tri-annual vaccination?

 I have 4 dogs now. Just recently got a Vizsla pup.

My Dalmatian/Lab/Chow mix and Chihuahua only get a rabies shot every 3 years. Only shot they get.

My Irish Setter and Vizsla get the 5in1 shot once a year think it's parv,distemper,and I dont know what the other 3 are. And their rabies every 3 years. I do that because I will be showing them and they will be around alot more people and dogs than my other 2.I take them to classes and they cant get in without those shots anyways.

All my dogs if gotten as puppies all get whatever puppy shots recommened. 

While you're doing your 'homework' look at the difference between modified live and killed vaccines.  That's mostly the huge difference.

The "combo" vacs are killed vaccines.  They lump a ton together and then give them annually.  It's an inferior vaccine and doesn't produce the lasting immunity that the modified live vax give, BUT they are a huge drain on the immune system and all of the complications that can arrive with the delivery system of the vaccine all still apply (particularly if your vet is using vax that still have thimerisol -- think Ft. Dodge, and I'm not sure who else).  At least some of the vaccine companies are using the recombitant vax where available (that's a vax that's genetically taken apart and ONLY the pertient part of the disease cells that are needed are used so the disease itself can't be transmitted, despite being a 'live' culture'  They've been working on recombitant vax for years and are only *now* getting them cheap enough to use.

The vet 'hospital' association is now recommending using the modified live and recombitant core vax rather than the annual killed vaccines. 

Luna, Kee and Tink all got a set of core vax this year (parvo, distemper and adenovirus) -- Tink had never had ANY vax before, and Luna titered low for parvo and Kee titered low for distemper. They get bordatella when I'm absolutely forced into it in order to kennel them if I have no other alternative.

I'll stick my neck out THIS far ... Because I have a dog who had IMHA and I've gone thru the H&ll known as immune-mediated hemolytic anemia with a dog, got him thru it but also live with him the daily life knowing it could recur -- if all my hopes and dreams in this life centered around being able to 'show' or do sports with an animal, and if in doing so **annual** vaccines were required, I just plain wouldn't do that.  I'd rather have them a long long life than live that much in the now because I've seen the flip side of it.  That's ME, that's not any slap against anyone else, but it's just that my commitment to it goes THAT deep.

I titer EVERY year and they only get core vax if they titer low (hence Luna and Kee getting vax'd this year).  I live in a 3 year county for rabies and they ONLY get rabies when they have to in order to be licensed.

Billy gets NO vax NOT EVER.  Nothing.  Vaccines could set off the IMHA again so he can't even get rabies or bordatella.  Every year I have to send his blood to Kansas State to be titered for Rabies (my vet has to send that in with a letter stating WHY we do that -- you can't just decide to titer for rabies.  There has to be a clear and convincing reason why you *must* titer for rabies).  But this way I *can* license him, and the titers satisfy the pet therapy requirements.

There are studies being done now -- not just the Rabies Challenge study that Kris Christine has posted about (and you might search for her posts about vaccines -- she's loaded a ton of very informative stuff on here).  But studies that are showing that 3 years may be a very low minimum and eventually it may be much longer than that.  (But studies like that take MANY years -- it's just that it's been proven to be *over* 3 years far enough that it's allowed the AVHA to 'bless' a 3 year cycle)

I'm not sure I'd feel like giving them every three years would be any better than yearly.  Willow wasn't even vaccinated more than twice MAYBE three times in five years and she still has an immune problem they feel could of been brought on by over vaccination. 

I'm thinking any future dogs of mine will have their puppy vaccinations as needed.  And, then nothing but rabies after that as required by law--and even that I'm not sure I'd do if I could get away with it. 

I'm sure people will come on here and say there is nothing definate that says the vaccines causes the immune disease.  BUT, after going thru this and I'm still going thru it--everything considered--I'm not taking a chance again. 

