[TatumsMom]

Some of you may remember me asking about the Lepto shot a few weeks ago... I had a long talk with Tatum's vet this weekend when we went for shots. He does still recommend the lepto vaccination because of the area we live in. We have cattle all around us and don't want to take the chance of catching that strain. Not only that but lepto IS contagious - humans can get it from animals so you should have your pets vaccinated against it to protect yourself also. If we didn't live in an area like we do, he said it would be questionable as to if she needed it. We also talked about the rabies shot and how I had read that dogs really don't need it but every three years or so. Our county just recently passed an ordinance saying that could be legally done BUT my vet requires they get the rabies shot yearly. The number of rabid skunks in our county is high enough that you don't want to take a chance with your animals getting rabies. Our vet actually requires animals to have a yearly rabies shot in order to be seen or boarded there. He also says that he immunizes his personal dogs twice a year for things such as parvo because of the risk he poses to them from being exposed to sick dogs at work. Anyway, sorry to be so long-winded but I think we had a very good talk and I learned a lot. It definitely depends on the area you live in and the lifestyle your dog leads as to what shots are best for him/her.