Vaccination opinions?

[shaner]

Originally Posted by Wild Wolf

Rabies is the one vaccine I will not mess around with. Rabies is a non-curable, absolutely horrific way to die and it's easy to transmit. Rabies terrifies me. Rabies is a vaccine I give happily.

I personally think that same way about distemper. It's almost as deadly but much more common

[msvette2u]

We routinely ask for rabies to be given when the dog is altered. If a dog was going to have an issue, you'd think it'd be during the spay/neuter + rabies vaccine but none ever have
I think once, a dog's shoulder swelled up and we weren't sure if it was the rabies vaccine or one of the other injections she got, like pre-anesthetic or a pain injection.

[Lauri & The Gang]

Originally Posted by shaner

I would rather deal with the very unlikely possibility of a severe allergic reaction ...

But it's more than just a reaction (severe or otherwise).

Years back when I was fostering for a city shelter I used to vax my gang with DHLPP twice a year. I did it on the advice of the shelter vet - since I had the potential to be exposing my dogs to all sorts of things.

What did I end up giving them?

My girl Tessa got Immune Mediated Polyarthropothy. Her over-stimulated (gee, I wonder why) immune system was destroying the fluid in her joints. She was put on high doses of steroids to suppress her immune system. I was able to get her off those by switching to raw but they had already done their damage. Her stomach and intestine disintegrated when she was only 9 years old.

My boy Riggs was put down because of Rectal Cancer at only 11 years of age (he was perfectly healthy other than that).

Do you know that vets changed the location of where they give vaccines in cats because of the high incidence of cancer at the location site? Now they give them in the leg so if the cat DOES get cancer they can amputate the leg to save them.


As for the Distemper vaccine:

Neurologic symptoms are the most common vaccine reaction seen in dogs. Canine distemper vaccination is the most common cause of neurologic disease, and can cause an inflammation of the brain.

[Lauri & The Gang]

Wanted to post the studies behind the location change for cat vaccinations:

Research Updates: Investigating the impact of vaccine administration site changes in cats - Veterinary Medicine

[shaner]

Originally Posted by Lauri & The Gang

But it's more than just a reaction (severe or otherwise).

Years back when I was fostering for a city shelter I used to vax my gang with DHLPP twice a year. I did it on the advice of the shelter vet - since I had the potential to be exposing my dogs to all sorts of things.

What did I end up giving them?

My girl Tessa got Immune Mediated Polyarthropothy. Her over-stimulated (gee, I wonder why) immune system was destroying the fluid in her joints. She was put on high doses of steroids to suppress her immune system. I was able to get her off those by switching to raw but they had already done their damage. Her stomach and intestine disintegrated when she was only 9 years old.

My boy Riggs was put down because of Rectal Cancer at only 11 years of age (he was perfectly healthy other than that).

Do you know that vets changed the location of where they give vaccines in cats because of the high incidence of cancer at the location site? Now they give them in the leg so if the cat DOES get cancer they can amputate the leg to save them.


As for the Distemper vaccine:

But that's pretty misleading just to say the distemper vaccine can cause neurological symptoms. What can distemper cause? Perhaps it's wise to compare the two, and not just that, but it's also wise to compare the rates of the two. What is the likelihood of a vaccine causing severe and/or permanent reactions? What is the likelihood of a non-vaccinated dog getting distemper?

You need to look at all the data and make an educated and informed decision. Looking at one side is meaningless

[jocoyn]

When looking at the data there is plenty of data to say that vaccines are good for AT LEAST 7 years, probably lifetime.

When did you get your last polio vaccine? Measles? Mumps? etc.
We get tetanus every so many years but that is from a bacteria

It is hard to sort out all the variables but why did my dogs (why, by the way were fed awful cheap dog food) used to live regularly to 14-15 now be lucky if they live to 10 or 11 before they die from cancer. I remember back then nobody took the dog to the vet regularly - oh we got the spay/neuter and the rabies shots but even then you could buy your own rabies.

[msvette2u]

We just got a Tdap due to lapses in vaccines and the fact viruses mutate constantly.
Pertussis is on the rampage.

[Lauri & The Gang]

Shaner, you said:

Titering or not, I can't imagine skipping a vaccination, especially for distemper.

If titering shows that your dog HAS the immunities for Distemper, and doing the vax again can cause serious problems for the dog, why would you give another dose of the vaccine??

I'm not saying "Don't ever vaccinate". What I'm saying is know ALL the RISKS and options and make an educated (not emotional) decision.

[jocoyn]

Msvette - - - Yes, I got a first Tdap, it was my very first pertussis vaccine since 1957 - before that it was Tetanus every decade or so. Getting just a plain tetanus vaccine was not an option.

[shaner]

Originally Posted by Lauri & The Gang

Shaner, you said:



If titering shows that your dog HAS the immunities for Distemper, and doing the vax again can cause serious problems for the dog, why would you give another dose of the vaccine??

I'm not saying "Don't ever vaccinate". What I'm saying is know ALL the RISKS and options and make an educated (not emotional) decision.

But I have yet to be convinced that titering by itself is reliable enough to rely on by itself. Many things I've read say that titers aren't completely reliable and there's differing opinions by experts on how much immunity is required.

I've done my research and I will personally vaccinate for rabies and distemper every 3 years. I don't feel comfortable doing anything less than that. It's a risk reward situation for me and my dogs, and I feel that this is the best way to care for my dogs. A lot of the anti-vaccine information out there is purely anecdotal and not research based. You really do have to be careful when relying strictly on anecdotal information.