You can tell if your dog has already been vax'd???

It's a titer -- and it honestly sounds expensive (because they are trying to be so 'immediate' with the answer).

Titers are already easy to get -- just ask the vet to do them.  I have titers done on my dog every year but I like them sent either to Dr. Dodds or to Cornell -- rather than just a pass/fail answer you actually get a numerical value so you know year after year if the immunity is slipping or not.  Luna had to have a booster last year. 

I haven't vaccinated my dogs routinely for years.  This ImmnunoComb looks like it's simply an in-house version of a titer.  Normally  a titer is sent out to a lab and takes a few days to get results.  Sening to Cornell or Dr. Dodds takes longer but it's a more valuable answer.

I'll ask my vet next time I go up there to see if he's heard how reputable it is.

You have to allow about 3-4 weeks after vaccines for immunity to really take effect.  And it's the 2d set, typically, that are the more effective (personally I think it's a waste to immunize a dog before 8 weeks altho I know there are some who disagree).  Immunity doesn't develop immediately -- you don't walk out of the vet clinic and they are "immune" -- it takes weeks for it to develop.

Part of the equation is that the dog's immune system matures along with the dog.  When they are tiny the immune system doesn't function as well (but that's also why shots are important by 2 months old).

But you could get Royce titered even now if you wanted to.  Having a vet administer a titer -- it depends on THAT vet as to how much they charge.  My vet only charges $45 to send it to Antech.  And typically you titer for distemper and parvo. 

 Did that help?

Thanks Callie. Yes it helped as usual, LoL :) Reading about this one it says it is quantitative vs. qualitative so it too should be a number value and not a "yes" or "no"

I guess it makes sense that these have been around for awhile, I just never thought about it. Cool!

calliecritturs

I have titers done on my dog every year but I like them sent either to Dr. Dodds or to Cornell -- rather than just a pass/fail answer you actually get a numerical value so you know year after year if the immunity is slipping or not. 

As I understand it a high titer shows immunity, but a low titler does not necessarily mean a low immunity. 

The titer measures the body's response to a disease, not the actual immunity to a disease.  Over time with no exposure to a disease the titer can lower.  A vaccine can test the immunity and boost the titer, but so can a trip to a dog park for exposure to small amounts of parvo and distemper. 

A trip to a dog park a week or two before a titer increases the chances for a high titer. 

http://www.caberfeidh.com/Titers.htm

  My vet sends the blood to Idexx, and they give a numerical value too. It takes about 3 days to get back the results.

janet_rose

As I understand it a high titer shows immunity, but a low titler does not necessarily mean a low immunity. 

Many of us titer to satisfy "paper requirements" -- like for kenneling, etc.  But my holsitic vet reminded me that something called "cell memory" comes into play here.

If most of us were titered for smallpox (if we're over 50 and haven't had the vaccine in 45 years) -- we would likely titer *low*.  But our chances of getting small pox if exposed is pretty darned tiny.  Why?  Because our DNA actually "remembers" that we have been vaccinated so if the body is actually threatened with something that it has "overcome" in the past the body will produce antibodies as a result of cell "memory" that the disease has been overcome previously.  It will take the DNA memory out of storage and begin producing antibodies.

Make sense?