Vaccinations

[PeanutButterChocolate]

I've been hearing a lot lately about breeders and dog owners that do not believe in vaccinating their dogs. Does anyone know what the thinking is behind this?
We're waiting for a pup (our breeder does vaccinate and we have followed the recommended schedule for our adult dog) and I heard a terrible story today about a puppy that (allegedly) had a terrible reaction to his puppy jabs and lost all his fur and got terrible sores. Anyone have any thoughts to share on this?

[yesbutnobut]

I believe it is something required by insurance companies Peanut (in that either they insist on it or charge more if you don't vaccinate). Also if you want to get a 'pet passport'. Or if you want to put your dog into kennels/boarding. I expect it's a bit money spinner for the drug companies and vets though.

[Lizcat]

There are dogs/puppies who do react to the vaccinations anything from a small swelling at the site of injection to in very rare cases death just in the same way some people react. The disease we vaccinate are out there in particular Lepto (caught from rats urine) and Parvo (nasty diarrhoea bug that is fatal in around 3 out of 4 cases). Recently due to the fall off in dog vaccination the diseases have started to recur and I have seen distemper in the last 18 months. As with our children we have to make a decision based on how likely they are to encounter the disease, how severe the disease is likely to be and the likelihood of problems with the vaccination. Once you have had the primary course you can do blood titre checks to determine when is the right time to boost immunity - however, these are often more expensive than the vaccines themselves.
I have to say the problem you are describing with the other puppy sounds like puppy strangles that is a bacterial infection that usually occurs around 8 to 10 weeks of age and I have seen this in both vaccinated and unvaccinated puppies. So my personnal feeling was it would probably have happened even without vaccination.
You do not actually need the routine vaccinations for a pet passport only the rabies is compulsary.
Many vets are shifting to the less diseases less often protocol though some diseases like lepto the duration of immunity is only about 15 months so we do recommend that these are done every year.
As I say we all have to make a balanced decision on what we think is the best thing.

[GrimmaTheNome]

I have a sneaking suspicion that breeders may find excuses not to vaccinate because its bloody expensive - worth every penny IMO but if you've got large numbers of animals the cost may be prohibitive.

Other than the cost its the same arguments as apply for human vaccination - 'side effects' which are just things that happen at that age anyway, and us forgetting the seriousness of the diseases being vaccinated against because we've never seen them. MIL had a lovely puppy who died of distemper, prewar, it was common then. She's 93 and she still remembers people staying up all night to nurse the poor pup.

[PeanutButterChocolate]

Sad story, Grimma and I must admit that I had the same suspicions about the decision by some breeders to not vaccinate as it must cost them an absolute fortune. However, these same breeders also seem to be very passionate about things like organic foods and holistic veterinary medicine etc so it would seem that it fits with their general ideology.

Thanks for your replies, too, Yesbut and Lizcat. Great information and lots to think about.

[GrimmaTheNome]

We got our current dog aged 10 months from his breeder. He'd not been vacc'd but was 'homeopathically covered'. I expect pills with nothing in them cost a lot less than actual medicine. Good motivation to be (unconsciously) self-deluding I guess.

[diddl]

Just seen this.

Could I just hijack & ask-have read somewhere that most(?) vaccinations don´t need boosting every year.

Is that so & that every other year for example would suffice?

[Lizcat]

As I said earlier we are moving to less often. However, the lepto we believe only last around 15 months so they do need some vacciantions every year, but not the full lot. Unfortunatly the lepto is the expenisve bit so there tends to be no real difference between the cost of a full booster and a part booster.
Parvo and distemper can be done every other year. But as Lepto is transmitted through rats urine it is the most common risk our dogs encounter.

[diddl]

Thanks.

Looks as if we´ll stay as we are then!

Kennels want to be within the year.

So I was thinking that perhaps if we don´t leave him somewhere it would be safe to let it slide for one year.

So that he would still be protected, just not to "kennel standard".

But that´s obv not workable if there´s one that def needs doing every 15months.

[musicposy]

I was wondering this about our older dog. He's 10 now and has been vaccinated every year. This year, our young dog was fine but the vaccinations didn't suit our older boy at all. He seemed quite ill.

I did wonder whether he might pretty much have immunity after all these years and whether it might be kinder not to again. He goes to my parents if we go away so kennels not an issue.