Here rabies vaccination is required in order to license your dog. Once a year until they're 3, then once every 2 years. Kennels usually require that and others.

If I lived rurally, I would keep up with rabies vaccine, due to what I've heard from others about the wild critters having rabies.

I am no longer vaccinating my dog for anything other than the state-required rabies.

Check with your vet about rabies vaccination requirements in your area. I don't know whether rabies vaccination regulations are federally or state mandated, but your vet will know the exact legal requirements in your area. All other vaccines are at the discretion of the owner.

My vet recently told me that vaccine recommendations have been revised again. I was focused on what he was doing to my horse at the time, so I wasn't really tuned into what he was saying about dog/cat vaccinations, but I *think* he said the new recommendations are every 7 yrs. It's best to discuss this with your vet, as I assume recommendations vary according to the specific vaccines and animal species involved.

Laurie

Rabies vaccine is a state regulated vaccine. All 50 states require all dogs to be vaccinated for rabies and most also have a cat requirement. Your veterinarian will know what the state law requirements are for rabies vaccination. It depends on the type of vaccine how long it will last too. There is a non-adjuvented feline rabies vaccine that only lasts 1 year, but is safer for cats. The rabies vaccine for dogs can last up to 3 years, depending on the brand, but the states get final say on how often dogs must be vaccinated. In NC, we do the 1st rabies vaccine between ages 12 weeks and 16 weeks, the booster at one year, and then every 3 years. Some states use the exact same vaccine but require the boosters yearly or every 2 years.

As far as distemper/parvo vaccine, you may have some options. You can get a vaccine titer done once a year to make sure the dogs still have protected antibodies against distemper and parvo. I've been doing this with my dogs for the last couple of years, and so far all have had protective titers, so no vaccines. However, not all hospitals/boarding facilities/day care/groomers accept titers. Some still have requirements for vaccines. You should check with the particular places you take your dogs to make sure they can still enjoy their mini-vacations. Personally, I wouldn't trust a place that didn't require either annual titers or vaccines (distemper/parvo) with my pets. The other vaccine many places require is Bordetella, aka Kennel Cough. This vaccine doesn't have any long-term immunologic effects, and many places require it every 6 months (NC State did a study showing the protectivity of bordetella vaccine is only 6 months). I'm not aware of any vaccine titers available for Bordetella. Again, you should check with the places where you plan to leave the dogs to see what their requirements are. The hospital where I used to work accepted distemper/parvo titers, and any dog that was not current within 6 months of Bordetella had to be boarded or hospitalized in isolation because of risk of spreading kennel cough to both the unvaccinated dog and to the other dogs in the hospital. Bordetealla vaccine doesn't 100% prevent kennel cough, but it does drastically reduce the clinical effects and reduce the duration of symptoms.

As far as how often to vaccinate cats for FVRCP and dogs (without doing titers) for distemper/parvo , that's still a widely debated notion. Even in the vet school, when we do wellness clinics, some vets say vaccinate dogs every 3 years, one said once a year until 5 years old then never again, some say vaccines yearly won't hurt but won't help either. There haven't been any ground-breaking, earth-shattering, clear-cut studies that definitely determine how long vaccines last. The burden of proof is on the vaccine manufacturer, and let's face it, what company is going to spend money to prove that you don't need to buy their product? There is some independent research going on as far as the immune response to vaccination, but it is still on-going, so we won't know anything for quite a while. And I don't know if the issue of whether or not vaccines cause problems, and if so what problems, will ever be resolved.

Anyway, I don't think dogs and cats need yearly vaccines. I don't know if canine vaccines cause harm, but I'm pretty convinced kitty vaccines, especially FeLV, do. So that's why I do the titers. I don't want my dogs to get distemper or parvo, but on the other hand there is no reason to keep vaccinating dogs that are already protected from those viruses.

Boy, that took me a long time to say.

I only give my dogs a 3 year rabies shot, and that is only because it's required by law. Since they are now 11 and 13, I am going to try the titer route and get them exempted.

