Rabies shot???
 

Hi, i have a 14 week-old yorkie puppy and am unsure about rabies shots. The lady i bought him from (a trusted friend) says that since he is an indoor dog and there are very few uncontrolled animals with rabies then Koda does not need it. but this new vet that i'm going to (the same vet the lady goes to) say that there is enough risk for it to be worth while. So, now i'm confused :confused: any advice would be appreciated.

P.S. Same with kennel cough as he will not be going to a kennel.

It would be nice to have a choice like that in the US but we don't. It is against the law not to give rabies. I wouldn't give it if I could get away with it. I do not give kennel cough because it is just too many drugs in Ellie's system, she doesn't get boarded anyway and she isn't around other dogs so if she got it it wouldn't spread.

Welcome to YT i think it is important to give your Puppy a Rabies shot but there are some Vet's that will give 3 Year shots so you do not need to get one every year .Just check what the law is in your county. Kennel Cough on the other side is only needed if you want or need to board you baby . I hope this helps you a little bit.:)

Rabies!
 

I don't know what your laws are there you should check into it,but here in the USA we have to give the rabies vacccine.of course if you don't no one will come knocking at your door UNLESS THEY ARE BITTEN THEN YOU WILL BE IN BIG TROUBLE:eek:

You have to give your dog the rabies vaccine. I would highly recommend giving your puppy the bordatella vaccine .(kennel cough) if you take your dog outside, to the groomers or even to dog training your dog can catch it, it is very contagious and hard to cure. It can be fatal.
I have adopted 2 dogs in the past from a shelter who both had it. It tooks months to go away as well as vet visits and antibiotics and cough medicine. It is really a horrible thing to see. The shelters called and said I could return the dogs and get my fees back. They would have euthinized them. ):
When animal shelters have animals that have it, they have to put all the animals down because they can never get rid of it.

Your vet can break the shots up, and bordatella can be given inhaled through the nose instead of a shot.

Actually, nobody has to give bordatella. Some places won't let you board without it or get your dogs groomed. Some vets also insist on it. I groom Ellie myself and she is so sensitive to shots that the vet lets us bypass it if we need to hospitalize her. Bordatella inself is not a huge deal. It is just a cold. The problem with it is it can turn to pneumonia which is very dangerous. It is also very contagious. But then again, how do we know the shot given 1-2 times yearly is not just as dangerous in the long run?

I edited my response as you posted it. Having had 2 dogs (1 lab, 1 pomeranian) with kennel cough, I always vaccinate mine because it is preventable and the symptoms were pretty horrible for my dogs. My pom had a mild cough afterwards for years.
Of course it is up to the owner to make whatever decision feels right to them.

ok thank you very much! :) its not that i'm cheap and just want to get by with as little as possible but i do not want my puppy pumped full of drugs either:)

My Yorkie has had the kennel couph vaccine, vet gave it through the nose.
I had to get the vaccine as my Yorkie is going to puppy classes in January and they havve to have it.
As far as the rabies shot goes the breeder I got Caji from is a retired vet and he said "do not get the rabies shot as it doesnt work". The only reason for getting a rabies shot here in Canada is if I was going to the USA, I will not be taking Caji to the USA, also it is not mandatory here in Canada.
Carole

I live in Ontario,Canada and it is mandatory for all dogs to have their Rabies shot. When the vet gives the Rabies shot here they are given a little dog tag that you can carry or put on their collars or harnesses. They also receive a paper signed by the vet stating that they have had their rabies shot.

In Ontario, Canada if your dog does not have it's rabies shot and the authorities find out then there is a severe fine.

Our vet when she gives them the rabies shot always says Ok now you're legal.

Our girls have a reaction to the rabies shot which I am told is not uncommon, so a breeder told my sister to have their shots split up. Rabies first, and then we wait a couple of weeks, and then take them for their vaccines. She said that these little guys are too small to take a vaccine and a rabies shot together. Breaking their shots up this way is much better for my girls as they are not quite as ill. One other thing the breeder said is that the puppy should be at least 2pounds before giving them a rabies shot, otherwise she waits until they are older.

