Im sorry Dream but my long post had nothing to do with what you said or didn't say...sorry you felt left out. It was just something I felt that would help the OP and that I do have links if the OP, or anyone else, is interested.

I will tell all of you right now and I WILL stand behind it: GETTING YOUR DOG VACCINATED YEARLY FOR BOTH CORE AND NON-CORE VACCINATIONS IS CONSIDERED OVER-VACCINATING. Now, before anyone gets offended again, please re-read what I said. I said getting these vaccinations EVERY YEAR, I did not say NOT AT ALL. I do not care what the vet says. Both Cornell and the School of Veterinary Medicine at the Univeristy of Pennsylvania (best of the best) agree as well as the AVMA. Those of you that are indeed interested will find this information helpful instead of thinking we are in attack mode, for what you decide to do is your prerogative. All I am saying is be educated and find out the facts.

JuneBugs first wellness visit was a week after I got him. The vet actually seemed offended when he noticed I was educated about this stuff. He told me to come back in a year for all his shots. I told him no, that I will be here in a year for a wellness visit and for a 4DX test to continue his heartworm meds. He was on me like flies on horse s*** about the lyme vaccine and that we have to vaccinate every year (DHPP). I told him well, I follow the AVMA guidelines and I am surprised that you do not. If I continue to feel this pressured about what I think is good for my pet, then I will be going elsewhere. That shut him up real quick, I got my 6 months worth of Iverhart Max and off we went.

Junebugs mom I agree totally with you, and up here in Canada we (the "weird" ones) don't always give heartworm meds. either. A lot has been written by the clued in vets about how difficult it is to actually get heartworm in most areas. Thank you for speaking up.

Taking your geographical location into consideration, If your vet is telling you that heartworm preventative is not needed OR it is only needed for part of the year, I would believe him. Why? Because that is a vet that is being honest and is in it for more than the money. If he just wanted to suck you dry, he would have told you that heartworm meds are needed so he could make a killing on his 300% markup. Thats like a gynecologist telling you to stay on birth control after you've already had a hysterectomy! :thinking:

Just a quick note: I do not know if you have noticed but many vets have stopped stocking many brands of flea & tick topicals (Frontline Plus, Advantix II). Why? Because they are loosing money. These specific 2 topicals are now available OTC and in pet stores. There are also many generics on the market now (PetArmor, Fripoguard, etc). Some vets, not all, are now only carrying most topicals that you need a script for so you HAVE to get it from your vet and pay an arm and a leg.

Again I think you might have misunderstood my post but whatever. I think that the one year boosters are pretty darn important in developing the immunity. I also do not believe in the DAP every year I get it every three years. Honestly you can find anything you wont online you can find lots of sites and info for vaccines and against. The same with everything else.

I don't know about your location. But there are a lot of untruths about heart worms created by people who feel that life in general is a conspiracy. The heart worm treatment has a very high risk of killing small dogs in fact there is a lovely women on this board who knows all about that and works with yorkie haven rescue. The preventive for heart worms does not hurt your dog so why not save the risk and just give the preventive.

I believe heartworm is not as big an issue up here. Most vets try to push it on their clients.. the bloodtest is nearly $100.00 to see if the dog has heartworm, then the meds are very expensive. Before the vet gives you the HW meds, he insists on a bloodtest, every year. WTH is up with that!!?? If the heartworm meds. work, then why would I need to have him tested again every spring? The meds are taken up to November, then off for the winter then re-test in the spring??? outrageous!! When I brought that up to my vet, he got mad at me and asked me where I went to vet college? Needless to say that was the last year we went there. They don't like us being educated... and... he didn't answer my question. So now, I have my dogs checked for HW at their annual checkup and if they are clear, which they have been for ever we say thanks alot and that is that until its time for rabies vac.(every 3 years) They all had their complete puppy shots and rabies.... nothing else.

Some of the things on this thread really concern me - heartworm in particular. Michigan is sometimes assumed to be a 6-8 months a year state. Well, vets were seeing cases when dogs were not given the preventative during winter. First, just because it is below the temp that mosquitos can survive in, that does not mean 100% of them will be obliterated from the state. Second, the "experts" who come up with the theories about avoiding meds in winter apparently do not understand that it needs to be given three months consecutively after exposure. So if dog is bit in late September and last pill of the season is given on October 1 the dog is wide open even with no misquitos around.

Heartworm is not uncommon. It is not hard to get. As of May, one vet office around here had already seen around 20 cases. Yes, it is actually a cure and not a prevention like any dewormer, but there is a big different between killing the adult worm and killing the microfilaria.

My dogs are on meds year-round as are my vet's dogs.

It is up to each individual, but I wouldn't acceptwhat holstic vets have to say just because they claim to know what they are talking about.

BTW, we only use flea meds PRN bc it isn't a big issue for our lifestyle. And as I said before I am a vaccine minimalist. However, heartworm I would not mess with.

IMO, Lyme, corona, giardia, and flu vaccines are far from worth giving.
We have been through kennel cough here. I didn'tsee the big deal. A healthy dog usually will not develop pneumonia if given antibiotics when indicated. I wouldn't give it to them anymore than I get the flu shot for myself.
Lepto is a nasty disease and I understand the fear surrounding it and the vaccine. I think it is a very personal decision for small dogs who spend lots of time outside.

I honestly go online very rarely. I do my research in local libraries or I go to one of our very large animal hospitals in the area and go in the waiting room and read their publications. The one hospital I go to knows me from attending their Pet-Loss support group. I have gotten to know many of the vets there and get much needed information for free whereas it would probably cost anyone else with a visit. 90% of the vets at this one emergency hospital are graduates of either Cornell or the Univ. of PA.

Some of the very informative magazines include Veterinary Practice News ($82.00/yr), Pet Product News International ($74.00/yr) and Veterinary Medicine ($119.00/yr).

You have to learn by your mistakes..or even others mistakes. My sister believed in holistic practices and lost her black lab to lyme disease and kidney failure. Who is to blame? The dog? The holistic vet? The environment that is ever changing? My sister who was closed-minded to any other ways of preventative medicine? If you ever question your pets regimine or your vets recommendations, do your OWN research like I have been doing. Then you can feel comfortable with your final decision(s) on keeping your pet healthy and disease-free.

Heart worm preventive so serious and it makes me nervous when people try and just brush it off.

Can I ask was that really necessary to say?

I was wondering that very same thing!

When she was saying how she got Jackson at 9 weeks yes it was because people will think ok well this person got there pup before 12 weeks so it must be fine but in reality good breeders don't let small breed pups go until 12 weeks.

It was not meant as nasty as it seems looking back it I could have said it much better. I am not always good at words. Callie came from a bad breeder to I'm not ashamed of it.

Not all small breed clubs have the 12 week 'rule'.

The ACVB has different ideas about early socialization than the YTCA. Since the former group are DVMs board certified in canine behavir I have to take their advice over a group of hreeders, many of who obviously know very little about vet med. yorkie breeders may know yorkies, but I highly doubt any good toy dog hreeder sees more small dogs than a small animal vet.

You need to understand the nature of heartworms and the medication that is used to prevent and treat them. When heart worms are present, the medication kills them off and they come loose inside the blood stream. That puts the dog at great risk of having an embolism that can go to the lung, brain or a coronary artery and kill the dog. If the dog tests positive, it's imperative that the dog be kept crated during treatment to prevent this.

To give an untested dog the medication willy nilly is like playing russian roulette with their life.