 I read this report and a few others and then made my own decision.  Talking to vets resulted in as many different opinions as there were vets.  That's been my experience with the Internet also.  Everyone will develop a different protocol based on what makes them most comfortable.  Getting a vet to agree to tri-annual vaccinations will require that they carry the 3 year vacs (mine doesn't) and if you don't at least titer, you'll probably get resistance.  At least I did.

AAHA 2006 Guidelines 

calliecritturs

  Every year I have to send his blood to Kansas State to be titered for Rabies (my vet has to send that in with a letter stating WHY we do that -- you can't just decide to titer for rabies.  There has to be a clear and convincing reason why you *must* titer for rabies).  But this way I *can* license him, and the titers satisfy the pet therapy requirements.

 

I titered Woobie for rabies through Hemopet.  No questions asked.  My state won't accept it, but I was able to do the titer just for curiosity sake before boostering him.  1/6500 and I still had to booster him by law!   

I'm not surprised Dr. Dodds would do that -- Billy's has to go thru Kansas b/c it's the only 'approved' place that the states will take and his IS particularly to get the paper necessary to get him licensed so he can do pet therapy.

Rabies is such a scarey thing to so many countries everyone is terrified of doing titers for it.  We, here in the States, really do NOT get the 'fear' that a lot of places have of rabies.  It's what has been behind the old "quarantine" in the UK  - islands like  UK and Hawaii that don't HAVE rabies aren't always rational about what could realistically cause it.

My dogs get the puppy series of vaccines. Then at one year they either get a booster or a titer test. Used to do a booster, now I think the next dog will get a titer test instead. Rabies I wait until six months if I can, then every three years as required by law. After the puppy series, my dogs don't get any vaccines except rabies. Except if we are going to board the dogs or take a class that absolutely requires it, we will get an intranasal kennel cough. That is it. Many kennels will accept titer results in lieu of current vaccination for distemper and parvo.

As far as which vaccines to give, the "core" vaccines are parvo, distemper, and adenovirus. These are the ones that every dog needs to get. Other vaccines fall in the "optional" catagory and it depends on where you live and your dog's lifestyle. A couple serious diseases to be aware of are leptospirosis and lyme. Lepto is found in some parts of the country, in other parts it is just about non-existent. Lepto vaccine also is the most likely to cause a reaction. Do some research and find out if it is a problem where you live, learn how it is transmitted and if your dog is at risk. Do not give a lepto vaccine before 16 weeks of age. 

Many people do not like the chance of side affects that can come with the Lyme vaccine. I would not even consider this vaccine unless you live in a highly endemic area. Even then, some people chose not to give it. This also needs to be researched and I would not begin to recommend what to do. Don't even know what I would do if I lived in Lyme country.

Corona is a "vaccine in search of a disease." Direct quote from the top researcher in the field of immunology for dogs. Don't give it. Giardia vaccine does not work. Even dogs that get giardia do not develop immunity and can get it again. If the disease itself does not cause immunity, how could a vaccination??

Distemper, parvo, and adenovirus are all viral. Evidence shows that exposure or vaccination (after the immune system is mature) to these gives long lasting immunity, probably for the life of the dog. Lepto is bacterial and I think the shot is effective for 6-9 months. The shot covers four common strains, but there are at least 16 strains. Not sure how long immunity to Lyme lasts, but I think you need yearly vaccinations. Lyme is bacterial also. Kennel cough is only good for about six months, and covers just a few of the many strains.

If you want to learn some more, here are a couple good websites.

Oh, and let me add this. You can see that I do not like to give unnecessary vaccinations. But I do give the puppy series up to the age of 14-16 weeks. The same expert I mentioned above said he had changed his recommendations to make sure the last vaccination was after the age of 14-16 weeks. There is a very small but very real percentage of puppies that will not develop long term immunity at the age of 12 weeks, which is the age many vets recommend for the last shot. Maternal antibodies can still be interferring in a few pups.

http://www.newvaccinationprotocols.com

http://www.critteradvocacy.org/

calliecritturs

I titer EVERY year and they only get core vax if they titer low (hence Luna and Kee getting vax'd this year).  I live in a 3 year county for rabies and they ONLY get rabies when they have to in order to be licensed.

