# Vaccinations - Necessary Every Year?



## Stonevintage (Aug 26, 2014)

Summer got all her "puppy shots". I just received a reminder that next month she will be due for her one year Lepto and DHPP vaccinations.

Are these necessary? She only goes for walks in our immediate neighborhood. I don't drive so she does not travel to other areas. She is very dog aggressive so their's no contact with other dogs. Also, we will be experiencing our first hard freeze cycles starting a couple of weeks after these vac's are due. If they are necessary - I would rather wait until spring to get them so they aren't at their weakest in the late summer months when they would be needed most.

I do not want to over vaccinate. One of these two shots made her sick for 3 days after she received it a year ago. Thanks!


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## Shade (Feb 20, 2012)

Lepto needs a yearly booster

The rest I boost once at one year but that's it, I'm taking both dogs for their tithers this year as they're due and will only vaccinate again if their antibodies are low. Much healthier and not as expensive as I thought


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## Magwart (Jul 8, 2012)

I'm not sure about the DHPP boosted at 1 year, but you should eventually be able to get on a 3-year schedule for that (not sure if you need one more before you can do that with a young dog -- ask the vet). 

You can't make an informed decision about lepto without knowing whether it's being seen clinically in your area. Talk with your vet about this!

If lepto is in your area, and you see a raccoon out and about in your neighborhood, I'd vaccinate for it. They are the lepto carriers I worry about, as they live in close proximity to people in my neighborhood. If they pee on a bush in your yard, or where you walk, and your dog investigates the interesting smell on that bush like any normal dog would, infection can happen. It's not one I would ever skip or take a chance on, as there's a lot of lepto seen in my area.

If your dog had a reaction to vaxing previously, ask the vet about giving her an antihistimine to ease her through the immune response.


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## Carriesue (Aug 13, 2012)

There has been real research by an immunologist showing that vaccines last minimum 5-7 years to the lifetime of the dog. Yearly vaccines are definitely overkill and not needed. I do the puppy rounds, a booster at a year and that's it with the exception of rabies every 3 years since it's the law.


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## counter (Feb 20, 2009)

We use a holistic vet. Now that our dogs are older, they get rabies and that's it. Never had any problems. When they were puppies, we did the normal puppy shots, but did not do anything extra. Nara and Paw Paw were pups while we lived in Virginia, and we did not have access to holistic vets. Once we moved to Oregon, we got Beowulf at 14 weeks old and I honestly don't remember what shots he got, but it was through a holistic vet who was not a fan of pumping them full of unnecessary chemicals. He was given the bare essentials.


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## NancyJ (Jun 15, 2003)

Even though my vet titers, they require a 3 year DHPP for boarding. They would not even take the titers that they, themselves, had run for me even though they KNOW titers are better proof of immunity than shots. Problem is, I trust them with my dog as they know how to handle working dogs (a lot of the police departments use them)--so that could be an issue.

I finally broke down and gave lepto this year and will booster yearly.


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## Galathiel (Nov 30, 2012)

Not sure what's required (if anything) in your area, but you might check. In my area, you are required to give rabies yearly. Distemper, etc. is recommended one year after their puppy shots and then every 3 years. We had a big outbreak of distemper within the past year so not something I would skimp on....here.


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## Stonevintage (Aug 26, 2014)

It sounds like I need to get them for her. She's due for the one year at the end of November. I would sure like to skip these until March so they are in full force for summer and late summer here 2016. I'm not concerned about direct contact with another dog or animal for the next 6 months.

The presence of these diseases on the street.... are they knocked down after a hard freeze? I live in North Idaho and the first of our hard freezes will be well underway when her current vac runs out. 

I have read that the lepto vaccine is harsh (they have to put a chemical antagonizer with it to get it to take) and there are over 20 types of lepto and it targets only one and they mostly miss on predictions of which to target. There were only 4 cases last year in our county. I don't think they can get it from sniffing ground that has frozen - same with parvo and distemper? 

We are in a drought - no standing water - no mosquitoes this year Everything's bone dry. It's not unusual for us to have snow on the ground by Nov 15th. Thanks for any help you can give me on making this decision. I think unless I hear otherwise we will get not get them done in Nov and wait until March.


