto.htm

The Lyme (tick bourne) vaccine can cause an untreatable form of Lyme disease.  http://www.caberfeidh.com/Lyme.htm 

Parainfluenza and Bordetella cover 3 of the 8+ causes of kennel cough - basically doggie flu/colds.  If you don't board or visit dog parks, you probably don't need these two vaccines. 

Whatever vaccines you do get please consider these guidelines:
(1)  Get single-dose vial vaccines - reduces the risk of bacterial contamination.
(2)  Paste the vial label in the dog's chart - provides manufacturer and batch number in case of vaccine problems.
(3)  Do not use vaccines with Thimerosal - a preservative that contains mercury (banned from human vaccines).
(4)  Have syringes filled in front of you to be sure of #1, #2, and #3.
(5)  Do not give a rabies shot within 30-days of any other vaccine.
(6)  Never vaccinate a sick dog or one recovering from (or about to have) surgery.
(7)  Avoid large combo shots.  If there is a reaction, you don't know what the dog is reacting to, plus challenging the dog's immune system with more than one disease can be hard on him/her. 
(8)  Stay in or close to the vet's office for an hour after the shot in case of reactions.  Avoid getting shots close to closing time or on a day when the vet will not be open the next day.

I am very wary about shots for myself or for pets.  A nurse in my regular GP's office could have killed me if I hadn't asked what antibiotic she was about to give me.  My chart even said I was allergic to penicillin!! 

Yep everything Janet said altho it's getting tough for vets to even find single dose vaccines.  Merial has a good 3 in 1 of the "core" vax (distemper, parvo, and adenovirus) that is modified live (MLV) but I titer every year (a blood test that shows pretty well what the immunity is) because we do pet therapy and I have to be able to show vaccine proof so I show the titer results. 

You might want to check the archives on here for Kris Christine's posts on the Rabies Challenge Fund and some of her other posts about vaccines -- it's super good information.

This is what I do at minimum:  Puppies get 3-4 distemper/parvo vaccines starting around 6 weeks and then spaced about 4 weeks (I say "at minimum" because some of these boosters do include other things but that will depend on where you live, for example "DHLPPC";).  Typically I try not to directly expose them to other dogs until 2 weeks after their second vaccine (so we start puppy classes around 12 weeks and if we go to a pet store, I carry them until then).  At 6 months they get their rabies vaccine.  One year following the initial rabies vax, I do another rabies vax and a distemper/parvo booster.  Then, the dog receives both every THREE years. I live in Kent County, MI which states that a dog must have a "valid rabies certificate".  "Valid" is left up to the vet, and my vets do three year rabies for dogs 1 year and older so their certificates have three year expirations.  Currently I do not vaccinate against bordetella.  It's just too expensive to vaccinate 3+ dogs every 6 months with a vaccine that doesn't always help (Nikon got bordetella after being vaccinated, he had a mild cough for a few days and was fine).  I also do a monthly heartworm preventative, basically ivermectin given orally, 8x the dose in a Heartgard tablet, or I will dose higher if I want to eliminate other intestinal parasites which I do on occasion since I have two dogs that track.  I have healthy dogs, no allergies, no autoimmune problems.  They are out in the wild quite a bit and exposed to a lot so I believe that keeping up with vaccines is important.  I trust my vets, if I didn't then I'd find a new one.

calliecritturs

it's getting tough for vets to even find single dose vaccines

Callie, I think we are using "single dose" in two different ways.  It is getting harder to find vaccines that only vaccinate against one disease, but I was referring to a vial that had enough vaccine for only one dog.  I don't think the latter is becoming hard to find, is it?

gibby411

I just worry about over vacc my pets. I had two cats that were vacc for the first 3yrs and after that I never have them done bc they were indoor cats. and they lived to just shy of 20yrs. I know dogs are differant bc they are outside playing but they do not come into contact with other animals. So I was just wondering about over vacc dogs.

  When Jessie was due for her vacs this year, I had titers done to see if she needed them. My vet didn't think she would since she's twelve and hasn't missed any, but it turned out that she did. At least I had the peace of mind of knowing they were necessary. She meets other dogs almost everyday, and comes into frequent contact with raccoons, possums, and other critters, so I think the vacs are important for her. You could have the titers done and then decide what to do.

I vaccinate at 7, 11, and 15 weeks, then at one year, and once more at four years. That is all.

I don`t vaccinate for lepto, corona, bordatella, rabies, or lyme.

I do believe less is more.

janet_rose

Callie, I think we are using "single dose" in two different ways.  It is getting harder to find vaccines that only vaccinate against one disease, but I was referring to a vial that had enough vaccine for only one dog.  I don't think the latter is becoming hard to find, is it?

Both -- at least here.  My vet has switched to Merial because at least he can get the "core vaccines" in a single dose but he hasn't been able to find distemper alone, parvo alone, etc. for some time -- not in single doses OR in a whole vial of each one.

I think the key is to be aware of what is or isn't necessary in one's area.  There's all these studies and theories and "protocols" but we have to examine what our individual needs might be.  I still do a double take any time I see someone *not* vaccinating for rabies but then I have to remember that not all areas have rabies, some countries have no cases at all.  We have rabies in MI so not only is a rabies vaccine the law but also it would be very unwise to not do it even if it wasn't required.  It is the same with flea/tick preventative, heartworm preventative, etc.  I do not regularly use flea/tick preventative but use heartworm preventative year round and dose about 8 times higher than a Heartgard tablet.

yes. I do them myself. I am a breeder and show person, I have puppies around often enough, and go to shows often enough, that relying on what MAY or MAY NOT be covering my dogs is SO not worth it. Is it EXACTLY a year? nope. I forget...sometimes it's a year and a half...or two before I recall. But it gets done. My dogs board places, and go places and guess what? sometimes a yearly vaccine is required...and I would be suspect of any boarding kennel place that allowed unvaccinated dogs access.

I also need to know if a yearly vaccine is going to send my dogs crashing in a downward spiral of immune weakness...because if that is the case obviously they are not breeding caliber dogs. I don't want to be raising hot house flowers.

I do the puppy shot at 8-9 weeks...I do another round at 12-16weeks...if it's 16 I also do Rabies. I do rabies yearly because it is the LAW and I am not going to chance a piece of paper showing a titer (which your average AC person has no clue about) when it comes to my dogs heads being removed, or them being quarantined as a result of a nip or issue. A person bitten by a dog has every right to assume the people who own it are in line with the law and if they are NOT...then they have every right to demand the dog be tested, or quarantined. I am not taking and chances, thanks.

That's just me.

One shot I do not like but do...is the Bordatella because it does not seem to work worth a crap.

rwbeagles

I do rabies yearly because it is the LAW

What Texas county still requires a yearly rabies shot?  This is a politics not a medical requirement, so I would be contacting my representatives to get this changed to 3 years.

jessies_mom

When Jessie was due for her vacs this year, I had titers done to see if she needed them. My vet didn't think she would since she's twelve and hasn't missed any, but it turned out that she did.

Titers don't measure actually immunity.  They measure the immune system's response to exposure to a disease.

If it has been long enough, a low titer can mean no exposure, rather than low immunity.  A trip to a dog park is often enough to raise a dog's titers. 

Rabies is not a county thing...it is a city thing. In my CITY 12 mos is required, given what is going on with our schools and social programs bothering a Rep about a shot is not high on my list of things I want dealt with by City Gov't. We all have different priorities.