what is everyone doing about vaccinations?

[simonrickell]

I have seen in many places the problem of over vaccination of your pets - resulting in some major problems. There are many vets who are voicing their concern - though our vet still seems to like the idea of yearly ones - well help their income alot.

What is everyone else dealing with this?
Still doing yearly ones?
Anyone getting titter tests?

We used to do boosters every year.

As Guinness is an old man - we have now stopped his yearly booster. And from other discussions we are doing the pups as follows.
Normal one as around 10 - 12 weeks
Booster at 1 year
Booster at 4 years
Booster at 7 years
Then no more.

Simon

[Caraline]

Here in Australia it is still the trend to do yearly boosters, so I still do them & will continue to do so until there is something difinitive to say otherwise. In my area we do C5 for Canine Cough, Coronavirus, Distemper, Hepatitis & Parvovirus. Some northern parts they also do Leptospirosis & I think Lyme. Au is free of Rabies.

[Sue.k]

I do them yearly, I have never heard that it could do them harm

[cavlover]

I was worried about vaccinations, I get the rabies shot and then 1 month later I get the dhlp shot, when he got the dhlp shot he was really sore for 1 day. His rabie shot is good for 2 years.

[mhabca]

I didn't know there was a problem with yearly shots. Mika had a set of shots last week at 3 months. I thought those would be her last for a year, but the Dr. didn't want to give her, her rabies and something else since she is so little, so we go back at four months for those. Is that normal? I really want to ge these done so she can get into puppy class.

[WoodHaven]

I didn't know there was a problem with yearly shots. Mika had a set of shots last week at 3 months. I thought those would be her last for a year, but the Dr. didn't want to give her her rabies and something else since she is so little, so we go back at four months for those. Is that normal. I really want to ge these done so she can get into puppy class.

I never give all the shots at once. If they have a bad reaction, it is harder to figure out what the trigger was. I always give rabies alone, when the dog is healthy and not under any stress (not during a spay, for example).

If you want to learn what could happen with all the yearly shots-- google canine vaccinosis

[Azriel]

my cats are both rescues, and both were old kittens/young adults when i got them. we (my vet and i) did shots each year for the first three years, then a booster three years after that and now they probably won't get anymore. they are indoor cats so they have minimal exposure to anything and one of my cats had a severe reaction to her last vaccination. cats can actually get vaccination induced tumors (rare but it happens) adn i decided in their case, it not worth the risk.

as for dogs, i tend to lean towards fewer vaccinations as they get older, with the exception fo rabbies. its not that i think they will get rabies but i live in a large metro area and its required by law. i would rather expose them the the minor risk from the vaccination than the test for rabies if it were to ever become an issue.

as a word of warning to everyone....if you have rabies laws in your area and the vet offers a 2 or 3 year shot, check the laws. some areas laws are not yet updatd to allow the multiple year shots a "valid" if there was an issue. also, a friend of mine worked in a vet clinic and at her clinic the three year shot adn the one year shot came from the same vial. just an fyi.

[Cathy Moon]

My cavs get rabies every 3 years. Their new Lepto is a 2 or 3 year, but you have to get a 1 year booster after the initial shot. Then they get DHPP and bordetella every year. The kennel and the training center we use require us to show their vaccination records. Every year we ask the vet what is new or changing in the way of vaccinations, and we ask for recommendations to keep our pups safe, since we have lots of wildlife on our property.

[Kodee]

I know I am stressed, but really I didnt think this much! I read it all the way down to the word "titers" before I realized this was about vaccinations not vacations! I mean the part about the vet made sense as I was thinking oh you mean boarding...

[Cathryn]

Hello!

My vet likes to give the puppy starter course followed by a booster at a year old, then they alternate between a "full" and a "half" booster after that. There are certain elements in the booster that remain "live" for longer than others, I believe one of the longer ones is Parvo but haven't really looked at it for a while. Over here in the UK we only vaccinate for Rabies if we are applying for the pet passport scheme so we can take our furkids into Europe with us on holiday or to International dog shows etc.

Cathryn