Vet shots--- are all necessary??

[Maggie and Reese]

There are a ton of shots that puppies need right away and I know that and expected that. But sometimes I feel like my vet is taking advantage of me and telling me that I need to get Reese all these various shots for various things and I am wondering if she really needs them or if they are just suggested but the vet never mentions that part.

For example, Reese already got a Parvo shot when she was very little and the vet told me the otehr day that they like to follow up with another one at 20 weeks to make sure that she is in the clear. is that really necessary?? I haven't heard of that before and I am wondering if she really needs it. Its not that I am trying to cop on on her health, but I dont want to be spending money on stuff the the vets just want to do.

Have any of you heard of getting a 2nd Parvo shot?? are there any other shots out there that are optional that you have heard about and can decide to get or not??

[Kelly Gallagher]

I questioned my vet quite a bit on this very subject. The way it was explained to me is that when puppies get vaccinations at a very young age they are still positive for their mom's antibodies..thereby almost "killing" off the vaccinations too soon..which is why they do a series of them. They don't know for sure the effectiveness of the vaccines because every puppy is different as far as the mom's antibodies go. They don't want to leave the puppy unprotected at any point..hence the series of vaccinations. I was told that at 20 weeks a puppy should take to the vaccine well and it more or less guarantees immunity from that point on until the next shot. I hope that clears some of the confusion up. I know I was also very skeptical..as this is my first puppy.

[Lynne B]

My puppy had 3 parvo shots because he was young when he got his first one. I had a dog with parvo, and it is NO joke. I wouldn't hesitate to get a puppy vaccinated against parvo after seeing the effects of it first hand.

[Adina P]

Most times vaccines are given in a cocktail (a bunch together in one shot) at 8, 12, 16 weeks (or some variation of that) and each time it includes parvo. I tend to go with the status quo on vaccines as I think there isn't quite enough data to support avoiding them, BUT there is a bit of data to support not doing them EVERY single year after. Rabies, for instance can last 3 years so I don't do rabies annually--although you'd have to check your city/county law on this one to see what they expect.

Some people also ask for 'titers' -- this is where the blood is checked for a certain level of antibodies and it is assumed that if the antibodies are high enough then the dog is 'immune' for the time being and an extra vaccine for that disease is not needed. I like the idea of titers but they cost a bit more than just getting the vaccine.

But back to your Parvo question. How old was she when she DID get her last parvo shot? IF she was considerably under 16 weeks I'd get it again because it may not have 'taken' the first time. The reason they give puppies the same shots 3 times in a row is not because they need extra doses but because nobody knows when the mother's immunity will wear off enough for the shots to 'take' and make the dog immune (in puppyhood). But we do know that in over 90% (96-97% I think? Maybe more) of pups the vaccines will work by week 16. But they do it before that too just in case to offer the most protection.

Yet there are many who believe most vaccines are unnecessary...OR...they don't believe in doing them all at once so they go in more often just to separate out the vaccines so that if there IS a reaction to one of them they know exactly which one the dog reacted to. Vaccine reactions aren't too common, but apparently they do happen.

The leptospirosis vaccine is a bit controversial and supposedly more likely to cause a reaction. Some areas of the country are more prone to lepto AND the vaccine doesn't last years and years so if you decide it's important for your dog, it does need to be given annually.

In any case, I'm sure you'll get more opinions, but always feel free to ask your vet. You may end up disagreeing with your vet, but at least don't be shy to ask "WHY?" for each one so you know what your vet believes and you can weigh that against other things you read.

[Amanda and Wheatley]

My vet said the sam thing, I believe Madden had 4 (I think) sets of parvo shots. She said a puppy isn't really immune to parvo until they are at least 4.5 months old. So my puppy is getting her last set of shots a few weeks later than what I originally planned

[Allyson, Peri & Taquito]

Peri got parvo shots at 10, 12 and 16 weeks. Haven't heard of 20, but if parvo is big in your area and your vet recommends it, pay that money to be on the safe side! Parvo is a killer. My friend shelled out $4,000 to get her dog well.

[Cherri]

We have a new strain of Parvo in our area, so we are actually doing 4 shots of Parvo just to make sure he is protected from both strains.

[Lynda Kamrath]

Hmmm. Good question. My dog has had liver failure twice and the vet says no more shots for him. It is too "insulting" to his liver. She feels that we overvaccinate our dogs and says that every three years is enough (when they need to get their rabies). However, after the initial puppy shots, you can have a titer test to see if they already have enough immunity from the original shots. It's expensive, but I think worth it. The vet is going to even do a titer for the rabies with him when his rabies is due next year. This is the exception, I know, but necessary with my sweet dog.

[F, Calla & Luca]

The following represents my medical and personal opinions and I am sure some people think differently on this topic. I am a great believer in vaccines because they save lives, both human and animal. Parvo is deadly and leptospirosis can be too. I had my dogs vaccinated for lepto because my vet, who I trust completely, told me she had a dog in her practice die of leptospirosis and she had her own dogs vaccinated. I agree that some vaccines like rabies, after 1 year booster, don't need yearly shots. Of course all vaccinations have possible side effects but the risk/benefit ratio has to be considered.Slightly off topic, but important I think, all the theories about vaccines and autism in children have not been shown to be true. There have been measles outbreaks, which can be a quite serious illness, due to lack of vaccinations, etc. I am on the board of health in my town and we are preparing for regular and swine flu vaccinations which I plan to have myself. In summary, I think one should prevent as much illness as possible through vaccination. It is not only cheaper but safer.