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I only do what is required by law. My nine year old just got his 3 year. I don't like giving him that strong a dose, but it's also nice to not have to worry about it for 3 yrs. Now I read this article that says there is no scientific basis for this requirement. Dogs that have been vaccinated once, have a 1 in 8 million chance of getting rabies in their lifetime. As a comparison, we have 1 in 600,000 chance of getting struck by lightening standing out in a thunderstorm.
It is time for them to prove the necessity of this expense and risk of an adverse effect on our dogs. Cats have been shown to have a mimum duration of immunity of four years with one shot thru serology. Plus what they put people through if they get bit. Makes you wonder how much study has gone into this protocol, perhaps it's time for a review. It sounds like we've been doing the same thing since the fifties.
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No medical benefit
Yet the practice of re-vaccination at one or three-year intervals persists. This is purely on the basis of precedent, not science.
According to a landmark report on dogs and cat vaccines published in 2002 by the AVMA Council on Biologic and Therapeutic Agents (COBTA), there is no scientific basis for annual revaccination. Re-administering rabies vaccine does not enhance disease resistance and may expose animals to unnecessary risk.
To be perfectly clear: the duration of a license may expire; the shelf life of a drug may expire; a dog or cat's immunity to rabies does not expire.
This forces consumers, i.e., pet owners, to buy a product with no medical benefit and the potential for considerable harm. Moreover, it is costly far beyond the price of annual rabies shots.
I think I am correct in saying that the 3 year Rabies and the 1 year rabies are no different.
Also it is sad that a 5 lb(or less) dog will get the same dose as a 100 lb + dog.
My old Vet told me that all these vaccines are hurting dogs/cats immune systems and are only done because the drug companies say it should be done,BIG MONEY MAKER.
Just as we receive our baby vaccines and are done with them once the series are complete,it is the same with dogs.
I used to do Titers but they always came back with such high numbers(good) I don't do them anymore.
Also unless your dog/cat run free,which mine don't.Mine are always supervised,there is NO WAY they can get rabies.
So sad our animals immune systems are so compromised to greedy drug companies.
Rabies IS still out there in Lots of Countries VACCINATE! For Your sake! I Know lots of people that wished they had Inc a little girl in NYC that Died from Rabies!
I think I am correct in saying that the 3 year Rabies and the 1 year rabies are no different.
Also it is sad that a 5 lb(or less) dog will get the same dose as a 100 lb + dog.
My old Vet told me that all these vaccines are hurting dogs/cats immune systems and are only done because the drug companies say it should be done,BIG MONEY MAKER.
Just as we receive our baby vaccines and are done with them once the series are complete,it is the same with dogs.
I used to do Titers but they always came back with such high numbers(good) I don't do them anymore.
Also unless your dog/cat run free,which mine don't.Mine are always supervised,there is NO WAY they can get rabies.
So sad our animals immune systems are so compromised to greedy drug companies.
You make some very good points I never thought about. I'd like to know your opinion on the distemper shot. My dogs do eat the occassional mouse, so I don't know if it's a good idea or not.
Wow, there is so much information out there - I had no idea of the adverse reactions to rabies shots. Plus when people get a combo shot, there is next to no chance of finding out what the reaction was to. Many reactions go unreported.
If your dog experiences a reaction to the combo shot, there is no way to determine which antigen caused the reaction and must be avoided in the future.
Most of us accustomed to owning dogs are familiar with the DHLPP shot or some semblance of this combination. We need to know what they are getting, why, and question how often these are required. One ingredient may have a longer immunity than another, yet they are getting the combo every year.
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So, exactly what’s in these combination shots? The ingredients differ, but here are some in the most common combos. Give me a D! Give me a P! The D is for distemper and one P is for parvovirus. Your dog very likely has lifetime immunity to both if he has had even one shot for these diseases after 4 months of age. These are important shots, but they needn’t be given again and again. In fact, adult dogs rarely need revaccination for parvovirus and distemper and there is a simple blood test called a titer test that your vet can run to prove immunity. H stands for hepatitis, a disease virtually nonexistent in North America. Sometimes this is expressed as A2, or adenovirus 2, which gives cross protection to hepatitis. According to the 2006 American Animal Hospital Association Canine Vaccine Task Force Report, it gives immunity for 7 or more years. To protect against the disease reemerging, renowned pet vaccination expert Dr. Ron Schultz recommends giving adenovirus-2 just once after a dog is 16 weeks old. L is for leptospirosis, a highly-reactive “non-core†shot (says the AVMA, AAHA, AHVMA, and all North American vet schools). Non-core vaccines are to be given only in special cases, not to every dog who trots into the clinic. It often doesn’t even protect against the specific disease strains in your area. Jeffers Pet veterinary supply, a vaccine seller, warns: “Many vets do not recommend vaccinating small dogs or young pups with Lepto. The vaccine is not normally needed and can cause harsh and sometimes fatal reactions. House dogs do not need to be vaccinated for Lepto; adult outside dogs need to be vaccinated for Lepto only if there is a possibility of traveling in the same area as feral animals.†The other P is for parainfluenza (giving immunity for at least 3 years). It is also a non-core shot and does not protect against the canine flu. C is for coronavirus, a vaccine specifically “not recommended†by any major vet organization or school. Extremely rare, it’s called “a vaccine looking for a disease.†Diodati reports that the reactions from the shot are more dangerous than the disease itself. Combination shots are part of the unethical practice of over-vaccination of pets. They should have no place in your dog’s health care regimen. And vets who use them should have no place in your dog’s life.
