Vaccinations

[reichert26]

I have taken my dog to the vets every year without fail for her vaccinations ever since we had her but this year I am thinking twice about taking her.

Am I putting her at risk but I can't help wondering if I am just lining the vets pockets or whether they are really essential

[BeatySwalls]

wht do you mean you had her but this year?

[BeatySwalls]

anyway. i hate vets. they all rip you off!

[reichert26]

We have had her for 6 years but this is the first year that I have had second thoughts about getting her boosters done

[sn�gs]

Vaccinations are like insurance... a lottery...

Pay your money (or not) and take your choice...

[BeatySwalls]

every year? wow that is a pain... i hate it that dog drugs cost triple human drugs do!

[reichert26]

I just hate the way that they almost threaten you with not caring about your dog because they MAY get something

[pbeach]

The issue of vaccinations for every year, applies to Cats and Dogs. If you want to put your dog/cat into kennels you have to do it. However anybody who has any knowledge of Microbiology and Immunological Memory will tell you that the whole "annual" vaccination is a complete scam.
You don't get a tetanus vaccination every year do you?
How many times where you vaccinated against Polio? Measles? Mumps? TB?

[wolf63]

I vaccinate my cats so that they can go into the catter when I go away and also as an insurance premium against them getting any disease that could be prevented.

I would rather pay the financial cost than have a sick animal. I know that some of the illnesses that cats can get are fatal.

I don't suppose the innoculation is 'essential' but it is preferable to the possible alternatives.

[lankeela]

Most vets now agree that the vaccination protocol is far too strict and that most only need doing every three years. I have to say (and its my personal choice) that I have never had my adult dogs done after their first puppy course. I have had a lot of dogs over the years, and have four at the moment. I am lucky in that if I need to board them I have a friend with kennels who also does not vaccinate adults.
Should there be an outbreak of parvo in my area I might get them done, or if they should come into contact with rats, who carry lepto, but I never have them done otherwise and definitely not for kennel cough, which on the two occasions I have had a dog with it they have had antibiotics and it cleared up.

Many of my showing/training friends are of the same mind, and our dogs mix frequently at shows and training classes.

[gelda]

Well said Lankeela, I've seen so much damage to dogs I have walked over the years caused by these yearly vaccinations, I know of 3 dogs who have died and several seriously damaged by them :-{

[lankeela]

An interesting article:


*VACCINATION CONCERNS*
*Vaccination Concerns*


We all want to protect and do the best for our pets, however I personally feel we need to be questioning whether annual vaccinations are really necessary for our pets (we don't get vaccinated every year), and are we actually harming our pets by trying to do the right thing?
Are you aware that no studies have ever determined the optimum frequency of vaccinations?
I think we all would agree kittens and puppies should be given that 1st and 2nd vaccination course, but is vaccination upon vaccination really necessary?
A few years back I took in a stray puppy, quite quickly the puppy came down with the deadly parvo virus. I was very upset and also concerned as I had 3 adult dogs between the ages of 6 and 8 years. My dogs had only ever received the initial puppy course vaccinations. I spoke to a vet of my concerns and was told quite calmly that my dogs would be fine, they would not catch it, and they did not catch it, they remained healthy into old age having only ever visited the vet as puppies.
How did the vet know they would not catch it, and why did'nt they catch it? They were not protected, or were they?
I have asked vets why studies have not been carried out to determine whether yearly vaccinations are actually necessary and have been told it is not in the best interest of the pharmaceutical companies to carry out such a study and they are the only ones that could afford to do it.

[kita1]

My present dog is 13 and a half (average for the breed is 11 years). He had his first puppy vaccinations then nothing after that. I live in a town centre and he is walked every day and exposed to where stray dogs have been, he is also entire and sniffs/licks where other dogs have weed (yuk!!!). I also walk him on dockland where there are lots of rats - but he doesn't drink out of puddles.

A few years ago a local vet said in the paper that he had seen a couple of puppies die of parvo.

The next day (and all of that week) people were queing outside on the pavement waiting to have their dogs vaccinated at his practice.

The cynical side of me says that he was maybe having a quiet time of things and wanted to drum up a bit of trade ........... he certainly got it!!!

[BIGDOGY]

I have looked after animals in a kennel enviorment for 40 years and would always advocate annual vaccinations.
To wait for a disease outbreak before vaccinating is irrisponsible as by this time it may be too late to provide the necessary protection.
As for studies as to whether annual vaccs are nesessary there are quite a few, some which advocate more than once a year.
Here is a link to one of them.
http://www.eskievet.com/Articles/vaccine%20dur ation.pdf

[lankeela]

With respect I think you need to go back and read this article yourself, particularly the final paragraph. What you are advocating is not what is recommended, and whilst there are certain 'non-core'vaccines that may need administering more frequently, the fact that they are non-core is not a matter of concern as far as I am aware.
This study came about because the author was concerned about the over vaccination requirements of some veterinary surgeons, and so he did the research which came up with the conclusion that the majority of animals do not need vaccinating every year.

[lankeela]

By the author mentioned above:

http://malteseonly.com/annualvaccines.html

[BIGDOGY]

Thanks lankeela for the link which I have read and see some contradiction with the authors thoughts.
I think his general opinion is dont vaccinate unless your animal is at risk.
Who knows though whether there is a risk present or not and without vaccs one could find out too late.
Better perhaps to air on the side of caution as no expense is to great for a valued pet in my mind.

[BeatySwalls]

vets think they are god. playing with little doggies lives how they may.

[lankeela]

It is a simple matter to do title tests to see whether the dog has immunity, still costly, but my reason for not vaccinating is not financial.

[kippyboo]

I too only have my dogs vaccinated as pups as I once took a robustly healthy 18 month old dog for an annual booster and she fell ill and died 2 days later. Since then they have just had jabs as pups and I have never encountered any problems.

[Pipsy3]

My dogs have only ever had the initial vaccinations, again its not for financial reasons I simply dont believe annual jabs are necessary unless you are planning on taking them abroad or putting them in kennels. Many vets are against the practice of annual vaccinations.

http://www.london77truth.com/BAVA/DogVaccinati on.htm

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk/3588457.stm