In my area, if you board them they have to have the "kennel cough" vaccine. I don't board, so they've never had that.

My personal burning question is why they have to continue getting these shots. Humans get vacinnated once or twice, and they are immune for life. Why not animals?

I've also worried about the continuous vaccinations. I've read some of the studies that have the contradictory info on how often and am leery that putting so much vaccine into them continuously just isn't good.
Meghane, all of us are so grateful you find the time to come here with your expertise, you can write as long a message as you want.

I tried not getting vaccines for anything but rabies here last year and it did not work for us. The vet doesn't read Whole Dog Journal, so got a bit wary of us when I told him that dogs don't need all the re-vaccinations. The kennel would not let the dogs stay without the whole list of them. Bordetella, too. Since we have no options but the kennel for out 10 days in Toronto each fall, they had to get all the shots. At least here in MI we can get the rabies every three years. I am not proud to say that I just gave up the battle on the rest of the shots. We just have to wait for the medical community to wake up.

I also thank you , Meghane, for giving us your time and knowledge.

i think decisions about shots are related to risk of exposure.

parvo is fairly prevalent in our area - i know several dogs that have died in our area or have had stunted growth due to parvo. the exposure risk of parvo is high in our area, pups that dont vaccinated get sick, so i do get my dogs vaccinated for parvo and the mandatory rabies.

and i have a dog who had kennel cough when i got her - so i dont want to go through that again... i have three dogs so our risk of bordetella is higher than if we only had one...- we could have had three very sick dogs, but vaccines prevented it from spreading. if you are boarding a dog for 10 days a year, the bordatella shot is worth it. if your not boarding your dog, then you could probably skip it...

Well, make sure your not under the assumption that because you give your dog the Bordatella shot that they won't get kennel cough. Just like the flu, there are various strains of it and the shot does not protect against all strains.

The same goes for the Parvo shot. We gave our puppy all the Parvo shots and then our neighbor brought a mutt home from the pound and told us later that it had Parvo. Our dog had been sick for a day but we didn't think it was Parvo since he had his shots. Needless to say, even with vet care, he died.

Don't rely on the shots alone to keep your animals healthy.

De

De, you're absolutely right, shots only work if the animal has a working immune system to begin with. And some breeds are more susceptible to certain illnesses than other. For example, Rotties, Dobies, and Pit Bulls are very susceptible to parvo. And a lot of times, the shots simply shorten the duration or severity of disease, but do not prevent disease entirely, even in completely healthy animals. This is especially true of Bordatella as you mentioned. Some viruses have many strains and/or mutate frequently, making the vaccines less protective than one would hope. Also, co-infection with more than one virus can overwhelm the immune system. Parvo is great at suppressing immune function (it attacks bone marrow where white blood cells originate among other things). It is also easier to get Parvo if the dog is already sick from something else, like a respiratory infection or another infection that attacks the gut (coronavirus is infamous for this). The timing of the vaccination also has to be right. It takes 3 weeks for the immune system to make antibodies in response to vaccination. So if a dog is vaccinated for parvo on Monday, and is exposed to parvo that Friday, he's going to get parvo just like an unvaccinated dog. Finally, the vaccines themselves have to be properly packaged, shipped, and stored to remain effective. A lot of the more shady mail/internet companies that sell vaccines do not properly store them, making them useless before they are even purchased. Then they may not package them properly for shipment (it costs a lot to send a cooler with icepacks in the mail). Finally, if purcahsed at a store, these vaccines could be sitting on the shipping dock for a long time, getting warm (and useless), waiting for someone to unpack and refrigerate them. And most of the time, the consumer has no way of knowing that the vaccines were not properly handled prior to purchasing them. That's one of the reasons vaccines at a veterinarian costs a bit more than mail order or farm store. They pay more to be sure the vaccines are handled properly from manufacturer, to distributor, to vet office, to refrigeration there.

