[caillou]

So, I went to the vet yesterday and had V's yearly vaccination jabs done. I asked the vet about having the blood tests done instead to see if he still has a resistance from previous shots he's had. (Told her i'd heard about this on my friendly US forum - thanks to Nano and others  - see i do listen! :wink: ) Anyhow she says they don't tend do it in France and that the Americans are more advanced in these things.
She explained that she'd just blood tested her own bulldog to see if the rabies shot was effective (she's going to the UK in summer where you have to have a blood test 6 months before you travel to the UK and another 24 hours before travelling). Turns out her dog's rabies shot hadn't worked so she had to do another plus another blood test. 62 euros (90 dollars) per blood test and the labs don't even give vets a discount :roll:
So to cut a long story short she explained:
1. Vaccinations don't always work (like for humans it depends on many factors).
2. You can get a shot to protect against leptospirosis (sp?) but this won't cover all strains of it.

And in France if it's 90 dollars just to test if the rabies jab has worked - testing for the 5 other illnesses the jab covers would cost rather a lot methinks 8O  Not to mention you'd have to start over for ones that haven't worked :roll:

 

[sharonL]

Re: Vaccinations- Sharon L / Nano -Better explanation please

Welll....it is true that the lepto is not for all strains and would depend upon what is relivent in your area.  It is the same with the kennel cough vacc it does not cover all of them, these are not core vaccinations....It is true that systems can move at different rates for different dogs and also the time since the last vaccination.  There are a few here that do the testing that can probably answer on that better then I can.  I am familier with it but my office does not do it nor do I do it with Fiona.  I see your point though and the only way to know is the test so.............On the rabies vaccination itself it is a three year vaccination by the company who makes it but depending on where someone lives the state may require it once a year. It use to be that vacc's were given once a year period....then the thoughts and process changed over the times to testing and waiting etc ad recommended by many veterianry organizations....At the end of the day I do the vaccinations once a year with my own dog!

 

[nano]

Re: Vaccinations- Sharon L / Nano -Better explanation please

Yes, I have had titer's run on my dogs in the past.  

The first time I used them the pups had only had the shots up to 8 weeks from the breeder.  My female was 20 months at the time and the other was 8 months.  I had the holistic vet run titer's on both. A friend of mine came over with a new puppy she had adopted from the shelter.  Three days later it came down with Parvo.  At the same time I had the Titer results back and they were both innoculated for everything given in the past.  Thank God!

My holistic vet recommends and we only do the basic core shots of distemper, hepatitis and parvo according to the puppy schedules (but in individual shots, not combos), that meaning after I get them from the breeder at 8 weeks we only vaccinate one more time for these three at about 3 - 4 months.  We also give the proper homeopathic nosodes post vaccination.  We do rabies once every three years after the first two vaccinations of it which are given at about 4 months and then again a year later than the every three years.  We also follow this up with the homeopathic nosodes post vaccination.  We don't do any of the other vaccinations, period.  I have never had a dog sick with anything during my 28 years of boxers so this is the path I choose.  I also had a veterinarian from France at ISU tell me that they did a study of boxers in Europe and that they don't get distemper.  I have never researched it further but who knows.  I have never had any cancer issues in my dogs except one and she was 9 when she was diagnosed so that I feel is to be more expected with that age.

Just my opinion on this issue.  All though I did have a dog develop chronic IMT from repeated recommended shots of rabies (3 in less than 2 years)  after they had gotten into skunks so I really am against that being done more often than three years.  Hope this gives you more food for thought.

Nano

 

[nano]

Re: Vaccinations- Sharon L / Nano -Better explanation please

Oh, and google titers for dogs and check out the page the Whole Dog Journal published.  It explains it very well.  Also subscribe to them if you'd like.  It's a wonderful publication full of all kinds of good holistic type info from dog training, food, vet etc, etc.  Everyone who is owned by a dog and is dedicated to them should get it.  They don't accept advertising so it's not a fancy magazine but it is just the best.  And you can get it online and read it too.

Nano

 

[caillou]

Re: Vaccinations- Sharon L / Nano -Better explanation please

Thankyou both for all the info. I really am going to have to read about all of this like you suggested as i'm completely ignorant concerning all this and i don't know what i should be doing!
Thing is i feel i have to have my 'Certificate of booster vaccination against Rabies' done every year to cover myself and Voltaire in the eyes of the law and my insurance company if ever he were to bite someone or another dog (most unlikely :roll: and in any case rabies is almost non existant in France) But I believe you Nano - it probably is too much and not good in the long run.
The vaccination i get is what i think you called the combo type shot? It covers:
Distemper
Hepatitis
Parvo
Lepto
Kennel Cough
Rabies

He gets this shot 1 year and just Lepto and rabies the following year alternately. And you're also probably right about the distemper because i've never heard of a case around here.
The one illness that I've heard of that's dangerous and i've known dogs to catch in this region is tick transmitted piroplasmosis and they don't vaccinate Voltaire against it :? (My cousin's in the police force and one of their service dogs caught this despite him being vaccinated though????)
I kind of feel i want to keep doing the Lepto jabs because there's a lot of wild life around here and Voltaire will drink in any dirty puddle, pond, ditch- he's not picky :roll: .
Next year i will ask about having the shots individually so maybe i can cut out some. In the meantime i will read up some more.
Thanks again for all the food for thought