To Vaccinate, or Not to Vaccinate. That is the Question.

[Baxters Mommy]

I have never even stopped a second to consider not getting Baxter vaccinated. Puppies are not JUST like children. Of course, I have no background whatsoever in vaccines and medicine for puppies, but I do trust my vet to give me the very best for my little pup.

I hope you choose whichever is best for your little one as well.

Good luck!

[tobysmommie]

I am certainly not an expert but here's in my 2 cents. I have two wonderful babies - one is 6 and the other is 4 years old. I have given them ALL of the puppy shots (I think this is essential since their immune system is not fully developed and is weak, ALL puppies should get all the shots!) But after they turned about 2 years old, I haven't given them any more shots. My younger baby gets sick whenever he gets them and once he stopped receiving them, that's when he stopped getting sick.

But I do wonder from time to time if I am doing the "right" and "smart" thing...ya know? If shots are essential for my babies to have healthy lives, I would take them to the vet and etc...but as you guys know, a lot of vets are going after the money and aren't truly truly concerned of our babies.

My question is - are there certain shots that THEY MUST get? If so, please let me know!

[PennysMum]

In five years so far of working at vet practices, I have seen at least 20 dogs with no vaccinations with parvo. I have seen *no* fully vaccinated dogs with parvo. I've seen several non-vaccinated animals develop distemper... and no vaccinated animals with distemper. I've seen one animal go into true anaphylaxis following a vaccination, and I've seen one animal develop a cancerous mass near a vaccination site-- neither of which turned out to be fatal incidents, though they possibly could have been. This is out of god only knows how many thousands of vaccinations I've seen given and have given myself.

Bad things can happen with vaccines, but worse things happen more often without them. If a dog has allergic reactions to vaccines and a benedryl beforehand isn't enough to prevent the reaction, then that is a reason to consider not giving the vaccine. But I have a really hard time reconciling what I've SEEN happen with claims that dogs that don't have adverse reactions don't NEED vaccines. Having to hold animals while they're euthanized because they contracted an illness that could have easily been prevented with three $18 vaccines really sucks.

[PennysMum]

Originally Posted by tobysmommie

I am certainly not an expert but
My question is - are there certain shots that THEY MUST get? If so, please let me know!

DHPP, often just referred to as the distemper combo vaccine. There are some variants on the distemper combo vaccines which contain lepto and corona, but lepto may not be necessary depending on the lifestyle of your dog and where you live, and there are many arguments out there that being naturally exposed to corona viruses does a better job of preventing illness than vaccinating against it. The DHPP version covers many of the potentially deadly diseases a dog may be exposed to, including parvo, which is probably the scariest one for owners of new puppies, without some of the "extras".

The Rabies vaccine. It is required by law even though the risk of exposure to Rabies is very low in most parts of the US.

If your dog is often boarded or groomed, you'll probably want to do Bordatella as well. The bordatella vaccines on the market don't cover every strain of kennel cough out there, but some protection is better than none-- kennel cough can be truly miserable for a dog, and for its owners.

So, back to your question, I'd say DHPP and Rabies for sure, bordatella if your dog's lifestyle indicates it. As far as scheduling and frequency are concerned, either have a titer done, or do boosters every three years on DHPP and Rabies, and yearly boosters on bordatella. I actually have known some people who frequently take their dogs to shows and the like who do bordatella even more frequently than yearly. Sometimes it is fine to discontinue vaccines on older animals, but that is something that people should consult their vets about.