We have a lot of terrific breeders here at YT perhaps one of them could give you some information.

~Marly

Thats interesting as i have been told that here in BC its not mandatory for rabies shot unless you are travelling with the dog. I will check with my vet on this.Hmmmmmmmm!
Carole

My Yorkie also had a reaction to the kennel couph vaccine, couphing every time I took him outside to pee when it was cool, vet said this is common and would go away in about 10 days, yep its now 2 weeks and it is gone.
Carole

I totally understand what you are saying about having too many drugs. Just make sure there is plenty of time in between vaccinations. There are articles out there that are against all vaccinations. At the end of the day, you need to listen to your instincts. I recently got my pup vaccinated for Rabies. Though vaccinations definitely wear their immune systems down, I felt that I would rather do it than have the possibility of something unlucky happen to him that I would kill myself over if I knew there was something I could have done to prevent it. I noticed that my Jambo was coughing/reverse sneezing a few weeks ago. Someone told me that it could be kennel cough/bordetella. I asked my vet during his first exam about all necessary vaccinations and she had not mentioned this one. My dog has never been in a kennel situation and hardly been around other dogs so I was concerned. After doing some research, I was furious that he might have something that could have been prevented and gave some major attitude to the clinic. They told me they did not think it was kennel cough but something they couldn't quite figure out. Anyways, this definitely was little alert to me about vaccinations. I plan to to titer (spelling?) test for any future boosters so he is not vaccinated if he doesn't need to be.

Here is a link with some info about vaccinations and a little of everything else:http://doglaw.hugpug.com/doglaw_009.html

Anyone interested in the dangers of canine vaccinations just visit this site: http://www.shirleys-wellness-cafe.com/petvacc.htm

My vet is a holistic health vet and he just recommends distemper and parvo at around 10 weeks and again at 14 weeks. He does not believe in annual vaccinations but he does the titer test. I get rabies shots to those that I show when they are at least 6 months old. For kennel cough I get the homeopathic nodes from the vet. I am very concerned about the number of vets that over vaccinate.

Spike has all his vaccinations, mostly because he is out all the time - obedience and agility classes, groomers, and the dog park.

I would point out that kennel cough is HIGHLY contagious (similar to distemper in cats), and can be carried on people and other dogs, even if they are immunized. For example, if you are at the pet store and an infected dog coughs, sneezes, etc. on you, in rare cases you can carry the virus home on your clothes. Also, even if your dog does not go to dog parks, I am assuming you walk them and that occasionally they encounter other dogs on your walk. Even if the dog they encounter has been vaccinated, if that dog has encountered an infected dog, they may still carry the virus.

Vaccinations do a great deal to prevent the spread of disease by limiting the number of animals that become infected. In addition, they help keep you animal healthy. Although kennel cough is typically treatable and curable, it can develop into pneumonia and have long term effects on your dogs respiratory system.

I would talk with your vet and weigh your options. Just tell your vet that you want the CORRECT dosage for your dogs weight. Too many vets give all dogs the same dosage of the vaccine. Meaning they'd give a 4lb baby the same amount they'd give a 95lb dog. ABSOLUTELY UNNEEDED!!! I don't give my guys ANY of their shots except for the rabies (and obviously all the puppie ones they were required to have) and even then I am a hellion when it comes to making sure that they get ONLY the amount their body needs. The only one of mine who doesn't get anything at all is my 14 year old. Once they hit 9 or 10, I stop even the rabies. There is just TOO much risk in it then

My vet just gave a small portion of the shot to my yorkie because they are so small. The norm is to give the same shot to a small dog as they do to a great dane! Ask to minimize the amount and also make sure you don't get the lepto shot included in.. Some vets do this and yorkies can get really sick with it. My vet only will give my little guys one shot at a time.