Wow, twice a year that's crazy.

I had such a busy day that I didn't even get a chance to call the vet. I will try to get in touch with her tomorrow and see what she suggests. I never knew there was a risk of over vaccinating until I came to YT. This site and it's members are the best :)

Twice a year is a pretty typical recommendation from vets who recommend doing it at all. It doesn't last that long, unlike the core vaccinations, which can last several years.

It's not so much over-vaccinating as the fact that there can be adverse reactions to a shot for something that the chances are really slim your dog will ever contract. I don't fault people for getting thes if they choose to do it, but I think it can give you a false sense of security. One thing I definitely don't like is when vets give the five-way or seven-way shots. I always try to discourage people from getting those.

What do you mean by five-way or seven way:confused: I feel the same everyone needs to make their decision on what they think is best.;)

A 5-way is distemper, parvo, hepatitis, adenovirus, and parinfluenza. A 7-way is all those plus lepto and/or corona. That's just too much all at once, especially in small dogs like Yorkies.

WOW!!! :eek: Thats pretty bad... I was never offered that. I didn't realize it even existed... Thank you... My sister had a golden die just hours after they administered vaccines. I don't remember which was the culprit but it was the saddest thing.

Yes, that's exactly the problem...
 

If you give a lot of vaccinations at once, you never know what caused the reaction. Plus, if you do something like a 5-way or 7-way, you run the risk of reaction to multiple components, and that combination could be fatal where it otherwise wouldn't have been if given separately :(

shot
 

I make sure to keep up with this shot for Scooter. I do it becuase he goes to doggie day care once or twice a week (there is a whole group of little babies that love to play together - the daycare groups them by size, play style, weight, etc).

One thing I did learn recently about the vaccine is there are two kinds, one is an actual shot and the other is an inhaled version sprayed in the nose. Like someone said previously, similar to the flu vaccine for us. My vet only does the actual shot unless the nasal version is specifically requested due to the increased chance at irritation and sickness. You may want to talk to your vet about what kind they would use or recommend.

Scooter is up-to-date on his shots but recently got kennel cough. While I knew a little about it before, once he got it, I studied the heck out of it. I have never had a dog get it before. The vet said it is like the flu vaccine where even though you vaccinate, some strands aren't/can't be covered. Because he had the vaccine, he got a very mild version and recovery was much faster than what I expected.

Look into the different versions/administration techniques and decide what you think. Even though Scooter had kennel cough with the vaccine being up to date, he will continue to have them in the future. I do believe everyone is entitled to their opinion and absolutely should make whatever decision they feel is best for their baby. Doing the research and making an educated decision is the only way to do it though.

Good luck and know that your baby will be happy with whatever way you choose because they love you!

In that situation, I'd get mine vaccinated too.
 

Please don't get me wrong. I'm not against vaccinating my dogs. I just don't have mine vaccinated when it's not warranted. If mine went to a day care, I'd religiously keep up with Bordetella vaccinations, even though Bordetella isn't life threatening. It's basically like having a kid with a cold.

As you said, this vaccination won't necessarily prevent it. That's the case with many dogs, but it can reduce the severity of the symptoms and the recovery time. Also like you, I prefer the injection if the vaccination is given. I'm not sure why so many people are going with the intra-nasal version so much recently. I keep wondering if it's because they're afraid of needles themselves, so they get queasy when a vet brings one out to give their dogs a shot. I don't know about the rest of you, but my dogs, cats, and ferrets have never minded shots. The needles vets use are very fine to the point they're hardly felt. When my animals get shots, they just stand there like, "la, la, la," and don't even seem to realize it's happened.

I hope I didn't come off as being harsh. After reading your note, I realized it could be interpreted that way and I want to apologize for the possiblity of misinterpretation. Many people on YT get into debates on who is right or wrong. I don't believe that there is one solid correct answer out there. As long as everyone can research and make an informed decision, that is enough for me. I can only speak for what I know and I am glad that we all have a great place like YT where we can share personal experiences. What applies to a yorkie, may not be the same as something that applies to a westie or cairn or poodle.... Without a forum like this where everyone can learn and share, I wouldn't know what I do. Thanks to everyone who contributes and shares.

I didn't think you were at all harsh.
 

I'm very sorry if it came across that way. The Internet has advantages, but one of the disadvantages is that you don't get the voice inflection and facial expressions, so it can be difficult to interpret what people are saying.

I think doggie day care is great, and I'd get the Bordetella too if I did that. I just don't have to do it because I work from home and my dogs all play together in the house and outside the house. I take them out a few times per day. Actually, I think it's great that you get it for your dogs. The fact that you get it means you're a responsible owner and you're looking out for the welfare of your dogs in your particular situation.

Again, even though I don't do the Bordetella vaccinations, I'd recommend it for anyone who takes their dogs to a doggie day care or park, shows their dogs, or boards their dogs. Some would say also for those who take their dogs in for grooming, but I can't agree with that because there's no reason to take a Yorkie anywhere for grooming unless you just aren't willing to take five minutes a day to do a little brushing. Yorkies are one of the easiest long-haired dogs that exist to groom. Mine are adorable. When I brush one side, they flip over like they're thinking, "Here, get this side too. Oh, don't forget my belly."

I still have Persian cats from my breeding days with those. Talk about grooming!!! Yorkies are easy ;)