shots...should we??

[jp4m2]

I've seen a lot of posts on her about pups getting sick around the time of their shot(s) & always wonder if it's from over vaccinations that I've been reading about... I've seen numerous posts about a pup that "just dies" after birth for "no apparent reason".. it has cleft palate or intestines outside of the body or the vet declares it a case of "failure to thrive" as if it's to be expected...Could it be the vac.'s the vet recommended for the mother?..This is a serious issue that some vet's don't want to address....could it be from loss of income for them..or ignorance on their part??..From what I'm reading, after the puppy series of parvo, distemper & rabies there should be no more...And even with those they should always be done one at a time per visit...no combo's... I see a lot of posts asking about shots also.. which ones,when, it's a confusing subject...Most vet.'s would have us believe we should be giving every shot manufactured & do it for the life of the dog. Even common sense tells me something is just not right w/ this advise. Please read the following link & give it some thought about what where being told:

http://www.knowbetterdogfood.com/dog...accination.php

[marcerella02]

oh i feel your confusion... i talked to my vet about it this week and he wants her to be vaccinated every year... i do not... he doesn't think that the things i am reading online are accurate.. i'm not sure what i am going to do.. layla goes for her one year in may.. we will be getting them in two seperate appointments because she has bad reactions to the shots... i don't know what i'm going to do after that... i know many people on here get them every year and have yet to have problems... and i know there are people who get them every 3... thank god i'll have a year to figure it out... do some research that i can present my case to him... we'll have to see what happens....

[Rae Rae]

Rocky had a bad reaction to one shot, I forgot which one it was (vet has it documented though). He was very lethargic and had diareah. It was only for one night though, actually a few hours. By the middle of the night he was up and playing again. So I decided he's still going to get all the shots he needs every year. Even though I hate for him to be sick I'd rather have him be a little ill for a few hours then take the risk of him catching something very serious and ending up sick for days, or even worse.

[lolabella]

You can ask your vet to do titer tests to see if your pet has immunities for the diseases he is supposed to be annually vaccinated for. If your pet has the antibodies, don't get your pet revaccinated. If he doesn't have antibodies, get the vaccine to build antibodies.
A lot of people think vaccinations are like some sort of a magic protector. They are just small doses of the illness that are supposed to get the dog's immune system familiar with the illness, build antibodies, so your dog's body can fight the "real" disease later.
If you disagree with your vet's view of vaccinations, find a vet you are comfortable with. It may be difficult to find a vet that is willing to listen to your concerns without dismissing them and explain things you may not know about, but they exist. We recently switched vets, and our new vet is more up to date with "contemporary" vaccination protocol and I cannot explain how happy I am. I know my vet is not vaccinating my dogs just for giggles because he explains why he chooses to vaccinate my pet for certain things and when these vaccinations are needed. When I do research, I discuss it with him, and trust me, no matter how well you research things, there are a couple of important details you miss. I trust our vet completely. I think it's very important to be able to trust one's vet, for the sake of the animal and for one's own mental well-being as well.

[HisNameIsHarley]

I think it depends on your individual pet. Some pets react well to the vaccs and others do not. I no longer vaccinate my ferrets for instance because of their horrible reactions. All my dogs and cats do very well and therefore I do vaccinate them annually. I am a believer in administering vaccs in appropriate amounts but remember that a vacc only helps to protect from getting a disease not necessarily prevent it. All my dogs are up to date on all shots including bordetella kennel cough and yet all 6 developed kennel cough. So there is no 100% prevention but to me the pros out weigh the cons. And in the end it's all about that, your opinion. Do a lot of research and talk to A LOT of different vets, new science, old science and homeopathic vets. Get a feel for all the info so you can take it all in and then you can decide what's best for your pet. But remember, in most states (if not all.. not sure) rabies is a must by law.

