Immunization question

[Debbie C]

I posted this question on a different site and without sounding ungrateful for all the great links I was given, I am still wondering what the general population gives their dogs as puppies and into adulthood for the vaccinations. While I was at my last visit, I was given in error, both the Lymes and Bordatella. The vet had discussed this with me at the visit before last and I told her I was unsure at that time and she left question marks on those two vaccines. When I went this time, for some reason it had been ordered up and was given to the dog before I knew what was bieng given to her. Unfortunately it can't be undone and it was an honest mistake, but regardless....I'm not sure whether to continue with them or let them go. In order to board your dogs, you must have the Bordatella (kennel cough) I don't plan on boarding her at this time, but we will be hunting in the fall, so you never know. I am going to hold out on the Rabies until she is at least 6 months old. Also while I was there she tried to talk me into (more like guilt me into...) the heart worm as well. I told her I wanted to discuss it with others first. I don't want to put any more stuff into her then I have to. I don't want to do it to the big dogs unless I have to either.

What do you guys do for your puppies and adult dogs. Riley and Pyper both had their Lymes and Bordatella and Riley had to have his distemper (he is 5 1/2)

I have an apt when she is 16 weeks for her final puppy stuff....what should I do about he lymes and bordatella.....

all thoughts are appreciated.

[Tim]

I always have Kennel Cough given but not Lymes. There are alot of ticks here but with using a good preventative (Advantix) I can't see the benefit of another shot. The vet suggested this and it has worked well so far, since I have found dead /dying ticks on the dog more than a few times.

As a side benefit the preventative also seems to keep flies and mosquitoes away.

[nimkii]

Bordatella yes, Lymes no. Did they talk to you about the Lepto?

[Greg]

You could look at getting a shot for "Beaver Fever".. I've heard this mentioned a few times.


If you want i can make a list of shots my vet gave us for each puppy check up? It'll have to wait for tonight as I'm at work right now

[Debbie C]

what is lepto?

[nimkii]

what is lepto?

Beaver Fever. Can make a dog very ill or any animal that comes in contact with contaminated water (still water, beaver ponds, etc.) The water becomes contaminated by a infected animal urinating in the water. I know of some farmers that give it to there live stock. Not sure of the spelling, Leptospirosis, ask your vet though.

Abbie got the shot last year, and had a terrible reaction to it. She had head tremors. No reaction this year, differant vet, and it was explained to me that some dogs have reactions to the carrying agent in the vaccine. It was included in Cash's boosters and he'll get his final round on the 8th of August. We also kept an eye on her for a while after it was given and had the benadryl ready to go. Double check with your vet like I mentioned above.

[tollerlover]

"Beaver fever" is Giardia, not Lepto. As for all vaccines, determine what level of risk there is of the disease for your dog, then decide what vaccines. There is a very high risk of severe reaction to the Lepto vaccine, so if your vet isn't seeing much Lepto, then don't give it. In most cases Giardia causes mild diarrhea and is easily treated with Metronidazole, and the vaccine isn't proven to be effective anyway. Unless you <have> to give Bordetella for a boarding kennel, don't bother. To be effective, you need to give it every 6 months and the vaccine doesn't cover all the different strains anyway. So, your dog could be vaccinated and still get kennel cough (same with Lepto - the vaccine doesn't cover all the strains). Several years ago, the American Animal Hospital Association came out with a new vaccine recommendation which stated that modified live vaccines such as Parvo, Distemper, most likely protect a dog for at least 3 years, probably more like 5-7 years. Most rabies vaccines are now good for 3 years. So, if you still want to give the Distemper/Parvo combo, only give it every 3 years and not at the same time as the Rabies shot. D/P in the spring, Rabies in the fall.

I have gone to a very minimal vaccine schedule for my Tollers. In my opinion, we are waaaaay over-vaccinating our pets and that is leading to alot of health problems, particularly immune-mediated and autoimmune problems. With regards to heartworm and other chemicals that vets push, determine the risk. If there is neglible chance of picking up heartworm where you live, don't bother with the preventive. You can always give it if you're travelling in an endemic area.
Just my .02 worth.

[nimkii]

Thanks for the clarification Liz....I was misinformed about the "Beaver Fever".

[gundog]

I think twice ever since my then 12 week old GSP had her final shots (3 in 1 cocktail) and 3 weeks later developed a severe case of HOD. She was on her death bed and in intensive care....finally pulled through it a week later and $thousands later. My vet will now NOT vaccinate her again cause the risks are too high. After extensive research on this topic I agree we are way over vaccinating!!

[be2man]

The risk of heartworm varies depending where you are in Ontario. In general there is a higher incidence south of the 401 than north. Caledonia/Dunville area has been the hotspot in Canada with a reported 25% chance of a dog not on a preventative getting a heartworm infection. In general clusters of cases run from Windsor along the north shore of lake Erie to the Niagara peninsula and the GTA, with another cluster in the Ottawa area of eastern Ontario. Here's a link to a map of the heartworm and lyme positives diagnosed in 2007 by Vitatech Labs, one of the outside labs used by many Veterinary clinics.

http://vita-tech.com/downloads/maps/Heartworm_Data_2007_EN.pdf

For a dog to get heartworm there has to be a dog nearby with heartworm for mosquitos to transmit the larval stage. If you have some dogs in an area with heartworm then you tend to get more over time and the risk is higher.

Your vet should know if they've diagnosed positive cases in your area and what the relative risk is. If you travel alot with your dog the risk can be harder to assess and it might be better to err on the side of caution.

There is some debate on the validity of the lyme disease screening test so maybe take the lyme info with a "grain of salt"? See Below

http://www.pubmedcentral.nih.gov/articlerender.fcgi?artid=1899839