Vaccines

[Hubcitypam]

Bob Rogers is a somewhat conroversial figure as is Jean Dobbs. I was searching and found this link -- interesting.

 

http://www.critteradvocacy.org/Are%20We%20Over%20Vaccinating%20Our%20Pets.htm

[Guest Greytluv]

Do you mean Jean Dodds of Hemopet?

[turbotaina]

Bob Rogers is a somewhat conroversial figure as is Jean Dobbs. I was searching and found this link -- interesting.

 

http://www.critterad...0Our%20Pets.htm

 

 

It looks like he's recommending the most current ('06?) vaccination protocol that was endorsed by the AVMA. My greyhound vet follows this schedule. It took me forever to find a kitty vet who would similarly vaccinate cats (because my cats don't travel well, they have to have a different vet than my greyhound).

[Guest Swifthounds]

Thanks for posting the link.

 

I don't know enough about Dr. Bob Rogers to know if he's controversial, and Dr. Dodds may be unconventional (though one of the kindest people I have ever had the pleasure of meeting), but I don't think that the vaccine protocol on that site (largely similar to Dr. Dodds' own schedule, though she omits Adeno) is very controversial. AVMA and AAHA have almost identical protocols and many veterinary teaching schools have been saying that rabies and distemper should be given not more often than every three years.

 

I know the University of Penn has been recommending distemper and rabies every three years for a long time. I find that recommendation in print at least as far back as 2001, though at that point they were recommending 3 puppy distemper vaccines compared to the 2 recommended by Dr. Dodds and Dr. Ron Schultz.

 

I personally have been doing distemper vaccines (excluding lepto, corona, and bordetella) not more often than every 3 years since 1997.

[Hubcitypam]

I guess this part gave me pause. If any of us were trying to adopt a dog and had not given our older adult dogs any shots since their first birthday would a group adopt to us? I just find his person recommendations very interesting...and it totally goes against my former vets insistance on yearly lepto. He lives in Texas and never gives his dogs lepto at all and it was drilled into me that it was a must.

"My dog Splash was vaccinated for DHP at 8 & 12 weeks, Rabies at 16 weeks, and DHP Rabies again at one year. I am through vaccinating. Splash goes to the Clinic with me weekly where he is potentially exposed to parvo and distemper. We go on 25 mile horseback rides through the woods where there are skunks and bats. I feel confident he is protected for life."

 

...can't get the size to change

 

 

 

 

Edited April 14, 2010 by Hubcitypam

[Guest Swifthounds]

Agreed, not controversial at all. If your dog runs around in the woods (hiking included) lepto is probably a good idea.

 

 

It's commonly listed as optional. It does statistically account for a lot of vaccination reactions, which can be severe and/or result in immune disorder.The better versions of it only offer 4 starins and there are many more and it can be effective up to one year, but six months isn't an uncommon DOI for lepto. It's a fair amount of risk for a small potential gain, so the options must be carefully weighed. More importantly, if your dog might be exposed to lepto, your time money should be directed to recognizing it and knowing how to begin treatment - those things are more likely to save your dog's life.

 

Giving Lyme is highly controversial in the vet world and no one can agree if it's a good idea or not.

 

 

Lyme had a DOI of up to 1 year, is only 60-70% effective and there is at least some evidence that the vaccine statistically increases the liklihood of contracting the disease. Some of the tests for lymes, especially the in office kinds, can't distinguish between the disease itself and a vaccinated dog. Here again, important to know the signs and treat early.

 

Corona typically isn't recommended anyway.

 

Corona is, well, a puppy disease. It's commonly called a vaccine in search of a disease. It's not common in puppies (unlike distemp/parvo) and almost unheard of in adult dogs. I personally polled 38 vets in my state and the neighboring one and none of them had seen corona in an adult dog.

 

If your dog travels/boards/visits the dog park then bordetella is a good idea, if not your vet may tell you it's not necessary. The best vaccination protocols take the individual lifestyle of the pet into account rather than doing the exact same thing for every dog.

 

This is another one I only wasted money of before I knew more about the disease and the vax. Kennel cough is rare and in and of itself, rarely ever fatal. The intranasal offers some upper respiratory protection, while the injectable does not, however it has been associated with nasal cancers. I guess you have to decide how much risk you'll take for a disease that merely results in discomfort. DOI is around 6 months, so once a year is probably risk with little benefit.

 

 

I guess this part gave me pause. If any of us were trying to adopt a dog and had not given our older adult dogs any shots since their first birthday would a group adopt to us?

 

The answer is some group, somewhere will adopt. Some won't adopt to folks with kids, folks intending to have kids, folks with intact dogs or people with no yard. I know folks in all of those categories with hounds and they take better care of their dogs than most greyhound adoption sheep. Situations vary. What should matter is the thought and care put into their dogs. If a dog is mine, I would rather it go to a home where the person will put the health and welfare of the dog above concerns about being controversial or going against the group or vet.

Edited April 14, 2010 by Swifthounds

[Batmom]

I'm going to go with the "individual dog" option .

 

I always hear -- on message boards, nowhere else -- about lepto reactions. My vaccine-reacting dog doesn't react to that one. We live in a high lepto area. We get it annually without fail. The trouble with the disease lepto is, it's hard to recognize, hard to kill, and if you have more than one pet, s/he can pass on the spirochete for months after treatment. Not pretty.

 

We also get bordetella if we're going to be out and about. High prevalence of kennel cough here. Have had unvacc dogs get it, and it was a miserable experience. Not going through that again if I can help it. It can be especially hard on dogs with other illnesses -- the ones people tend not to want to vaccinate for anything *sigh*.

 

The basic shots, we do 3-year rotation.

 

If I were an adoption group, I would be concerned about people not following the AVMA guidelines because of stuff they read on the internet, KWIM? Less concerned about people not following all the guidelines because they'd had a vaccine reacter or dog with a particular contraindicating condition.