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## middleofnowhere (Dec 20, 2000)

Take a peek at Dr. Jean Dodd's vaccination protocols. (google it because I don't have the link handy.)
I vaccinated this year because the titer was showing lower last year. For my 6 yo, that will be the last shots. And this was the first booster she had after her 1 yo.


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## dogfaeries (Feb 22, 2010)

I hate that every darn trainer around here wants proof of vaccinations. I'm getting Carly's done this month, so she can continue to train in her nose work classes. She'll be 6 in January. I figure that this will be the last of them, since rabies and the combo one are 3 years. She was due back in April when Sage was sick, and it went to the wayside.

Oh, and I split the rabies from the other by 3 weeks.


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## Stonevintage (Aug 26, 2014)

middleofnowhere said:


> Take a peek at Dr. Jean Dodd's vaccination protocols. (google it because I don't have the link handy.)
> I vaccinated this year because the titer was showing lower last year. For my 6 yo, that will be the last shots. And this was the first booster she had after her 1 yo.


Thanks! Yes, I did that today. That's where I got the info about the ineffectiveness and risk of the vac. It was over vaccines (and a few other gross negligence issues) that my vet gave Summer and I the boot. They want to make MONEY..... I want a dog free of the carp they don't need....

In 45 years or raising dogs, there was no illness that they got from not being vaccinated (when there was a vaccine available). They all died of old age 13+. Oh, but for all my at fur babies the bridge - none of them got no grain premium dog food either..... Sometimes - I think we're just gullible suckers throwing our money away because the vets and food companies know they have us by the short hairs.....


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## Stonevintage (Aug 26, 2014)

dogfaeries said:


> I hate that every darn trainer around here wants proof of vaccinations. I'm getting Carly's done this month, so she can continue to train in her nose work classes. She'll be 6 in January. I figure that this will be the last of them, since rabies and the combo one are 3 years. She was due back in April when Sage was sick, and it went to the wayside.
> 
> Oh, and I split the rabies from the other by 3 weeks.


Yes - I understand the split. My previous vet - had the 7 in one and the rabies layed out on the towel to give mine at 12 weeks old. I specifically asked for the 4 in 1 only and just barely stopped him from giving the rabies too - numb nut money grubbing..... arrgh!


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## dogfaeries (Feb 22, 2010)

I got into a big fight with my old vet one time. I had adopted an IG puppy from the Italian Greyhound Club of America Rescue. My adoption contract stated that I had to have her spayed by a certain date (6 months old), and send in proof, and they would reimburse me. If I didn't have her spayed by that date, they could come get her. 

Fast forward to 4 months old, she broke all her toes on one foot (puppy mill rescue - poor bone density) and I put off getting her rabies shot, since she was healing. The vet refused to do her spay until I gave the rabies shot, even though I had the Rescue deadline. It was a BIG fight. I found a new vet, and that was that.


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## Stonevintage (Aug 26, 2014)

dogfaeries said:


> I got into a big fight with my old vet one time. I had adopted an IG puppy from the Italian Greyhound Club of America Rescue. My adoption contract stated that I had to have her spayed by a certain date (6 months old), and send in proof, and they would reimburse me. If I didn't have her spayed by that date, they could come get her.
> 
> Fast forward to 4 months old, she broke all her toes on one foot (puppy mill rescue - poor bone density) and I put off getting her rabies shot, since she was healing. The vet refused to do her spay until I gave the rabies shot, even though I had the Rescue deadline. It was a BIG fight. I found a new vet, and that was that.


Amazing.... I don't know what they are teaching these cookie cutter vets but it seems the computer is their God and they have little thought process going on. Plug and play vets.

