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Originally Posted by Ellie May  To me, titers are a wsate of time and money but that is the best that there is right now and it is a compromise. After the body fights the invader (in this case distemper vaccine), ther is no reason for the antibody level to stay high, so it drops and we see a low titer. But a titer of zero doesn't take into account cellular immunity and the dog could still be totally protected.
I understand why people wouldn't want to titer because of this but I want to be cooperative and not say, "No vaccines ever again" because although I would be happy with that, it is still in the beginnings of research.
I think what is happening is her body fights it off right away, so the antibody level drops. Now I am stuck though because I'm sure she is protected but even going by Dr. Dodd's protocol, revaccination is indicated if the titer is low. So what do you do with a dog whose titer won't stay high?
I'm sure the answer is just stop titering and stop vaccinating but that really isn't a fair compromise for the vet... How is she supposed to really know if Ellie is protected? |
According to Dr. Terafaj, titers are completely unreliable unless the exact same lab and lab person reads them every single time. She does not recommend re-vaccinating once the annual booster has been given. Research is showing lifetime immunity even with a low titer. She is the vet at Founder's Clinic in CA and has great information regarding this.
I do think that since you titered last year and then gave another booster, this is a fair compromise to the vet. And, unless Ellie is always outside and exposed to lots of other animals on a regular basis, her chances of picking up distemper are low to begin with. The bottom line is your call and the vet should respect that.