Shots
 

I am getting my first puppy yorkie and very excited!! I have been reading a lot about the breed. One thing that conserned me was when I read about shots. This is what I have found and wanted to make sure that this was correct. I got this info from this site:

http://www.canine-epilepsy-guardian-...nnual_vacs.htm

* What many pet owners don't know, researchers say, is that most yearly vaccines for dogs and cats are a waste of money -- and potentially deadly. Shots for the most important pet diseases last three to seven years, or
longer, and annual shots put pets at greater risk of vaccine-related problems.

Dog vaccines/Minimum duration of immunity

· Canine rabies - 3 years

· Canine parainfluenza - 3 years

· Canine distemper (Onderstepoort strain) - 5 years

· Canine distemper (Rockborn strain) - 7 years

· Canine adenovirus (kennel cough) - 7 years

· Canine parvovirus - 7 years

Recommendations for dogs

· Parvovirus, adenovirus, parainfluenza, distemper: Following initial puppy shots, provide booster one year later, and every three years thereafter.

· Rabies: At 16 weeks of age, thereafter as required by law.

· Bordatella: Use prior to boarding; may be repeated up to six times a year.

· Coronavirus: Not recommended in private homes. Prior to boarding, may be given to dogs 8 weeks or older, and repeated every six months.

· Lyme: Not recommended.

· Giardia: Not recommended.


Please help so I know what is best for my little angle.

Shay

its true that after a while vaccines aren't needed every year. The rabies vaccine is the most important tho. You need to get that done at 6 months old and then a year later, and then every three years after that. The distemper vaccines is usually a combo vaccine for Parvovirus, adenovirus, parainfluenza, distemper and sometimes corona. This vaccines should be given yearly after the puppy shot for at least 5 years to make sure the dog has built up enough of the antibodies in his system. after that you can go to every two years. The bordatella vaccine is only needed if your dog is going to be boarding, going to training classes, the dog park , or any other area where he will meet other dogs regularly. kennel cough is easy to catch and sometimes a pain to get rid of. The lyme vaccine is really only needed in heavily wooded areas and even then it may not work. just like in people, the vaccine isn't 100%. As for giardia, i've never heard of a yearly vaccine for it. maybe its more prevelent in other areas, but i usually only see it in puppies.

Thank you for your help :)

See my post on over vaccinating: http://www.yorkietalk.com/forums/showthread.php?t=43625

IMO, your puppy should at least get all his puppy shots and 1st set of boosters. He needs to build up his immunity somehow.... After that, I would do a titer test. If the test shows he has the antibodies for a particular virus he shouldn't need to be revaccinated. Over vaccinating can do more harm than good (it's been linked to seizures, tumors and liver/kidney disease and arthritis among other things). Google Vaccinosis for a bit of reasearch.

I would talk it over with your vet and decide what the best course of action is for your pup. No two dogs are alike, and while my decision to perform titer tests instead of automatically re-vaccinating works for us, it might not for you....

thank you so much!