Annual Shots -- What's the deal?

Whitney · 07-11-2006, 08:59 PM

Hello everyone,

I am new to the forums, and I hope that this is the appropriate section for my thread. My question; is it absolutely vital for all dogs to get their annual shots? On another canine forums, I had read that it wasn't, and that it was mostly used as a means of bringing in money. This made sense to me, seeing how even my boosters (such as Hep. B) were spread three years apart - grade 1, 3, 6, 9, and 12. I ask this because my boyfriend is moving from Australia to Canada this August, and he is unable to bring his dog with him (until we find a suitable place for his pooch). His dog, Busta, is almost 3 and will be staying with his parents in Sydney, Au. He was going to get Busta his shots but the Vet. said that it was too early, and that he is not due until December. Money is no issue, but he is unable to pre-pay. Is it absolutely vital to get these shots done? If so, we'll have to pay via VISA and hope that his parents will be able to take Busta to the Vet. when the time comes.

I live with my family, as a student, with a Sibe cross (Melody, 2 years old) and a pure bred Lhasa Apso. Melody is mine, and I have been getting her shots every year, but seeing how the Lhasa (Cinnamon) is a family pet, and under the care of my parents, they have neglected to take her in for her annual shots. She seems healthy and fine, even at the age of 10.

Any information or comments about annual shots would be appreciated, thank you!
--Whitney

Killerdrgn · 07-11-2006, 09:07 PM

well one important piece of information would be do the dogs come into contact with other dogs that aren't yours? Technically you wouldn't need shots ever either if you lived in a sterile bubble for your whole life, but people have to come into contact with other people thus the shots. And also this is another thing that applies to people also is that an ounce of prevention is MUCH cheaper than what would happen if the worst actually came to pass. Seriously how much is the annual shot $100, thats really being cheap if you don't go for it. The animal hospital stay if your dog does get sick runs into the thousands easily.

Oh yeah i forgot to mention that the same debates are raging about immunizations in human kids too. But it always comes down to when your kid gets german measles, polio, smallpox or something like that, the only thing you can say to them is "Good job Einstein you cheaped out on a $2 shot and now your kid is dead, Good job you seriously deserve a parent of the year award".

opokki · 07-11-2006, 11:42 PM

My dogs only get vaccinated every 3yrs. From what I understand, it has been theorized that many pets are being overvaccinated and that vaccines often continue to protect for much longer than originally thought. When my vet switched from annual vaccinations to every 3yrs she gave me a handout sheet about the new protocols. If my dogs didn't get out much I probably wouldn't be as concerned about keep them updated. Risks can vary widely depending on your specific location.

Cheetah · 07-12-2006, 12:48 AM

I do the every three years thing as well, even for rabies.

bigdawgs · 07-12-2006, 08:22 AM

Im my experience, (this is strictly anecdotal, so no scientific proof) It depends on the dog. Rabies is required by law, and if you would happen to find a vet who would do a titer to prove the antibodies are still there, they won't do this routinely, but usually only on sick/frail dogs. The reason? Malpractice. You all think it is about the money, but a lot of times it is the same with dogs as people. Vets get sued for malpractice, too, and we do have to carry insurance on both the vet and staff. If a dog got sick and the vet had said shot werent needed, they would be sued in a heartbeat. It happens all the time, so until there is overwhelming evidence that vaccinations stay viable for longer than the recommended time, vets will continue to vaccinate yearly, according to the standard protocol. You can ask the vet to run titiers, but as these tests are way more expensive than the shot, most folks elect to just vaccinate, and play it safe. Personally, i think that after a dog has been routinely vx'ed until he is a senior, I go everythree years on everything EXCEPT kennel cough. KC is really hard on older dogs, and because of the viral mutations (just like your flu shot) I would vx for that if the dog would be incontact with other dogs.

NewfCrazy · 07-12-2006, 11:17 AM

My vet recently switched to a three year rabies vaccine. As a young pup, she gives the first rabies vaccination at six months, a booster one year later and then not for three years.

Personally, I would rather pay the money for the titer tests rather than fill my dog with chemicals every year.

Whitney · 07-12-2006, 05:38 PM

Thank you for the replies. I take my dog to the park every Sunday (we have three parks in town, two are barren and well... eh, and the other is only on Sunday from 1-2pm) so she does come into contact with other animals. Busta is pretty much by himself, and if he did come into contact with other dogs, it would be during a walk. I am satisfied with the clinics we have in town, but they still do annual shots (3 years on Rabies, I think). I had heard of the problem with over vaccinating, and that was my concern with Busta and Melody, although... since there has been little to show in regards to that, I keep taking my dog every year when I get the post card in the mail. Like someone had mentioned above, it's much cheaper to pay for the shots, than to take your dog in when they are sick... unfortunately, immigrating and finding a new place, and then trying to get your dog shots from half way across the world is not the easiest of tasks. My boyfriend was very concerned about not getting Busta his shots, and I had mentioned that perhaps it was best to wait... but we were unsure about how this would effect his health.

I used to work at the SPCA in town, and we vx'd the animals ourselves, but seeing how most of the animals did not stay past one year (we didn't put them to sleep, but it was rare for them to stay so long), it was never a problem. We'd give the new owner a booklet of when they were last vx'd so that they could show the Vet.

Thanks a bunch!

redferndog · 07-17-2006, 05:33 PM

I do agree with you Bigdawgs. What about lepto?

Cheetah · 07-18-2006, 12:03 AM

In Colorado, you can do rabies every 3 years without breaking any laws. They have 3-year vaccinations now, which, according to the vets here at Alameda, are a tiny bit more potent (not much though). The guarantee is 3 years, BUT they said they MIGHT last longer than that, depending on the dog.

I avoid the lepto vaccine like the plague... I've heard too many horror stories of a LOT of dogs reacting badly to it (weepy eyes, immune problems, etc.)

Brandismom · 07-18-2006, 07:41 AM

I vaccinate every two years (every three on rabies). Again I have a herding breed dog that could carry the mutant gene MDR1. In the 17 years I've had this particular breed in my home I have never done an every year vaccination and I absolutely refuse to allow the vet to innoculate for lepto. These dogs have enough problems without being over vaccinated and they have been known to react violently to the lepto vaccine. So IMO and my vet's opinion every two years gives the dog a sufficient amount of protection from any and all diseases.