My dogs have never had a reaction to any shots. I think their rabies shots are good for three years.
I talked with my vet a little about this. His attitude is that certain diseases, rabies, for example, is especially bad and is almost always fatal (plus rabies can be transmitted to humans). So - he believes in being more aggressive with this vaccination. (Plus, it is almost always required.....)
He said there are a lot of factors involved regarding whether, when, or how often to vaccinate dogs.
1) Is the disease, you are trying to prevent an especially bad (fatal) one?
2) Is the disease prevelant in your area?
3) Is your dog around an outside dog, around other animals often, etc.
So - shots that might be recommended in one area for one dog - might be considered not important in another area for another dog.
But - Rabies vaccines are always necessary. They might be given oftener in areas that have more cases of rabies - and less often in an area where they is rarely a case of rabies.
Anyway - this is only the tip of the iceberg. I don't want to be the one to make these decisions. So, I just let my vet be in charge of my dog's shots and when they need them. I follow their schedule.
Carol Jean |