[jp4m2]

Marcerella..I don't understand either.. why would a vet tell us we need to continually give shots yearly for the life of the dog??... When we do our children's vac.'s we only do them in infancy ...can you imagine if we had to take our children in their entire lives for the same shots over & over again??..We humans live to be in our 80's & a dog only lives 12-16 years yet the dogs shots don't last??..What did it do wear off???..I highly doubt it..I have a gut feeling it's all about the money...Lolabella...I have read about the titers also & it does sound like a very good option rather than subjecting my dog to these shots..your fortunate to have found a vet that understands the issue..I wish I had access to a homeopathic or holistic vet near me but the closest one is 1 1/2 hrs away.
From what I've read.. just because your dog is up running around & playing after a shot is meaningless..the damage is cumulative & it involves their immune system..the consquenses are way down the road as in thyroid,liver 7 kidney problems, arthritis, cancer, diabetes,allergies, behavioral problems etc. etc. These shots are far from harmless.
I plan on reading "Stop the shots" & "What the vet's don't tell you about vaccines"... but I believe I already know the answer. I realize this is a personal decision we each have to make but we really need to inform ourselves as best we can & the vet is only one source for info ...what if he is uninformed & lacks the knowledge ..isn't it like the fox guarding the hen house?.. I plan on making my decision w/ the same research that I would on my child & not just using one source..I feel I owe it to my pets to do so.

[Rae Rae]

Originally Posted by jp4m2

Marcerella..I don't understand either.. why would a vet tell us we need to continually give shots yearly for the life of the dog??... When we do our children's vac.'s we only do them in infancy ...can you imagine if we had to take our children in their entire lives for the same shots over & over again??..We humans live to be in our 80's & a dog only lives 12-16 years yet the dogs shots don't last??..What did it do wear off???..I highly doubt it..I have a gut feeling it's all about the money...Lolabella...I have read about the titers also & it does sound like a very good option rather than subjecting my dog to these shots..your fortunate to have found a vet that understands the issue..I wish I had access to a homeopathic or holistic vet near me but the closest one is 1 1/2 hrs away.
From what I've read.. just because your dog is up running around & playing after a shot is meaningless..the damage is cumulative & it involves their immune system..the consquenses are way down the road as in thyroid,liver 7 kidney problems, arthritis, cancer, diabetes,allergies, behavioral problems etc. etc. These shots are far from harmless.
I plan on reading "Stop the shots" & "What the vet's don't tell you about vaccines"... but I believe I already know the answer. I realize this is a personal decision we each have to make but we really need to inform ourselves as best we can & the vet is only one source for info ...what if he is uninformed & lacks the knowledge ..isn't it like the fox guarding the hen house?.. I plan on making my decision w/ the same research that I would on my child & not just using one source..I feel I owe it to my pets to do so.

The reason certain vaccines have to be given continuously is because they only last for so long. I've had to get a hepatitis vaccine a couple years ago before I did my phlebotomy clinicals, and I forgot the name, but the one where they scrape your skin because I was working in the medical field, and the vaccines I got when I was a kid were no longer "valid".

[Yorkiedaze]

The Vet. I take mine to, the base Vet. and the Vets. around here do not believe in shots every year. Mine haven't had shots in almost two years, and my 15 year old Chihuahua never gets shots. When the Yorkies are around 5 years old I will take them to have the titer test to see if they even need any. Tests show that most dogs are protected up to 8 years. Now you can see why major health problems plague dogs that recieve these shots each year, such as liver, kidney and heart disease and cancer. All attributed to over inuculation.

[jp4m2]

Yorkiedaze.. I agree 100%... not only the amount of shots but some are not even necessary at all...some vets try to make you feel guilty or that your a bad pet owner if you don't do it...I took my dog to be groomed once & the girl said he couldn't be groomed until he had a shot for kennel cough..I can kick myself for allowing that to happen...never again...it really disturbs me when the vet. wants to do up to four shots in the same visit... or there combined all in one shot ...never ..never again..

[chachi]

We have to get the shots every year we kennel our dogs when we go on vacation every year also they go to the groomer

[LuvMySissy]

I agree that you have to have a vet you trust, but even then you need to be an informed consumer. I am fortunate that my vet is really cautious with my little ones and agrees only one vaccine at a time. She also gives a much smaller amount of distemper and rabies as the minimum amount the government mandates is for a 25 lb dog. Her recommendation is after 3 rounds of puppy shots, at the one year mark (after the puppy shots were completed) to give rabies and distemper (in separate appointments), and then only every 3 years thereafter. She does recommend Lepto and bordatella annually and I will most likely do those because we go to the park and have regular doggie meet-ups.

If you don't vaccinate, your vet may not give you the necessary health cert. needed to fly with your babies or cross the borders (if you do these things). My vet also indicated that titer tests were not always reliable and won't suffice as proof of immunization if records are required. So much to consider!!!