I'm really sorry about the loss of your puppy, De.

that is a good point about the shots not always being effective.

i was very afraid when we brought the pup home with kennel cough - that soon i would have three sick dogs... but we were fine - and i do think the vaccine saved our other pups from getting sick.

similar situation, our sister in law's dogs got sick with parvo and just before they were diagnosed - we had handled her pups, been in her house and on her lawn. we could have easily brought the virus home on our shoes or hands. one of her dogs died and the other got really really sick but lived. none of my dogs got sick, but we were watching them very closely for even the slightest signs.

it is so sad to lose a dog in any situation, but particularly parvo is such a nasty way to go. i am very sorry for anyone who has had to go through such an ordeal.

Meghane, that was great info. I'm so wary of overvaccinating. Lemon's my first dog, and I've done enough research to fill a library. ;)

To vaccinate or not to vaccinate is a tough question. Unfortunately, there are many dog owners who would run with the recommendation not to vaccinate yearly. They wouldn't think twice. Hey, it's money saved, right? It's important to make sure our communities are protected from the most serious diseases, distemper and parvo. And that's why titers are so wonderful. I wouldn't trust any boarding or daycare place that didn't trust them as much -- if not more than -- vaccinations. They're concrete proof of protection, as opposed to some randomly chosen vaccination schedule. I find it interesting that research has shown most vaccines last at least 7 years, up to the life of your dog. But since it would be just "crazy" to switch from yearly to every 7 years, the new three-year protocol was chosen as a good compromise by the vet schools.

We did Lemon's one-year boosters for distemper and parvo, and we're done until titers show it's time. We'll do rabies every three years because it's not worth the risk. If some nutcase at the park decided to claim Lemon bit him, and she hadn't had her rabies vaccine, ugh.

Here's a fantastic site for anyone who wants more information on vaccinations (as well as feeding and health problems)... Dog Aware. They mention TiterChek, a 15-minute, in-office titer kit that checks for protection against distemper and parvo.

Sorry to resurrect an old post, but now that I've been thinking about over-vaccinating, I'm thinking that I may ask our vet to run a titer check on our cats and dog at their next checkup before blindly vaccinating again.

For those of you who have these done (titers, that is), how much does it generally cost? I went to the DogsAware link, but couldn't find a price on the test kits...

This is all very informative as I just "assumed" I had to vaccinate my dog with all the vaccines every year! In fact, this last weekend I went to board her at a local Vet office, I have taken her there once before, and they told me she was missing 'one L in her DHLP vaccine' so in order for her to stay she would have to have the Leptospirosis which also requires an exam!!! Soooo for 3 nights stay it was $144 ! I thought it was a little high and the fact that she is 12 but I really had no where else to leave her. They did give me info on the "Lepto" which has been identified on an island(WA). I have to go back 3 more times for her to complete the vaccine they said. Should I complete the vaccine or find somewhere else to board her? What would you do?

We get all shots (oldest dog has titers first) including lepto because my dogs swim in creek water. Leptosporosis is one of the only dog to human communicable diseases and can be fatal to a human. As for the rabies. In my State we get a first vaccine which is good for a year then every three years thereafter. I live in the woods and I will share a little scare we recently had. My DD adopted a kitten early this summer. He was exposed to a bat that had gotten into my home. He had not been vaccinated for rabies at the previous well/shot visit because a. not old enough and b. didn't weigh enough (I asked for the vaccine and those were the reasons given that even if vaccinated it wouldn't be effective). Well, we captured the bat and sent it to the State to be tested for rabies. Fortunately the test came back negative and the kitty has since been vaccinated and we are now past the 23 day period it takes the vaccination to be fully effective and I AM SO RELIEVED. I had to wait 4 days to see if the kitten was in contact with a rabid bat, with the possibility of exposure to my daughter, myself and anyone else who came into contact with our kitten, not to mention the kitten - in the event the bat had been rabid we would have had two choices - euthhanize or quarantine for 6 months for signs of rabies. If any rabies signs were present we would all have to have the rabies series and that kitten would have to have been put down. PLEASE VACCINATE FOR RABIES. Even if you think you don't live in an area where your pet would come into contact with a rabid animal. If a bat could get into my house, it can surely get into any. Just my 2 cents.

