Do you get yearly boosters?

[Witchonastick]

Just mulling this over...

We are currently starting the long search for a puppy after losing our wonderful dog to bone cancer a few weeks ago.

The breed isn’t a common/popular one, so can be hard to find a planned litter waiting list and I’ve had some interesting chats with a few breeders.

All recommend raw feeding and one doesn’t believe in yearly boosters. She suggested getting the initial course of vaccines then yearly blood tests for immunity and only giving boosters if necessary. She feels it can be harmful to give yearly boosters and most dogs need no more than a booster for certain diseases every 3yrs and some aren’t needed for the rest of a dogs life.

I’m trying to do a bit of research myself into this. The idea seems logical. But how does it work in practice? Our vets would make you repeat the whole course if the booster was late.
Do many vets support this?

I’m not anti vacs when it comes to my children, is this the same thing?

[OverFedStanley]

The vaccines schedule for some brands are given every 3 years so the breeder is not talking shit.

[Cottonwood]

Breeders seem to love raw, I tried it but dog wasn't overly keen and I loathed it so pretty short lived

[Wolfiefan]

We avoid lepto 4. Lepto 2 each year. The others don’t need to be done yearly.
You can’t titre test for lepto.
Now I’m wondering what the breed is.
I feed raw with no issues.
Some raw feeders don’t give regular worm and flea treatments either. We do. The cats would LOVE to infect the dog with both.

[ABC1234DEF]

ABC1234DEF if they have immunity then they have immunity not a who knows situation at all

It gives the immunity at the time the blood sample is taken. That immunity isn't the guaranteed until the following year, but you don't know if and when that may change without another blood test.

[ABC1234DEF]

ABC1234DEF the vaccinations schedule you have given is very unusual
Only lepto at 8 weeks?
then 10 weeks and 12 weeks

Lepto4 needs 2 doses 4 weeks apart from 8 weeks+ (so 8 and 12 weeks)
DHP needs a single dose at 10+ weeks. In some high risk areas (parvo is rife in some areas sadly) they may do an 8 week DHP and this would then need to be repeated at 10 weeks or older.

By doing 8/10/12 weeks with L4/DHP/L4 pup is fully covered in the shortest time with the least vaccines required and can start going out for unrestricted walks as soon as possible

[OverFedStanley]

ABC1234DEF that is not how immunity works.

If your dog has immunity it will have immunity for life - do a google if you need more information on this.

Cant be bothered to find all the info but an article here to explain it

[boxlikeamarchhare]

I have titre tests done OP and my vet then vaccinates as necessary.

A positive titre test for some of them (cant remember which) is good for three years, and good enough for the dog sitter person who is hot on paperwork. She called the licensing people when I first went to her.

[boxlikeamarchhare]

Titre test cost me about £85, more than the vaccines.

[ABC1234DEF]

ABC1234DEF that is not how immunity works.

If your dog has immunity it will have immunity for life - do a google if you need more information on this.

Cant be bothered to find all the info but an article here to explain it

Immunity isn't a permanent thing. The immune system is a complicated thing but very basically, antibody levels can be affected by a number of conditions (stress, disease, medication etc.)

I wouldn't consider Dogs Naturally Magazine to be an unbiased source of information.

[OverFedStanley]

I agree and apologise for saying cant be bothered I did not mean to be rude.

I am on my phone and hard to find the best links ........but do google and you will find more scientific and reliable evidence

[ABC1234DEF]

My cellular and molecular medicine degree will do just fine

[Witchonastick]

I realise titre testing may work out more expensive, but I’m more concerned with the health side of giving unnecessary vaccines.
I certainly wouldn’t consider not vaccinating.
@Wolfiefan what’s the difference in the the lepto 4 vs 2? Does it depend on your area?
I’d assume the vet would give the correct one if it depends on the strain that the dog may come across?

[OverFedStanley]

Along with your Phd in immunology I believe you

[ABC1234DEF]

2 covers 2 strains, 4 covers 4.