My vet explained it to me this way...
Values for a Rabies titer can be good on one day and test again the next and maybe the values aren't so good. There's no way to predict when those values are going to change.
Say your neighbor's dog gets ahold of a rabid critter. When the county comes knocking on your door to check for rabies vaccinations and you hand them a letter of test results from 6 months ago, the county may not recognize that as your pet being protected. The county has the right to take possession of your pet, quarantine and possibly euthanize.
I thought about this for about 3 weeks; I didn't want to take the chance. So, I went against my breeder's wishes and had my dog vaccinated.
I started with the DHPP series and 16 weeks rabies. We were due for the first adult shots starting in November but this time I did the individual rabies, followed by distemper 3 weeks later, followed by parvo 3 weeks later. Argument being adult immune system, Individual vaccines more effective and less stress on immune system. I am still on the fence with no adult CAV-2 but figure it was in the original series and he was over 16 weeks when he got the last shot.
Our plan is to figure out what to do in 5 years (immunity is known for 5-7 years, probably lifetime) but will keep the dog "legal" in regards to every 3 years rabies and follow the results of the rabies challenge studies. I gave the individual vaccines later after finding a decent holistic vet who actually stocked them.
There is a newer more effective lepto with no adjuvant and demonstrated efficacy (Merck Recombitek) but it does not contain bratislava which I gather is emerging. With no one testing for lepto, it not being a CDC reportable, and only covering a few servovars, the decision is still a little tougher since my dog is often in areas conducive to lepto. (swampy areas inhabited by raccoons, rodents,wild pigs etc.)...Right now we are looking into nosodes for prevention.
AFAIK, the Merck vaccine is the only one that has no adjuvant and prevents shedding of spirochetes and has a 12 month plus efficacy . I gather the next best thing is the Pfizer 4-way, but I have been told that it simply makes the infection weaker and still allows spirochetes to shed. So, perhaps it may be responsible for spread.
Honestly, if the vets want to give vaccines to get people in, it is backfiring because we have vets who do nothing but shots going from place to place different weekends. We get a yearly exam and blood panel instead.
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For those thinking arguing about vaccs is silly, the 2011 AAHA (mainstream, not holistic) canine veterinary recommendations still recommends greater than or equal to 3 years for the few core vaccines (in their mind distemper, parvo, CAV-2 and of course rabies) but officially states immunities greater than 5 to 7 years, possibly lifetime.
Vaccines Incress Your Dog form NOT getting Sick! Why would you endanger your pets & others? Parvo Lepto Corria Distemper Rabies ARE REAL & They are out there! How Many times have people Posted that their dog is Sick & Dying from the Very thing IF the Dog Have UTD Vaccination IT Might Not get sick or even show signs! IF Sick IT Migh have a better chance to survive! TONS! Dont believe in Shots Just look up ALL the posts I just mentioned! While your at it Stop Walking your Dog & keep away from other dogs I for one Dont Need to loose another animal do to Your Neglect!
I, for one, believe that vaccinations can be a good thing. But there is no science to support continued re-vaccination, particularly for viral diseases! Even the AAHA does not recommend corona, (the vaccine looking for a disease) and states 5-7 year immunities. This is a very mainstream group of veterinarians.
Do YOU get revaccinated for DPT every year? Of course not. Do you think they did massive studies showing we are immune for life-actually no --- even though they have done studies for dogs showing immunity for 5-7 years and still ongoing.
At the age of 57, I did wind up with a diphtheria/whooping cough booster when I got my most recent tetanus shot. Tetanus shots - for bacteria - good for 10 years - and bacterial immunizations are much less long lasting than viral immunizations. When I went back to university for a graduate degree they demanded I get immunized for measles! I convinced them to accept a titer proving my childhood case of the measles provided strong immunity well over 25 years later.
Actually, I imagine the idea of life-time immunity from viral immunizations came from the lifetime immunity conferred by actually having an illness. It does appear vaccination is not quite as effective as having a full blown case of the actual illness in preventing disease but does last for a very long time.
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