[natdobe]

Skyler got her parvo shot six months ago, her first set of adult shots, and the vet's office sent a reminder to me saying she was due for one. I know when she got it my vet told me that she shouldn't need another one. I know that before I knew better about over vaccinating our rat terrier used to get them every six months, because the same office said that they needed them because of the high risk of parvo in this area. So, not thinking that is what we did. I feel bad now that I know bwtter. Thank God my rat terrier is fine.I know that the vet that owns it, who is not my dog's vet is a major money hound, so they have to do what he says. My vet told me herself that she only gives her dog's rabies after their first set of adult shots. I'm not going to get her another one, so this is more or less FYI to those of you who may not know about over vaccinating. Do you guys get your dogs more than one set of adult vaccines?

 

[Fitzmar Dobermans]

Once my dogs have their one year booster, I do a 4 way booster every 3 years with titers the 2 years in between. Here in Pennsylvania rabies is every 3 years. I do borditella once a year. I don't do Lepto or lyme's.

 

[Murreydobe]

Do you guys get your dogs more than one set of adult vaccines?

In the past, my dogs have gotten a booster at 12 months, then gone onto a 3 year schedule for boostering after that. Rush is now getting annual titers done instead, and I may just do that for Razzle and Stella, with only rabies being done every 3 years as per the law in our state.

 

[Fitzmar Dobermans]

In the past, my dogs have gotten a booster at 12 months, then gone onto a 3 year schedule for boostering after that. Rush is now getting annual titers done instead, and I may just do that for Razzle and Stella, with only rabies being done every 3 years as per the law in our state.

I plan on doing that also once my dogs are over 7. Velma just had her booster at age 4 1/2 - so she will get another one at age 7, and then just rabies. Even my vet is fine with this plan.

 

[sorthund]

I do minimum vacs too. I can't wait till they have proof that Rabies lasts longer than 3 years, and they'll change the laws, hopefully.

 

[dobebug]

I do minimal vaccines too. A full series of puppy vaccines (distemper, hepatitis, parainfluenza & parvo--no bordetella, no corona, no leptospirosis, no lyme, no giardia) at 8, 12 and 16 weeks. They get just parvo at 20 weeks. In this state rabies is required first at 6 months--the first vaccine is for one year. At 18 months they get the first of a rabies vaccine which is good for 3 years and another every three years after.

I give a booster a year after the puppy vaccines--a four way--dhpp.

After that I mostly don't do anything except rabies. I give vaccines if I absolutely MUST to get a dog into a class--so occasionally one of my dogs gets a bordetella vaccine. I've done titers to get them into kennels to board but after having two kennels decline to accept titers I worked out a reciprocal arrangement with a couple of friends and we trade dog sitting rather than kenneling.

Rabies is the only thing I am adamant about having current. If there is a bite situation or even an accusation of a dog biting, state laws are such that your dog can be seized and killed if you don't have proof of current rabies vaccine. If you can prove current vaccines they may make you put the dog in quaranteen but that's pretty different than having a dead dog. Most states have similar regulations on rabies--the only thing that varies is how often they say you must revaccinate. Some state with a high incidence of rabies required yearly vaccines, a few require every two years but the majority require every three years starting at either 4 or 6 months.

 

[JavasMom]

Thanks for this info. While I want to keep Java's vac's up, I don't want to over-vaccinate either. She has an appointment in two weeks and I intend to ask about the rabies schedule. We have lots of critters in the area - fox, racoons, possum (yuk), etc. and since Java goes for a weekly run on the local nature trails, it's not worth the risk for her not to be vaccinated if she encounters a sick critter.

 

[dobebug]

Thanks for this info. While I want to keep Java's vac's up, I don't want to over-vaccinate either. She has an appointment in two weeks and I intend to ask about the rabies schedule. We have lots of critters in the area - fox, racoons, possum (yuk), etc. and since Java goes for a weekly run on the local nature trails, it's not worth the risk for her not to be vaccinated if she encounters a sick critter.

Hi JavasMom,

If I lived in an area with a lot of wild life--particularly fox and raccoons I probably do a three year rotation on vaccines. That's the protocol the AVMA is now recommending as well as AAHA. After the "puppy shots" and first year rabies vaccine we set a schedule based on rabies so that the dog gets rabies in year 1, dhp (distemper, hepatitis and parainfluenza) in year 2 and parvo in year 3--after that it is a simple rotation from year to year.

The reason I'd give the core vaccines more than I do here is because raccoons can carry and have the same sort of distemper that dogs have. I don't think it's true of fox but they and raccoons both carry rabies of course. I agree on possums being ICK--they look just like oversized rats with a bad case of mange to me but I don't think they are nearly the disease carriers that raccoons and fox are.

 

[Murreydobe]

I've done titers to get them into kennels to board but after having two kennels decline to accept titers I worked out a reciprocal arrangement with a couple of friends and we trade dog sitting rather than kenneling.
QUOTE]

I've found two different kennels in my area that will accept titers, so all I had to do when we went to Europe and boarded the dogs was make sure their rabies was current (which I *always* do anyway) and get them bordetella. I was glad of that, particularly for Rush with his liver situation.