The problem is, it isn't really a matter of trust here. These are not black and white issues. There is plenty of gray. :thmsbup: For many years, like millions of dog owners, I have had annual lepto vaccines for my dogs and have never had even a minor reaction to them. There is a very tiny percentage of dogs that will have reactions, and this is more common in small breeds. Therefore, it is rightly a consideration when deciding whether to vaccinate. I recently posted an article in which one vet argued that as long as this illness is caught quite early, it can be easily treated as well–and of course the vaccine doesn't cover for all strains.
Set against that, the fact that in some areas there is a far greater problem with this potentially fatal condition–and, the fact that many dog owners will think that their dog just has a minor illness and will not go to see a vet until the dog can no longer recover and dies. I have heard of people with Cavaliers and other breeds that have died from lepto exposure, including in urban areas. We had somebody post here to report a Cavalier that died from lepto picked up off the streets or parks in a city suburb in the US midwest. My own vets say they have seen several cases this year in Dublin.
The issue for every dog owner is to read widely, educate yourself, and then make a decision understanding there are risks on either side. Some people will feel the risk is greater in vaccinating, and some will feel the risk is greater in not vaccinating. I have a hard time making a decision about this particular vaccine myself and I'm not sure what I am going to do from year to year.
Just on a general point– I would never advise accepting as gospel, anything someone's breeder says, nor anything your vet would say–and I don't say that as a criticism, I just say that because it is far too simple to think one person knows every single angle and what these people have are opinions based on their own view of a set of facts. I've seen some utterly bizarre claims on health issues from breeders and I have also seen vets completely miss what to me seemed a pretty obvious diagnosis, later confirmed, and most will push for maximum vaccination as well, which a lot of people would not necessarily feel is right these days. it's important to remember as well that people posting to an Internet forum generally do so without any detailed medical knowledge, so again, coming to a conclusion requires weighing up the expertise of the various people, reading up on the issue from other sources, and coming to a decision that you're comfortable with. Vaccinations and the issues around them are hugely divisive. One person's right approach is another person's wrong approach. For those who don't bother to vaccinate at all for anything–my feeling is they have never probably seen a puppy dying slowly and very painfully from a condition like parvovirus or distemper. Lack of vaccinations across adult dogs means a greater likelihood that vulnerable puppies will be exposed to these usually fatal conditions. But lepto is a "non core" vaccine and doesn;t fall into this consideration.
BTW lepto in dogs can transmit to people and be equally dangerous/potentially fatal.