Callie, here is something that you may be interested to hear. This spring I went to a canine health symposium and Dr. Ron Schultz was one of the speakers. The question was asked, at what level do you consider the dog to have a low titer and need to revaccinate?

Dr. Schultz said that if you get any titer back at all, there is no need to revaccinate. What ever is the lowest level that the particular test uses, if they pass that level they are fine.

Straight from the horse's mouth.

 I now give only parvo or parvo and distemper to puppies and rabies every three years to adults (until they are 8, then that stops too). There are certainly ways around class requirements for vaccines, although boarding requirements can be trickier. Rabies is a law requirement most places but even then, it usually isn't an issue unless the dog bites a non-family member or is reported to have gotten into a fight with another dog or wild animal.

Yes, and Dr. Schultz knows.  but "convincing" the world can be something else again.

Many of the advanced medical techniques used in Europe and other countries don't hold to the "numbers criteria" that American vets and physicians do.  I know it's a huge shock to some folks here, but altho we consider ourselves "leaders" in the medical field in the world, that's not a universally held belief.  Dr. Schultz is the guy who is at the forefront of the Rabies Challenge study and he's already PUBLISHED a rabies study in France and elsewhere in Europe.  It's pretty much being "re-done" here.  Simply because unless it's done here, the US refuses to acknowledge it. 

 Actually, Dr. Schultz is getting into a thing called 'cell memory' -- that the blood particularly, and body cells generally, carry with them a complicated DNA history of every battle the body has fought.  So even when the titers are 'low' that is a man-made number, but the body remembers that it has defeated that particular organism and will call upon "cell memory" to respond to that disease as needed.

As I said above -- all my dogs do pet therapy.  Therefore I NEED PAPER in order for them to be allowed into certain facilities.  I won't vaccinate.  I titer.  And when titers get extremely low (and it is noticed or objected to) then I will vaccinate that dog IF THEY ARE HEALTHY otherwise.  Luna's never had any shots since we've had her and neither has Kee Shu, so since they both titered extremely low we allowed them to have core vax this year simply to satisfy the paper criteria. 

If you are tempted to flame me for this, or violently disagree ... fine.  But I'm not going to argue this point.  This is medical OPINION.   I know some of you have been educated here and have had the American frame of thought on this indoctrinated into your education -- you're entitled to your opinion, but please realize -- there is no official stamp that says "Only American opinion is valid".  And we Americans are having to re-evaluate much in light of the diseases found here that aren't found elsewhere -- or which weren't found elsewhere until American philosophy considering drugs and vax were used.

Good greif callie what are you talking about. Below is all the publications from Dr. Schultz in the world literature and I'm not seeing anything from a french journal. You do realize that pubmed is the WORLD's literature right? Are you aware of how the IRB process differes in Europe? Where did you get the bizarre idea that anyone thinks only literature out of the united states is valid. If you actually read any major medical journal you would see publications from all over the world in every edition. LOL, immunology has been around a long time and Dr. Schultz didn't invent it. His major controbution is duration of immunity from vaccines and it is easily accepted into the medical community as all well done studies are. It ALWAYS takes time for new literature to funnel down to everyone in the field. This obviously will take much longer as the vet community is not regulated as tightly in regards to following the standard of care as the medical community is. You continuously fight points that no one is arguing in this area. They key is helping the information Dr. Schultz has presented trickle down faster so more animals don't recieve unneeded vaccinations. It's hardly the battle you think it is.

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/sites/entrez?Db=pubmed&Cmd=Search&Term=%22Schultz%20RD%22%5BAuthor%5D&itool=EntrezSystem2.PEntrez.Pubmed.Pubmed_ResultsPanel.Pubmed_DiscoveryPanel.Pubmed_RVAbstractPlus