Ok Im a terrible dog owner in some peoples eyes... My puppy has only had her first vaccine and never had the other ones since she got so sick after the first vaccines at 6 weeks we thought she was going to die!

I am so afraid to take her back for the rest....I have had a nightmare about it and everytime I think about it, I start to tear up. I know she can contract a disease from not having all her shots and she can die but she isn't allowed to run around off leash and I try to be so carefull. It just upsets me so since she was so sick with the first one.

She does have her rabies shot though. That we will get every year and I think it is required here too, not sure but I imagine it is.

Schoor- in what way was your puppy sick? Vaccine reactions ARE preventable. The vet can pre-treat with an antihistamine and steroid, administer only one vaccine (not the same as one shot) per visit, and not give her the lepto vaccine if it is not a problem in your area. Distemper and parvo are much worse than vaccine reactions, and not being near other dogs is NOT going to protect her! Parvo lives quite well outside by itself. Maybe not through a harsh Canada winter, but certainly all summer. She probably won't need another distemper or parvo vaccine for several years. I get titers for my dogs and will vaccinate if the level is too low, but not before. You should check on the rabies vaccine in your province. I'm not aware of the rabies laws in Canada. But most places are doing a one year rabies first time, then every 3 years after that.

Two2go: ask the vet if the type of Lepto found in your area is included in the Lepto vaccine. In many cases, it is not. And getting vaccinated for the other types will NOT protect your dog if she gets exposed to the Lepto that is found in your area.

CNVH: my titers for distemper/parvo vaccine cost about $80. My vet uses Antech diagnostic lab, which is very reliable. I was not aware of any in-house vaccine test kits. There is a test kit for parvo, but that is to detect the virus in the feces of sick dogs, not for vaccine status.

GWA- I wouldn't call the vaccine titers "concrete" evidence of protection. We don't know at what antibody level every dog would be protected. We do know that antibody levels and protection do not always correlate; in some cases an undectable antibody level is still protective and in others a sky-high titer doesn't help. That's because of innate immunity, the variation in immune response from individual to individual, and a host of other issues. Titers can be used as a guide, but there is still risk of under and over vaccinating.

Here is a link that might be useful: Lepto info

I worry about vaccines,too. But you're right about one thing: kennels won't board a dog that's unvaccinated. Remember, you're weighing possible side-effects of the vaccine against the chance of getting the disease.

At the clinic I work at we have started doing a questionaire when the owner brings a pet in for it's yearly check up. Based on the pet's lifestyle and risk of exposure the doctors will decide on which if any vax the pet will get and for what duration, 1 yr or 3 yr.

Lisa

Hi all,

This is definately a reserected post! I've found a vet that I really like, she gives the boys a titer test every year and we vaccinate as needed only. I get a copy of the Titer test to take to doggie daycare (once or twice a year). I've now found a pet/house sitter so I'm hoping I never have to board the "Boys" again.

Just a note... humans need booster shots just like pets do! Tetanus is every 10 years, as are some of the other human vaccinations. Don't assume that you're protected just because you got shots when you were a kid! Ask your doctor! (I had to get all of my shots again when I went to grad school at a state school here in Florida... I was 28 at the time and also assumed that my shots were good for life -- boy was I wrong!)

I can not believe some of the stuff I am reading here.
I need to find something else to keep me occupied. A good vet will help you decide what vaccines are a good idea for you and your pets lifestyle. Geography plays a part in this too. Ex. giardia vaccines.
Oh I think I hear the laundry calling.

We have all our shots done once a year, the vet has never said anything different in fact he sends me a reminder notice, I go in and say we are here for our yearly, he gives them the shots and I pay the bill. I never knew there was a chance of over vaccinating.

I do wish more vets would discuss the rabies vaccine titer with their clients. I know I had to ask...

I would have never to known to ask about it except I had done some research after my cowokers dog died of an immune system disorder.