Core vaccines

[Christine]

Hi,

Nala is due for her vet visit and I am wondering which vaccines your dogs get yearly.  I know some vary by region, but overall which are the core vaccines you let your dog get.  Nala is 2 btw. 

Thanks so much,

christine & Nala 

[Karen, Jasper and Jackdoodle]

My dogs don't get anything on a yearly basis. There are 3 year versions of the core vaccines, which are rabies, parvo/distemper, and adenovirus. I don't do them at the same time. If you choose to do lepto (I don't), that should be given separately in a series of two shots a month apart, and not given as part of a vaccine "cocktail" with the parvo/distemper shot. I also do bordatella separately, the intranasal version. 

[Christine]

Hi Karen

I was going to private message you to ask yet another vacccine question, but thought maybe others would like to read as well.  First off thanks so much for the info.  I looked up Nala’s records. This is what she had:

3 year rabies 

3 year DA2LPP.  I think this is the “cocktail” vaccine you referenced?  And I am thinking the L stands for leptospirosis? ( what is the name of the 3 year vaccine you get your dog?)

so 2 questions.  If indeed the L is the lepto shot, why would they want Nala to get a separate Lepto shot?

I like my vet and she will do what I ask, I just want to be informed BEFORE I go there, and have learned so much from this community.

also, as far as Nala getting the Lepto shot.  I’ve read that this particular shot is different from the others in that a form of the Lepto bacteria is in the shot.  And that it doesn’t really prevent it, just lessens it.  So that if your dog gets Lepto you may not notice it because the symptoms aren’t severe, and that could hinder you from seeking help?

We love in New Jersey.  Nala does go in our yard where there are bunnies, squirrels, chipmunks, and the occasional raccoon.  Even fox.  So should I get her the Lepto?  I know each dog parent has to decide, but I value your opinion.

Thanks so much,

chrisitne & nala 

[Karen, Jasper and Jackdoodle]

Yes, the DA2LPP is the vaccine "cocktail" I referred to. And the "L" does stand for Lepto. 

The reason your vet wants her to have another lepto shot is because the lepto vaccine is only good for one year, even though it was a "3 year" shot. So she is still protected against Distemper, Parvo, and Adenovirus, but not Lepto or Parainfluenza (the other "P" in the cocktail). This is another reason why these kinds of multiple-vaccine shots are not a good idea, because the 3 year part doesn;t apply to 2 out of the 5 vaccines she got. 

All vaccines work in the way you described, not just lepto. They put a form of the disease into the body to stimulate an immune response. The immune system responds by producing antibodies to the disease, and those antibodies are what protect from getting the disease. (This is a very simplified explanation). 

When people do blood titers instead of vaccinating, those titers are to check for immunity to the disease, i.e. the presence of antibodies to the disease. 

I cannot tell anyone whether or not they should vaccinate for lepto. It's a really terrible disease, and does carry the risk of fatality. If I had a healthy dog who was at high risk, I would seriously consider doing it. However, I would insist on the newer version of the vaccine that requires two separate injections 2-4 weeks apart. That carries a lower risk of an adverse reaction. 
Of course, if she had it before, and didn;t have a reaction, you're probably pretty safe giving it again. 

[Christine]

Thanks so much. She didn’t get the Lepto shot itself.  She has had it in the cocktail vaccine.  So this would be new.  I found an article about the Lepto, I will try to find it, but have no idea how to show it to you.  It explained how the Lepto vaccine is different from most others due to the bacteria. I am thinking I think it a live version of a vaccine.  I’ll try to find it.   

I am not a proponent of over vaccinating. But of course I want to be safe.  Nala isn’t by any standing water, and we are not in a tropical environment, but as mentioned there are lots of critters passing through the yard.  

So the vaccine you get which is the 3 year version is the DPA?  

Thanks again,

chris

[Karen, Jasper and Jackdoodle]

She still got the lepto vaccine,whether it was in the form of a cocktail with other vaccines or it was given separately; she still got it. So if she didn;t have a reaction then, chances are good she won't have one now. 

To provide a link to an article, you just copy the url and then paste it here. 

But be aware of the source of the article. You only want information that based on unbiased fact. If you read things about this from Dogs Naturally Magazine, or Mercola (Karen Becker), or some similar proponent of "alternative" medicine, you are not getting unbiased factual information. (And those are the ones that come up first when I did a Google search. )The same would be true if you get it from the site of a manufacturer of the vaccine, the bias would just be reversed. 
Yes, I don't know the exact name of the vaccine Jack got, but I know it was a three year Distemper/Parvo shot. It may have had the Adenovirus in there too. After he had the last one of those, we titered from then on. 

[Stacy]

Can you tell us what you think about Jean Dodds and her vaccination protocols? Papillon people always quoted her vaccine theory. But then I saw that she created that Nutriscan, which sounds bogus. And I saw Karen Becker doing an interview with her about it. It made me wonder about the other things she says.

[Karen, Jasper and Jackdoodle]

I'm pretty sure the article you read was the one by "alternative" vet Jody Gruenstern on Dog's Naturally's website, and it's garbage, lol. 

[DonMarie and Picco]

I like the 3 yr routine too.  I've heard so many reports of over vaccinations.  I've just heard recently about spacing them out like Karen said. Sounds like a good idea.

[Stacy]

Since we're talking vaccines, what is the deal with lepto? Vaccines came up in conversation with my vet (since he's a talker) and he said that lepto was the only one that they actually do need yearly. I didn't go into more detail, but filed the info away for later. He doesn't seem like one to push all the vaccines all the time, but then I hear people don't get that one at all, and he seemed so passionate about it. I feel like that vaccine has come up multiple times as being a controversial one.

[Karen, Jasper and Jackdoodle]

Lepto is a really awful disease, but the vaccine is the one most likely to cause an adverse reaction; so deciding whether or not to give the lepto vaccine really requires each of us to carefully look at the risks and benefits as they apply to our individual dogs and situation, taking into account lifestyle and current health issues as well as other factors. 

IF you do decide to give the lepto vaccine, I feel very strongly that the best option is to give it by itself, apart from any other vaccines, and to use the newer lepto vaccines, which call for two shots about a month apart. Obviously, if you give the vaccine "cocktail" commonly known as DHLPP, as many vets do, which contains the lepto vaccine along with several other vaccines, you are not getting the newer form of the lepto vaccine, (which is considered to be safer and carries a lower risk of side effects). 

[Stacy]

That's good information. Thanks! I'll read up on it. No one around here is getting any vaccines anytime soon, but for future reference. I think too often we just let our vets do their thing without questioning. It's always better to have more information.

[Nancy and Georgia Brown]

Thanks for all of this information. I have been debating about this particular vaccine as Georgia tends to prefer "flavored" water to the water I bring with me on our outdoor adventures. I now have extra things to ask the vet before making the decision.