Puppy Vaccination Questions! - Page 2

[MissMommyNiceNice]

Originally Posted by Ola_

How old is your puppy? You likely don't need it now, but I guess my final answer would depend on the puppy's age.

My dog is, we think, 9 mos old. They said 2-3 mos old when we got him in February.

[mysticmomma]

Yes, in my county, if an animal bites a person/animal they will destroy the pet if you don't have proof of rabies vax.

[Ola_]

Originally Posted by MissMommyNiceNice

My dog is, we think, 9 mos old. They said 2-3 mos old when we got him in February.

At that age I wouldn't get more puppy shots.

[MCatLvrMom2A&X]

In the case of dogs the risk of not vaxing is higher than the risk of vaxing. Parvo and distemper have extremely high fatality rates. Treatment can run in the thousands with still no guarantees that the puppy will survive. I know that they dont need them exactly to the schedule the vet has.

The other vaxing not counting rabies I wouldnt worry about so much.

[Ola_]

Originally Posted by MCatLvrMom2A&X

In the case of dogs the risk of not vaxing is higher than the risk of vaxing. Parvo and distemper have extremely high fatality rates. Treatment can run in the thousands with still no guarantees that the puppy will survive.

I think that really depends on who you talk to - it's not really that clear cut. Parvo is a risk mostly for young puppies. And for the other vaccines there are still many questions - what about maternal immunity? What about dogs who have never been vaccinated but when you titer them they have the antibodies? And why do these vaccines need to be repeated so often - can you really "boost" immunity?

[MCatLvrMom2A&X]

True, it does depend on that and many factors. But having seen a unvaxed puppy die with distemper I am a bit biased. It was a horrible thing to witness

I made the decision to delay vaxing for parvo and distemper until after the puppies where 8 weeks old so that maternal immunity was starting to wain on the advice of Joanna (thekimballs).

In my area parvo and distemper runs rampant and their mama ran loose all the time and came into contact all the time with them and brought it back to the puppies. So for the puppies that we had they had a very high chance of coming into contact and getting very sick from those 2 diseases.

Also they puppies where going to be flying so they had the potential to come into contact with those things more.

[MissMommyNiceNice]

Okay, so if my dog has had the rabies & his first two set of puppy vax's he should be okay? That's good to hear! I was a little worried when I saw the thread and thought to myself, hmm...we never did get that last round! The rescue paid for the first two rounds as part of the adoption. But we got him in another county, so we haven't had him to see our regular vet yet. I am also reminded that we didn't get his dog license yet b/c that also needs to be purchased in your own county (why I have no idea).

Thanks for all the advice!

[sonicfrost]

Originally Posted by MissMommyNiceNice

I am also reminded that we didn't get his dog license yet b/c that also needs to be purchased in your own county (why I have no idea).

The reason it has to be in your home county is that the dog license is a form of ID for your dog. If your dog gets loose and ends up at the local shelter, they can look up the number on his tag and pull up the owner's info so that they can contact you and let you know they have your dog. Of course, he might end up at another county's shelter, and still find his way home from the info on the license/tag, but its just more of a "closer to home" thing I think.

[Nicole915]

Originally Posted by Ola_

I think that really depends on who you talk to - it's not really that clear cut. Parvo is a risk mostly for young puppies. And for the other vaccines there are still many questions - what about maternal immunity? What about dogs who have never been vaccinated but when you titer them they have the antibodies? And why do these vaccines need to be repeated so often - can you really "boost" immunity?

Maternal immunity can be so individualized, that it is hard for a vet to draft their practice standards. Most vets I know and went to school with don't offer titers for parvo/lepto/distemper to a totally un-vaxed puppy, simply because so many of them come back requiring the poke. The last litter of 6 I sent out titers on, not a single one came back registering any active immunity. That breeder was totally fine with the results, but she is the exception to the rule, even in the rather upscale market I'm in. Clients usually have a certain health care budget for their pets, and there is a lot of pressure on a vet to help guide the client to spend those dollars wisely.

The vaccines don't need to be repeated with anywhere near the frequency that they commonly are, in my experience. The guidelines that are in place are for the worst case scenario... so we do tend to vax more frequently than might be ideal for a pup, but it might also be spot on. The onus falls on the owner to decide if they're willing to spend the money on titers, knowing that they might have to end up vaccinating. The clients that I send elsewhere are the ones who will not vaccinate and will not test for immunity. I take my job as the animals advocate very seriously, and a parvo death is preventable and nothing any animal should have to endure.

And if you're interested in literature on 'boosting' immunity, I've got some awesome old research from school that I'd be happy to share with you. Nothing like watching scientists have a cat fight to make epidemiology class more tolerable! They're hard copy, but I can dig them up to copy/mail to ya. Thankfully, vet medicine does not have the strong lobby that human side does when it comes to much of this stuff, as it was deregulated a long time ago, and now there are really no corners on the vaccine market. The trends we're seeing are far more holistic leaning than my colleagues on human side... I can only hope it stays that way.

Just wanted to provide another perspective

[PlayaMama]

Originally Posted by Nicole915

Maternal immunity can be so individualized, that it is hard for a vet to draft their practice standards. Most vets I know and went to school with don't offer titers for parvo/lepto/distemper to a totally un-vaxed puppy, simply because so many of them come back requiring the poke. The last litter of 6 I sent out titers on, not a single one came back registering any active immunity. That breeder was totally fine with the results, but she is the exception to the rule, even in the rather upscale market I'm in. Clients usually have a certain health care budget for their pets, and there is a lot of pressure on a vet to help guide the client to spend those dollars wisely.

The vaccines don't need to be repeated with anywhere near the frequency that they commonly are, in my experience. The guidelines that are in place are for the worst case scenario... so we do tend to vax more frequently than might be ideal for a pup, but it might also be spot on. The onus falls on the owner to decide if they're willing to spend the money on titers, knowing that they might have to end up vaccinating. The clients that I send elsewhere are the ones who will not vaccinate and will not test for immunity. I take my job as the animals advocate very seriously, and a parvo death is preventable and nothing any animal should have to endure.

And if you're interested in literature on 'boosting' immunity, I've got some awesome old research from school that I'd be happy to share with you. Nothing like watching scientists have a cat fight to make epidemiology class more tolerable! They're hard copy, but I can dig them up to copy/mail to ya. Thankfully, vet medicine does not have the strong lobby that human side does when it comes to much of this stuff, as it was deregulated a long time ago, and now there are really no corners on the vaccine market. The trends we're seeing are far more holistic leaning than my colleagues on human side... I can only hope it stays that way.

Just wanted to provide another perspective

i like you! my mom has worked as a vet tech for about 30 years now and you sound very similar regarding vax practices. i hope you stick around mdc

[primjillie]

I'm another that feels parvo, distemper and rabies are crucial vaccines. After having two unvaccinated pets die, one from distemper and one from parvo, I would never not vax for those diseases. As my dogs get older, we space a little more (with positive input from their vet, who is great), but rabies are on schedule. Watching a little guy struggle with a fatal disease is not a pretty sight, and will play in my mind forever. On a happier note, enjoy your new puppy! I love puppies!