# Confused about Vaccinations



## liquid (Dec 28, 2011)

After reading up on vaccines, I'm concerned about over vaccination... but I dont know what to do?
Do you vaccinate your dog? At all? I dont know if you're supposed to avoid certain vaccines or avoid ALL vaccines. 
Or is there an alternative?

Will my dog get sick if I skip certain vaccines?

Ugh, so confused. This is a scary subject.


----------



## xellil (Apr 4, 2011)

Well, both my dogs are old and have had many vaccines.

But they are both now overdue on everything but rabies. After what I have read, and after consulting with my wonderful vet - poof no more vaccines.

i will always get rabies, I don't want them to be taken away from me. 

There are lots of vaccine experts around here - I'm not one of them but it made sense to me that my dogs are immune by now.


----------



## Caty M (Aug 13, 2010)

I do no vaccines but if I did I would ONLY do the puppy series, or even better, just one set of shots at 16 weeks and that's it. :wink:


----------



## liquid (Dec 28, 2011)

From my last vet visit, they printed out a list of reminders for my puppy. (6 months old)

12-29-12 Distemper/Parvo Adult Vaccine
12-07-12 Rabies Canine, 3yr.
04-03-12 Bordetella Booster. (Last done 10-04-11)

There were other things on there as well, including fecal exams etc. But these were the vaccines listed as 'reminders'.
Any thoughts? Vaccinate or no?
Im very confused, please be patient with me as I ask the same question in a thousand different ways, lol :tongue:


----------



## xellil (Apr 4, 2011)

I never heard of doing bordatella every six months. 

Can't comment too much on the other ones, except i think adult dogs are very unlikely to get parvo, and if you've had the vaccine for distemper he is likely to be immune.


----------



## Cliffdog (Dec 30, 2010)

I recommend not ever doing bordetella. In my opinion it's a waste of time and money. As for the others (besides rabies, which is the law) it's really all up to you.


----------



## xellil (Apr 4, 2011)

the thing about bordatella is that you often can't board a dog, go to a dog park or doggy day care etc. without it. I'm not going to do any of those things again, but I did when we had dog passes to the dog park.

but no one ever asked me to do it more than once per year.


----------



## liquid (Dec 28, 2011)

Cliffdog said:


> I recommend not ever doing bordetella. In my opinion it's a waste of time and money. As for the others (besides rabies, which is the law) it's really all up to you.





xellil said:


> the thing about bordatella is that you often can't board a dog, go to a dog park or doggy day care etc. without it. I'm not going to do any of those things again, but I did when we had dog passes to the dog park.
> 
> but no one ever asked me to do it more than once per year.


Thanks for the information you two. :smile: I'll have to look up what bordetella actually is, I gotta admit I never really researched this kind of stuff before.


----------



## xellil (Apr 4, 2011)

Most people call it kennel cough. It's like a cold dogs can catch from each other.

The problem is, like a cold, there are all kinds of different strains of it and the vaccine may or may not protect your dog.


----------



## Huginn (Nov 21, 2011)

xellil said:


> Most people call it kennel cough. It's like a cold dogs can catch from each other.
> 
> The problem is, like a cold, there are all kinds of different strains of it and the vaccine may or may not protect your dog.


This is exactly what I have read about it. The bord shot is just like getting a flu shot, it may help in may not. Most vets do recommend it every six months. This is one Huginn will not be getting. 

I have decided Huginn will likely get his 12 week(ish), once his records arrive, and then titers after that. Except for rabies. Rabies is required in my state by law, so that one I will be doing, even though is has been something like nearly fifty years since a case was reported. In his 12 week he will likely just get his DAPP, I will not do bord, lyme or lepto.


----------



## xellil (Apr 4, 2011)

Yes I'll always do rabies because if something happens they will confiscate your dogs and quarantine them. My mother reported a raccoon acting sick in her yard during the day - it hadn't been near her dogs - and the authorities confiscated her dogs because they were a month late on their rabies shots, just for being in the vicinity of the raccoon - which turned out NOT to have rabies.


----------



## frogdog (Aug 10, 2011)

My dog received all his puppy vaccines but after that no more. He will be 2 in May.
We've lost 3 dogs over the last 10yrs in less than 24hrs of having their vaccinations...2 of them were within hours.
I suggest doing a research on here for vaccines...a lot of informative threads/post.


----------



## naturalfeddogs (Jan 6, 2011)

All we do, is the puppy series, and a booster at a year then thats it. I never give anymore. If we ever go somewhere where they have to show proof of vaccines I will have them titerd and go from there.


----------



## liquid (Dec 28, 2011)

Okay, I think Eevee is done with her puppy shots. So I'll keep up with her rabies and it seems like thats all the majority of you do?

naturalfeddogs - What booster?

Thanks everyone. :smile: I'll have to look through past threads on this


----------



## naturalfeddogs (Jan 6, 2011)

For me, the booster is just to make me feel better. I don't really think they need it, but Its just one more like the puppy shots. After that, I don't give any more.


----------



## twoisplenty (Nov 12, 2008)

We use to give the 3 sets of puppy shots and then rabies at 20 weeks, then nothing after that. We never did Bordatella or Lepto. I have been doing alot of reading this fall/winter especially on natural rearing and have decided that I will no longer be vaccinating our puppies at all. From what I have read puppies get antibodies from their mother in the colostrum, they are protected through her for approx. 20 weeks of age, while being protected for this period they start to build up their own antibodies  The only vaccine I will be doing is the rabies vaccine as it is required by law BUT I will only be getting it done once as studies have shown that it has an immunity of at least 7 yrs. 

http://www.rabieschallengefund.org/


----------



## xellil (Apr 4, 2011)

When Bill was still here, he made a statement that really stuck with me - either your dog is immune, or it is not. You can't make it any more immune by continuing to give shots.

Plus, I can't remember where I saw it but I read that the series of puppy shots are given only because maybe some of them don't "take" - really they only need one good one. So if the first one "takes" the rest are useless.

How you would know whether they are immune, I'm not sure. I've also read that titers are not very accurate. And that was confirmed by my vet when I asked about them - she said not to waste my money. A dog showing a very low immunity could be totally immune, and vice versa.


----------

