What to do...What to Do....?

[Sam&Bella]

I am reading articles about not getting your dog's vaccines, then ones who say yearly, then, people who get them every three years. I want to do what is healthiest for Bella (and future puppy) and also protects her from diseases. I also read that vaccines can cause totally separate diseases or conditions. Has anyone ever had a dog who got a condition\disease from yearly vaccines? Or, anyone who has had any from non yearly vaccines? Right now, she gets them yearly.

Thank You!

[Lucy & AnnaBelle's Mom]

I just went through this with my two.  My Lucy who is 8 was to only get them every three years since we lost her liter mate Sister Sophie to lymphoma when she was 5.  That was what the Vet suggested at that time.  Last year was to be the year she should have received them.  At that time I decided to Titer both girls.  Lucy's Titers came back fine, but AnnaBelle who was two still needed her shots.  This year when it came time I asked the Vet for her opinion ... she said lets go on a 3 year schedule for both and we will Titer AnnaBelle next year and Lucy in '18.  They do however still get their Rabies (3 year) and Bordatella (yearly).  It really is a tough call because you can find opinions to back up or argue whatever you decide.

[Amy and Annabelle]

I get Annabelle vaxed. After the first year we went to the 3 yr for the rabies and combo. I still get her a lyme and bordetella yearly.

[Karen, Jasper and Jackdoodle]

After a year old, the recommendation that's generally accepted is that you do the core vaccines (Rabies, Distemper, Adenovirus, and Parvo) every three years. An alternative is to do titers for the Distemper and Parvo instead of vaccinating. Lepto, Lyme and Bordatella are optional, and decisions on these should be made for the individual dog based on risk factors such as where you live and any health conditions the dog may have. Bordatella can also be given intranasally rather than as a shot. 

Here's a link to the UC Davis vet school guidelines, which are pretty standard: http://www.vetmed.ucdavis.edu/vmth/small_animal/internal_medicine/n...

[Karen, Jasper and Jackdoodle]

As far as vaccines "causing diseases", there is no real evidence of that. It is thought by some that over-vaccinating in some individuals can cause a hyperactive immune system, which can then lead to the development of certain immune-mediated diseases. My Jack may have been a victim of that. 

My feeling is that it's really best never to do a "vaccine cocktail", where the dog gets all the vaccines at one time. We do everything separately. Jack gets a rabies shot every three years. I now titer for distemper and parvo, but in the past, he got a 3 year shot for those in a year when he didn't get rabies. We do intranasal bordatella at a separate appt from everything else. All of these things except the rabies can be given by a vet tech, so no appt required. Of course, regardless of what you do with vaccines, every dog still needs an annual vet checkup. 

[Amy and Annabelle]

How far apart should you space them out? Annabelle gets the Bordatella in the fall and the Lyme in Spring. When she is due for Rabies, Distemper, Adenovirus, and Parvo in 2 years what would be good spacing for everything?

[Karen, Jasper and Jackdoodle]

Well, there's not much you can do about the Rabies and the Distemper-Adenovirus-Parvo shots falling in the same year, unless you want to just do the Rabies and titer for the others that year. You could then do the DAP shot the following year or two years later, when the rabies isn't due and that would space the core vaccines out.

I don't do the Lepto or the Lyme vaccine. About a month after his annual visit, which is when he would get any vaccines he was due for, we go back for the bordatella, which is administered by a tech; we only pay for the vaccine, no appt or exam fee. 

[Ricki and Tara (doodle)]

Dr Jean Dodd is well known for her efforts to safely reduce the number of vaccinations and possible reactions in dogs. This is her recommended protocol for 2016:

http://drjeandoddspethealthresource.tumblr.com/post/147595920886/do...

Tara had one distemper shot at 8 weeks, parvo at 9, 12 and 18 weeks and rabies at 1 year. We tested her parvo and distemper titers at one year and every three years since and she has had strong titers.  Rabies shots were required by law every three years but recently our state started to accept rabies titer testing as evidence of immunity so we will do that when she is due for her next rabies vaccine shot. 

As far as lyme and other vaccines it depends on where you live and the lifestyle of your doodle. Some areas are more high risk then others, hence the doctor's disclaimer. 

[Amy and Annabelle]

Thanks, that was a good read.

[33bn7f8evnuyd]

Please do keep in mind that if you get your shots every three years ie the rabies shot, you should keep your record to confirm that it is still effective.  Vets, boarding facilities, and groomers will all require utd shot records.  They tend to ask for annual vaccine records.  I take all my pets to get vaccinated and groomed at the same time.  I usually have to call ahead with 3 dogs and 2 cats.  One important thing to keep in mind is to always have them vaccinate on a limb or close to a limb.  One time my cat reacted horribly to a vaccination set and developed a huge bump on the injection site.  The cat vet told me that he has seen cases that frequent injection at the same location causes sarcomas. In this case, if it is a limb, you can amputate to save the animals life.  

[Karen, Jasper and Jackdoodle]

Rabies shots and certificates are recorded with municipalities, by law. In most areas, it's the county. And you generally should be getting a paper certificate along with a numbered rabies tag, which should be all you need for proof. 

Nowadays, anyone who deals with pets on a regular basis should be aware of the three year vaccines. I would be very suspicious of a groomer or boarding facility who didn't know that annual vaccines are no longer needed. 

[Ricki and Tara (doodle)]

Karen, my understanding is that the yearly rabies and the 3 year rabies shots are actually the exact same vaccine, just administered differently. Do you know if this is correct? If so, is it also true for the parvo and distemper one and three year vaccines? I'm finding limited info about this on line so far. 

[Amy and Annabelle]

I heard the same thing and now I can't remember where I heard it. It could have been the vet for all I know.