Over vaccination in dogs. Any advice?

Whole Dog Journal warns dog owners about over-vaccinating their dogs; a antibody titer test may save your dogs life eliminating unnecessary vaccinations.

I received a reminder from the vet that Tanner is due for his annual vaccinations. Tanner is just two yrs. has had all of his vaccinations. I have been trying to learn more about raising a healthy dog after I lost my beloved Moroni to Lymphoma at the young age of 8. I am determined to educate myself and give him the best, long life possible. What can you tell me about this confusing topic and do you have any experiences of your own.

Your advice is appreciated!

Bichons as a breed tend to have high reaction rates to vaccines.

I do the rabies every 3 years, that is required by law. It is rare, to get an exemption for the rabies, and the State has to sign off on that for each individual dog.

As for the others, I skip them, my friend with 2 bichons gets titers. My dogs are older than hers (and older than Tanner) so they regularly got shots for years, and my vet and I are confident they are covered. My friend's bichons were ages 2 and 4 when she stopped, and their titers have all be extremely high coverage.

One thing to consider is lifestyle. I mean, our dogs are companions. Yes we walk them, mostly on leash. Tanner is a hound mix, so you may be doing more hiking out in the open woods. I would take that into consideration as to whether to titer or just skip entirely.

Oh and bichons as a breed should never have the Lepto vaccine, 80% of them react to it, and many die from it. This is where not knowing Tanner's mix will be a hindrance -- BUT then again, cross breeds in general have stronger immune systems, as I recall.

This is a huge issue, as pets (dogs and cats) are much to highly vaccinated.

Over vaccination is a fairly common thing these days it seems like.... I base it off of the individual dogs lifestyle. Rabies is a no brainier, it's required by law! Bordatella is either an intranasal or injectable vaccine that protects against kennel cough- (do you have your dog groomed at a groomers? Is he a regular doggy day care attendee? Regular dog park visitor?). Leptospirosis is transmitted through urine- (Do you use your dog for hunting? Is he a regular swimmer in lakes, ponds, etc?) Distemper affects a few body systems and is usually fatal, I would definitely vaccinate against this one. Parvo virus is also typically fatal and affects mainly puppies and is transmitted through the feces of infected animals. Parainfluenza is an upper respiratory disease and is very contagious and often seen in areas with a large dog population (groomers, dog shows, dog festivals, racing tracks, even pet stores).

I hope this helps you but I would take a look at your dog's lifestyle with your veterinarian and you should then be able to come up with a good vaccination plan! :)

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Originally Posted by dogsrule

Whole Dog Journal warns dog owners about over-vaccinating their dogs; a antibody titer test may save your dogs life eliminating unnecessary vaccinations.

I received a reminder from the vet that Tanner is due for his annual vaccinations. Tanner is just two yrs. has had all of his vaccinations. I have been trying to learn more about raising a healthy dog after I lost my beloved Moroni to Lymphoma at the young age of 8. I am determined to educate myself and give him the best, long life possible. What can you tell me about this confusing topic and do you have any experiences of your own.

Your advice is appreciated!

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Hi, I raise rough collies and also have worried about this. After researching this decided to only give puppy shots (not before 8 weeks, so as to not fight with mothers giving them immunity) and a year later a booster. They have known for years that dogs are protected for life after those shots, and if worried do a titer..myself, I will wait until 5 or 6 for the titer. I will never give Lyme vaccs again. Can't believe that I fell for that one! Also VERY important to avoid grain foods. I picked Taste Of The Wild- Bison. I used to cook for them but 4 collies- ugh..Now there are many more good foods. Ours has No grains,no fillers, no dyes, no chemicals, only Bison,Venison,Fruits, vegetables. Hubby had a friend at work whose dog has terrible skin, stomach issues- nothing worked (pit bull). He has been feeding "our" food for 2 weeks- all problems totally gone! We do rabies of course.