[saintnoel]

This is for my 2 year old female husky.

Some of her shots are coming up, so i wanted to get some advice on what shots are not needed. I live in Houston, Texas by the way. I don't plan on boarding her. Thanks!

Bordetella- Given: 6/19/08 Due Date: 12/18/08

Corona Virus- Given: 6/19/08 Due Date: 6/19/09 (no more)

DHLPP LA- Given: 6/19/08 Due Date: 6/19/09

Giardia-Canine- Given: 6/19/08 Due Date: 6/19/09

Lyme Disease- Given: 6/19/08 Due Date: 6/19/09 (not sure)

Rabies Virus- Given: 6/19/08 Due Date: 6/19/09 (yes)

 

[Trainer]

Check the law in Texas but I think it requires a rabies vac every 3 years. I would never give the others again ever. I only do rabies vaccs and nothing else for any of my dogs.

Here is some information:
http://critteradvocacy.org/
http://www.vin.com/proceedings/Proceedings.plx?CID=WSAVA2002&PID=2614

 

[cshellenberger]

Rabies is a must, Bordetella is required if you're doing alot of boarding, showing or other competitions where she's around a large number of dogs, the rest I'd see about titring and only give when the titres indicate needing a booster.

 

[Pai]

Here is a chart from a vaccine site run by a Texas vet.

Basically Distemper, Rabies, and Parvo are the only 'necessary' canine vaccines.

Lepto (which is in the DHLPP) is known to commonly cause severe side effects, and it actually does not protect against all 100+ strains of the disease (it only stops 2), so it an unnecessary health risk for very little protection (only lasts 6 months anyway).

Lyme basically doesn't exist in Texas, according to that website. The vaccine however can cause polyarthritis. Most dogs with Lyme are not actually made sick in any way, and it can be easily treated. So another one to weight risk vs benefit for.

Only use Bordatella (the nasal version) 4 days before boarding your dog.

Corona and Giardia vaccines are not recommended at all for adult dogs.

 

[saintnoel]

Thanks everyone,

She's had 4 rounds of DHLPP since 8 weeks old, she's now 2 years old. Should she be on just a rabies vaccine only? Also, She likes to be outside a lot and i take her to the dog park at least twice a week.

 

[Pai]

Immunity is immunity, it doesn't wear out if she goes out a lot. Compare it to how you yourself aren't still getting booster shots every year for the vaccines you got as a child... its not necessary. Annual pet vaccines were started with zero scientific evidence that it was needed... it was just a tradition. Science is now showing that it can actually cause harm to our pets.

Rabies should be all she needs for the rest of her life (Texas is on the 'every 3 years' Rabies law now, I believe), unless you're going to board her, then she gets the intra-nasal Bordatella.

Here are two recent threads also talking about vaccines: Thread One and Thread Two

There are several good information links in them if you feel like reading more about the topic.

 

[ladyshadowhollyjc]

Immunity is immunity, it doesn't wear out if she goes out a lot. Compare it to how you yourself aren't still getting booster shots every year for the vaccines you got as a child... its not necessary. Annual pet vaccines were started with zero scientific evidence that it was needed... it was just a tradition. Science is now showing that it can actually cause harm to our pets.

There are several good information links in them if you feel like reading more about the topic.

Ok question, so the immunity of the vaccine will never wear off?
Here's the scenario, a neighbor's dog had been vaccinated for parvo as a puppy, but not again. Two years later another neighbor brings home a puppy with parvo and parvo the other dog gets parvo from the puppy (they were playing with each other the day the puppy was brought home). So it wouldn't of mattered if the older dog had continued to be vaccinated for parvo... the older dog just did not have immunity to it and would have gotten parvo either way?

 

[Pai]

What year was this? I know in 1994 a new Parvo vaccine was released that didn't 'break' like the old one often did. The old Parvo vaccine sometimes didn't take, for whatever reason. The cases of previously vaccinated dogs that ended up getting Parvo anyway pretty much disappeared after that.

Was your neighbor's dog given the full round of puppy boosters, or only one set? Was it vaccinated before 8 weeks old? Because that will usually destroy the usefulness of vaccines due to maternal antibodies. Same goes for vaccinating a dog that's already sick with something. That's why doing a Titer test after the initial shots to see if the dog had a proper immune response to them is so important.

Keep in mind, if the dog was immune-comprised for some other reason, that may have contributed to getting sick. Just like untreated AIDS... people with it die from diseases they should be immune to already, but their immune systems are too weak to function properly.

Dr. Schulz paper on known minimum immunity durations for dogs is copied on this page. So many people quote it online I haven't found a web link to the actual paper yet. You can contact him directly from here, with questions about it. He's written several papers about the topic.

 

[cshellenberger]

Parvos is viral, and very similar to flu, the dog could have GOTTEN the vaccine every year and STILL have gotten parvo from the pup, same with bordatella. The vaccines merely decrease the severity if it's a different strain from what was given.

FYI, my daughters all got the Chicken pox vaccines, full rounds with boosters, BOTH my twins got SEVERE cases of Chicken Pox three years later. The CP virus had mutated and the immunizations did NO good. Same thing can happen with any virus.