I went to a job interview last week. The interviewer was the Executive Director of our County Humane Society - another example of a "boxed in" non thinker. When I told her I had a young GSD, the next 10 minutes of the interview was a joke. How old is she? "15 mos", Is she fixed? "Not yet" WHY "I'm waiting until after her 2nd heat" Why? " For growth reasons and so I can have meaningful X-rays taken at the same time, one anesthesia - one surgery". She actually "snuffed" her nose at me

I explained that I do not take any anesthesia lightly and there is a risk. SHE went off on a tirade about how "their vet has done over 3,000 spays" and has only lost a few - I explained, I had 4 close friends who lost their dogs to anesthesia. She - well, that's just the way it is sometimes.... Something else immediately came up in conversation - it was about heartworm treatment. I explained that our landlords dog, while I was playing ball with him exhibited sign of heartworm and they should get him checked (135lb Rott) They did and he did and Max died 2 days after the surgery from a build up/release of anesthesia gas that went to his brain. She said "that's ridiculous - they don't give anesthesia for heart worm treatment. 

When I got home, I looked it up. YES they do - they do actual physical extraction of the worms for a dog that tests to be a poor candidate for the toxic injections. It is very expensive but my landlord had ample funds. 

After all this - she explains to me that the position has been changed to heavy pickup of donated items at residences 4 days per week. Why did she waste my time? I'm 60 year old female applying for an asst mgr position at the thrift store? I just said, that's a deal killer - thanked her for her time and walked out very confused.


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## WateryTart (Sep 25, 2013)

Stonevintage said:


> Summer got all her "puppy shots". I just received a reminder that next month she will be due for her one year Lepto and DHPP vaccinations.
> 
> Are these necessary? She only goes for walks in our immediate neighborhood. I don't drive so she does not travel to other areas. She is very dog aggressive so their's no contact with other dogs. Also, we will be experiencing our first hard freeze cycles starting a couple of weeks after these vac's are due. If they are necessary - I would rather wait until spring to get them so they aren't at their weakest in the late summer months when they would be needed most.
> 
> I do not want to over vaccinate. One of these two shots made her sick for 3 days after she received it a year ago. Thanks!


I thought a lot of people did titers. That seems like a perfectly reasonable solution to me.

I do plan to vaccinate annually. My vet is nice about working with timing. The only one that's really a hard deadline is rabies, but that's more for city ordinance/licensing, and I have those two things synched up now on a 3-year cycle. Lepto is important to me personally because there are so many rabbits in the city - we have them all over our backyard - but that may not be a concern everywhere.

I am not a vet so take this with a grain of salt, but I have a cat who reacts badly to rabies vaccines. Unfortunately we can't NOT vaccinate for that one, at least I'm not okay with us not doing it (again, titers are a totally reasonable approach IMO, just not something I'm comfortable with). My vet gave her a steroid injection and an antihistamine injection prior to the rabies shot. Then he gave her the booster and sent us on our way with a list of symptoms I should watch her for. She did just fine. Maybe that's something to at least ask your vet about for Summer? It might not generalize but you could ask what options are available if she has to get those particular shots.


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## WateryTart (Sep 25, 2013)

Stonevintage said:


> I went to a job interview last week. The interviewer was the Executive Director of our County Humane Society - another example of a "boxed in" non thinker. When I told her I had a young GSD, the next 10 minutes of the interview was a joke. How old is she? "15 mos", Is she fixed? "Not yet" WHY "I'm waiting until after her 2nd heat" Why? " For growth reasons and so I can have meaningful X-rays taken at the same time, one anesthesia - one surgery". She actually "snuffed" her nose at me
> 
> I explained that I do not take any anesthesia lightly and there is a risk. SHE went off on a tirade about how "their vet has done over 3,000 spays" and has only lost a few - I explained, I had 4 close friends who lost their dogs to anesthesia. She - well, that's just the way it is sometimes....


My hypothesis is that it's value-driven and shaped by their mission and perspective.

For what it's worth, that was pretty inappropriate and unprofessional of her to go off on you that way when she was supposed to be interviewing you for a job.


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## Augustine (Nov 22, 2014)

The one nice thing about the small town I live in is that all of the vets are supportive of things like raw, minimal vaccinations, etc. 

Then, you go into the bigger cities and find it's riddled with those hardcore PETA vets (as I like to call them). It'll make finding a decent vet difficult when we eventually move, but eh. I'm not giving in and over-vaccinating just because some ignorant vet thinks their degree makes them incapable of being wrong.


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