4 was developed because of a significant increase in cases of lepto caused by 2 prevalent strains that weren't covered by the original vaccine, hence Lepto4.

It will largely depend on your practice policy. I live relatively rurally, cases of lepto aren't unusual. It's very difficult to find a vet round here who uses L2 because of the lepto strains in the area - the protection against those extra 2 are needed here

[Wolfiefan]

Lepto 4 is a newer vaccine. Breeder advised we avoid it due to reports of severe reactions to it. I give lepto 2 instead.

[ABC1234DEF]

Along with your Phd in immunology grin I believe you

Nah, I abandoned ship with a lowly BSc I'm afraid. Far too much time spent in the dungeons labs of Bristol uni for my liking

The saddest part is that I don't even use it!

[Wolfiefan]

Oh and I don’t give kennel cough vaccine either. My dog doesn’t go to kennels so doesn’t go somewhere that demands it. It only covers certain strains so doesn’t mean the dog is completely immune.

[Witchonastick]

ABC1234DEF Thanks for that. Living quite rurally and near a river, I’d imagine the rats are rife round here, so would hope they’d use L4. Another question to ask though...

[ABC1234DEF]

Your local vets will be best placed to do an adequate risk assessment based on what they see in practice.

I used to work in Bristol and we'd see cases of parvo almost weekly. Saw lepto once in 7 years. I'm less than 75 miles away now and have never seen or even suspected parvo, but lepto isn't uncommon.

[AvocadosBeforeMortgages]

PestDog is vaccinated up to the hilt. I trust the vet to know what's sensible (I definitely did not spend 6 years at university studying vet med...). I have also seen a puppy with distemper (cruelty case) and it was memorably nasty; I don't know if it lived or died.

I certainly want him to have lepto as he likes to swim and paddle drink in the main river running through our city, and I'm certain that rats are there. He comes into contact with plenty of other dogs, and I have no idea of their vaccination status.

[SqueakyChicken]

I think it’s a bit sad that people feel they can’t have an opinion because “vet knows best”.

Vets are brilliant in some areas, but in areas like this where like it or not, there’s money to be made, it pays to do your own research. As previously mentioned by the OP, vets will upsell certain foods to clients, not necessarily because they’re the best, but because it makes them money. Yearly boosters every year make vets thousands of pounds, it doesn’t take a genius to work out that it’s an important business to them, and they would in no way discourage yearly boosters.

I personally think titre testing is the way forward, but I wouldn’t judge anyone who vaccinated yearly either.

I’ve also seen bad reactions to the Lepto 4 but only in puppies...

[adaline]

Pup is only 14 months but we plan on getting annual vaccinations. It's worth noting that most daycares, kennels and walkers require your dog to be up-to-date on vaccinations, as well as flea/tick treatment and wormer. Insurance also won't pay out if something happens as a result of your failure to vaccinate.

It seems to be a very recent thing that dogs aren't vaccinated annually.

[ABC1234DEF]

Yearly boosters every year make vets thousands of pounds, it doesn’t take a genius to work out that it’s an important business to them, and they would in no way discourage yearly boosters

They'd generate significantly more income if no one vaccinated and they treated the diseases instead (diagnostics, medication, intensive nursing, use of isolation facilities etc)

[Wolfiefan]

Agreed. A poorly dog would make them an awful lot more money than a quick vaccination.
I don’t believe vets know much about nutrition but I trust my vets and take their advice on vaccination. Worth knowing what’s being given and how frequently but a good vet practice won’t over vaccinate.

[adaline]

Yearly boosters every year make vets thousands of pounds, it doesn’t take a genius to work out that it’s an important business to them, and they would in no way discourage yearly boosters.

And do you not think they'd make thousands more treating if they actually had to treat dogs suffering from parvo, distemper, leptospirosis etc.?

These diseases kill dogs, and if they don't, it costs thousands in treatment to save them. If vets were "all about the money" they'd discourage vaccines and spend thousands treating the illnesses, no?