[MyFairLacy]

Originally Posted by MyboyTucker

Since I'm a new puppy owner, I'd love to know a little more what titers are.

A titer is the amount of antibodies in the blood. A blood sample is taken and the lab reports back on what concentration of antibodies your dog has to each microorganism you are testing for. If your dog is sufficiently protected, there really is no need to vaccinate. But if the titer shows that antibody levels are low then it's best to revaccinate.

Traditionally, pets have been given yearly vaccines. Overally, it's the cheapest and easiest way to do things for the owner and vet. However, vaccine/immunity studies are being done, and it is proven that most vaccines last much longer than a year - some may last the lifetime of the dog. So why keep vaccinating if your dog is protected? We just don't know yet how long each vaccine really lasts (and it varies from dog to dog)...so that's why regular vaccines are still given (usually three years apart now instead of every year...although many vets still do yearly vaccines). There is a lot of info out though about the dangers of overvaccinating so many vets and owners are starting to lean more toward having titers done before vaccinating.