 

[Pai]

Cultivating an overall healthy dog (good excercise, food, etc) does more to discourage disease than vaccines alone. A sickly dog or one with a weak immune system, if given vaccines, can actually develop more problems. Vaccines introduce chemicals (preservatives and adjuvants) and viruses/bacteria into a dog to trigger an immune response. But if there's something already wrong with a dog, or a dog is predisposed to have a weak immune system or allergies to certain vaccine ingredients, it can actually do more harm than good. That's why on the label of every vaccine it says they should be given to HEALTHY dogs only.

That's the difference between allopathic and holistic vets... one believes pharmaceuticals are the superior way to fight and prevent disease, while the other believes that the entire lifestyle of a dog should be assessed in order to prevent sickness in the first place, and that wherever possible, the natural systems of a dog should be helped to do their job, instead of being overridden with medicine all the time.

 

[Trainer]

So it wouldn't of mattered if the older dog had continued to be vaccinated for parvo... the older dog just did not have immunity to it and would have gotten parvo either way?

There are several strains of Parvo but the vaccines that have been used in the last 10 or 15 years cover all strains. There are some few dogs that for some reason the vaccines will not immunize against Parvo. It doesn't matter how many vaccinations they get, they will never be immune.

To answer your question, It doesn't matter how many vaccinations the older dog had, he was going to get Parvo in this circumstance regardless. It has to do with the dog, not the number of strains of the virus or the number of vaccinations.

Sure, one day we might have a strain of parvo that mutates beyond coverage by existing vaccine but not today. Research has proven that the present vaccine produces immunity for at least 7.5 years. In another couple of years I am sure 10 year immunity will be proven.

 

[ladyshadowhollyjc]

What year was this? I know in 1994 a new Parvo vaccine was released that didn't 'break' like the old one often did. The old Parvo vaccine sometimes didn't take, for whatever reason. The cases of previously vaccinated dogs that ended up getting Parvo anyway pretty much disappeared after that.

Was your neighbor's dog given the full round of puppy boosters, or only one set? Was it vaccinated before 8 weeks old? Because that will usually destroy the usefulness of vaccines due to maternal antibodies. Same goes for vaccinating a dog that's already sick with something. That's why doing a Titer test after the initial shots to see if the dog had a proper immune response to them is so important.

Keep in mind, if the dog was immune-comprised for some other reason, that may have contributed to getting sick. Just like untreated AIDS... people with it die from diseases they should be immune to already, but their immune systems are too weak to function properly.

Dr. Schulz paper on known minimum immunity durations for dogs is copied on this page. So many people quote it online I haven't found a web link to the actual paper yet. You can contact him directly from here, with questions about it. He's written several papers about the topic.

Actually this happened last summer and he had received his full set of boosters.

There are several strains of Parvo but the vaccines that have been used in the last 10 or 15 years cover all strains. There are some few dogs that for some reason the vaccines will not immunize against Parvo. It doesn't matter how many vaccinations they get, they will never be immune.

Yeah he may have just been one of those that would not have immunized against Parvo. The other dog they had never contracted Parvo.


Thanks for all the information guys, you all answered my question perfectly!

 

[Willowy]

For the dog that got Parvo, was his last vaccine after 6 months of age? Because maternal antibodies can interfere with the immunity up to that age in some dogs. I would say that if a dog got his puppy series AND a booster after a year, that would definitely give any immunity that the dog would be able to get. But, like the others said, he may not have reacted properly to the vaccine.

 

[nikelodeon79]

Was your neighbor's dog given the full round of puppy boosters, or only one set? Was it vaccinated before 8 weeks old? Because that will usually destroy the usefulness of vaccines due to maternal antibodies. Same goes for vaccinating a dog that's already sick with something.

Question: My puppy received her first vaccines prior to 8 weeks (at the shelter). I then brought her in for two more vaccines after 10 weeks of age. Is she likely to have trouble with immunity? I'm planning on doing the bare minimum of vaccinations (just rabies following state law - does anyone know how often Wisconsin law requires rabies vaccinations?).

Regarding Lymes... I have two friends who both vaccinated their dogs against Lymes and BOTH dogs got Lymes. I figure why risk giving the vaccine when it might not even be effective in the first place!

 

[Trainer]

I think 16 weeks is important for the last vaccinations. If your dog was at least that age when he received the last vaccination, he is OK. Some people say it's important for them to get a shot after 1 year and then no more. My dogs don't get anything after 16 weeks.

 

[hsieh]

where i live the law is rabies vaccine once a year. the vet yearly gives my dogs parvo and distemper shots.

 

[saintnoel]

I think 16 weeks is important for the last vaccinations. If your dog was at least that age when he received the last vaccination, he is OK. Some people say it's important for them to get a shot after 1 year and then no more. My dogs don't get anything after 16 weeks.

Her DHLPP was given at 8 weeks, 11 weeks, 6 months and 17 months.

 

[Trainer]

Her DHLPP was given at 8 weeks, 11 weeks, 6 months and 17 months.

She's good to go for the rest of her life for all those diseases.

 

[Pai]

Regarding Lymes... I have two friends who both vaccinated their dogs against Lymes and BOTH dogs got Lymes. I figure why risk giving the vaccine when it might not even be effective in the first place!

Lyme can be treated pretty easily if you catch it early (just learn to recognize the symptoms). The vaccine, however, can cause polyarthritis. The most important precaution you can take against it is daily checking for ticks. A tick needs to stay attached for 12-24 hours before it can transmit the disease.

For your pup, if you're worried you can always do a distemper/parvo titer. If she comes back strong for those, that means she most likely reacted well to the other vaccines.

Wisconsen Rabies law is every 3 years.