Am I the only one who didnt know that dogs have to be vaccinated annually

[bargainhuntingbetty]

I was under the impression that they only needed done as puppies and that was it, I didnt realise they needed done annualy too. I only found out when I was trying to get insurance and read it in the small print. Am not happy .

[bargainhuntingbetty]

?????????????????

[bargainhuntingbetty]

Oh so I am the only one then.

[beautifulgirls]

What are you not happy about?

Dogs only retain immunity to leptospirosis for about a year, so that particular part needs to be boostered on an annual basis. The other diseases they are immunised for do not need to be done every year, and depending upon the vaccine being used may only be done every 2-3 years in line with WSAVA guidelines.

If your vaccines are overdue you may need to have more than one dose given at this stage to bring immunity back to acceptable levels. I would suggest you give your vet a call and seek their advice for exact timings as a lot will depend how far overdue things are as to what is needed and when.

[bargainhuntingbetty]

I have always had dogs and it was always my understanding htat the injections did them their whole lives, I never got my dogs redone when I was younger and had pets. Why cant they just use the same one off vaccine that they used to use.

[bargainhuntingbetty]

Am just going to have to dip into my xmas money and get them vaccinated and take it as lesson learned. Hhhhhmmmmmmpppppphhhhhhh

[Lonicera]

I don't know about dogs, but I've had cats for twenty years and they have always had annual booster injections

[bargainhuntingbetty]

So it is just me then, I must spend my life in a wee bubble and not take notice of anything. Oh well, lesson learned.

[flier]

OP, not its not just you. It hadn't occured to us until we had to use kennels for the first time this year. Our vets have lost out on a few quid from us by not advising us of this when we first got our dog 7 years ago.

I hadn't read it in the small print of our insurance, though, and it hadn't affected the two insurance claims we have had to make prior to this year.

I must admit, I did feel a bit dim in not even thinking that our dog would need boosters, especially as kennel cough, in particular is pretty rife in our area.

[bargainhuntingbetty]

Hhhhm so is it necessary to have them boostered for insurance then??? Do the insurance companies check this out when you make a claim?????

[pagwatch]

it depends I think

Our dog has to go to kennels regularly so we keep his kennel cough updated obviously. We have needed boosters occasionally but can't remember which ones.

But I personally don't think an insurance company would throw out a claim arising from say a broken leg by trawling through late vaccinations But they may invoke it if they think it is an indication that your dog wasn't properly cared for.
We keep ours up to date by having regular check ups and weight checks etc at the vets.
But we have lovely vets

[bargainhuntingbetty]

Hhhm I wonder if it is worth keeping up the insurance I have then. They have not had the vaccine for 3 years and have remained healthy. Hhhhm I wonder if I can save my Xmas money after all.

[flier]

bargainhuntingbetty, who are you insured with?

[beautifulgirls]

Having seen dogs die from preventable diseases I would strongly recommend you don't leave these vaccines. Thankfully there are not so many cases about these days, but they do still happen.
I'm not sure there ever was a "one off" lasts a lifetime vaccine.
From the point of view of an insurer (I am not an insurer) the vaccine is firstly to protect against disease, but secondly because the vet would give your pet a full health check each year at the time too - hopefully any health issues would be picked up and dealt with early, costing the insurer less money for them to deal with.
I have never known an insurer not pay out for something that was not vaccine related such as a broken leg, but it is in the smallprint and you are therefore at their mercy if they do decide to clamp down.

[flier]

I didn't mean to suggest that you wouldn't have to insure. Now that I know that my dog should get annual boosters, he will get them.

[GrimmaTheNome]

When ours had his first vaccs, the vets gave us a booklet to keep track of the boosters and also worming/flea treatment schedules.

And they send us a reminder for the booster/checkup each year.

So yes, we knew!

[luckyblackcat]

Having lost a puppy to Parvo over 20 yrs ago(due to maternal antibodies rejecting the parvo vaccination) I am obsessed with annual boosters - as I have first hand experience of how horrific it was to watch my puppy die horribly within 4 days of becoming ill.

Leptospirosis, distemper, hep and parvo are essential and KC if you kennel them.

I'm a homechecker for a national charity and it is part of the adopting discussion I have with all prospective 'parents' - it is part of the routine cost associated with good animal care, I also class proper flea and worming (Vet NOT petshop/supermarket) along with this.

[minimu]

You can get a blood test to see if the dogs are still covered but to be honest it costs as much as the vaccines! Just vaccinate as Beautilgirls says the illness are killers and there is no way of preventing them apart from vaccinations.

I am not a vet but I really don't go for this thing about the vet making money out of vaccination. All vets do the job because of their love of animals not to make money. If they did want to make money they could have left school and becoma a banker without the 7 years of uni!

The yearly health check is invaluable to in my opinion and for my own piece of mind.

[Disenchanted3]

I never knew this either!!

[beautifulgirls]

Riven, as a vet my pets get annual vaccinations - I have read and heard plenty of evidence for and against vaccines. Vets are changing their vaccination routines in response to ongoing scientific information - not so long ago all the dog diseases (that were routinely vaccinated for) were boostered every year, and now most vets only do alternate or once every 3 years for most of these. Currently cats still require annual vaccines for the common diseases we can vaccinate against. This is not about vets making money, it is about protecting against preventable, life threatening disease.