Vaccines

[Vicki H. & Maggie]

HELP!   I am wondering about all the vaccines recommended by my vet!  Are they all really necessary?

[Ricki and Tara (doodle)]

Vicky, I think you could probably get as many different answers to this question as there are people on DK!! There have been many discussions about vaccinating in the past that can be found if you search for them (upper right corner of this page). And there is not a lot of agreement about what is best.

 

 To answer "Are they really necessary?' partly depends on where you live, what diseases are prevalent in your area, your lifestyle, etc. My vet is a minimalist when it comes to vaccines. Tara received only one distemper shot and the entire puppy series for parvo and that is all so far. She is 2 1/2  now and we have only tested her  titers  since those original shots. Her immunity is strong so far so we have not given her any boosters (This does not include rabies which she has had 2 of as mandated by law).   We live in an area that is not very disease prone. Many places (dog classes, doggie daycare, boarding)  require proof of vaccination for certain diseases. Tara does not participate in these activities.  I would suggest that you evaluate your and your doodle's lifestyle and risks and then determine what vaccines may be appropriate.

 

A couple of concerns that people have are the detrimental effects to a dog's immune system when they are repeatedly vaccinated over their lifetime and the same concern when giving them too many vaccines all at once during any vaccination procedure. The "vaccine cocktails" which are sometime given include many different vaccines in one shot. Some believe it is best to separate the vaccines as much as possible to give the body time to adjust to each challenge rather than risk overwhelming the puppy/dog's system.

 

 

 

 

[Amy and Lily]

Good explanation!!