First year puppy vaccination question please

Zena is due her jab in January, or so they say, because it was February she was first done at 12 weeks old by me, and the breeder had the 1st jab done.

What I'd like to know is please, is it imperative I get it done one year after her last vac and not before, and also, considering the vacs cover them for 5 years, is this next jab that she's due, just an annual booster kind of thing??? I would like to arm myself with some facts and info before I get to the vet, because there's no way they're gonna jab her with a multi jab she doesn't need, so if it's just the usual booster of kennel cough and lepto, then I think I might actually opt for the titre test instead? I honestly can't remember about the first year vaccinations though, and maybe they DO need another whole whammy of the full works just like they did first time around at 12 weeks old?

I've since learned that having these vaccinations between the shoulder blades is not a good idea, because apparently it sits there for about a week, and CAN cause a certain type of cancer in later years because of that fact, and I'm now sure that that is what my old Cassie ended up with, with the big cancerous lump right in the vaccination spot, and the vets know all about this, but I've forgotten the actual name for it? They suggest now, that you have the annual jabs done in the hind leg, it's much safer, and if anything goes wrong and it does cause cancer in later years, then at least you stand half a chance by having the leg amputated! I know, scarey, but I only found all this out lately and unbeknown to me, it's well known in the veterinary world about these constant jabs between the shoulder blades causing such a cancer!

Thanks for any info for me on this first year's repeat vaccination, I really just want to know what it might consist of so I can tell them I don't want it if it's not necessary!

Good question H! I had a letter saying Tilly's are due on 27th Jan. I didn't know about any side effects but did wonder what they actually get, so will be watching for replies.

Titre tests only test for circulating antibodies, a low count will appear if the dog has not come into contact with disease, you will then wrongly re vaccinate. Memory cells are what measures immunity, titre testing cannot measure memory cells, therefore it cannot measure immunity acurately. Leptospirosis does not illicit titres at all and even circulating antibodies cannot be seen.

If the dog comes into contact with disease, the titre levels will be high, as the memory cells illicit an immune response, these levels are low when they are not triggered, i.e giving owners false readings and interpretations.

The University that did my bitch told me it was not a reliable test and was a waste of money.

Very well explained! I personally would never titre for the above reason.

I always vaccinate yearly until the dog is about 8-9 years old, after that I stop in the hope the dog has enough anti bodies/encounters with disease to prevent infection as it were. But then I've never had a problem with vaccinations so the decision is easy for me....

Hi Helen

Do you remember Christine, who used to post on here a while ago? She posted lots of information on vaccinations and boosters. Try searching 'boosters' under the name of Christine and 'vaccinations' under her name. Hope it helps.

I would call another vet the first of the week and get a complete panel of immunizations or at least titers.

What she had at 12 weeks may not have taken due to the interference of antibodies from the
mother.

You really shouldn't take advice from me or anybody else here on medical questions. For reliable advice, go to a site put up by somebody you know something about, such as http://www.avma.org/animal_health/br...o_brochure.asp

Unless your vet did some follow up titers or something, failure to do more could have left your dog unprotected.

Christine will only lead you to Dr Janet Dodds, that I consider a fear mongering extreamist. I agree immunizations are over done and dogs might be better off with more titers instead. However, problems aren't near near as common as she make them out to be. In my extensive experience, I have never even seen a mild reaction.

Thanks all. What started this was learning about that cancer on the vaccination site because I swear that's what caused Cassie's cancer because of where it was and how quickly it grew, and the vet's KNOW about this problem but I never knew about it until I stumbled on it when researching something else, so of course I looked further into it.

Anyways, I've done some extension research, and yes, thanks Lucky I do remember Christine very well indeed coz she also helped me with Cassie's EPI problems, so I will indeed look back into her threads.

In this research, I ended up here and this just about says it all for me quite honestly!
http://www.weim.net/emberweims/Vaccine.html

I think I've decided to take the nosodes route. The reason for this is, when I look back to last year shortly after Zena's initial jabs, I seemed to have spent most of the year at the vets with gastro intestinal problems (let alone that spey ), and considering I now have myself a very happy, 100% healthy, bouncy puppy who is eating me out of house and home for the very first time ever, I'm loathe to risk yet another trauma by having her vaccinated in the next couple of weeks, and if nosodes work, if the vets will do them (otherwise I'll just find a homeopathic one that will!!!!)then as far as I'm concerned she'll be covered. Afterall, Georgie hasn't been boostered for many, many years and he's still doing well at over 11 years old! They are now accepted dogs vaccinated this way at training clubs and kennels so I can't really see a problem that it's a waste of time doing it, unlike what I have read about the vaccination route! According to that link though, which I haven't yet been through properly, if my vets would do it according to those recommendations then I might think again, but I'm sure they will just want to jab her with the same old same old which they give every other dog that goes in, and that would not be my wtg at all, as I think some of these jabs have about 7 different antibodies in them in one hit!

I'm glad you've come to a decision H. I think you have done the right thing - do lots of research, consider everyone's suggestions and advice and decide what course of action is right for you and your dogs.

I've put this up before but it is an open letter that a number of UK vets submitted to the Veterinary Times in 2004, questioning the booster schedule and making a recommendation. I'll link it here for you to have a look at:

http://www.britfeld.com/vaccine-uk-vets.htm

Labman stated, "Christine will only lead you to Dr Janet Dodds, that I consider a fear mongering extreamist."

I must take issue with this statement. It was our Dogsey member who drew my attention to the fact that many manufacturers were extending the duration of immunity for some vaccines. She informed me that the vaccines my vets were using were stating up to 4 years and this was confirmed to me, in writing, by the manufacturers. I have had cause to be grateful for this information, since my own vets did not make this known to me and would have continued to booster yearly, had I not said otherwise.

Labman Did you mean Dr Jean Dodds?

Thanks for that one Lucky, I've printed it out as more ammo for when I approach the vets!

I have noticed on that link of mine, that their recommendation for the first year booster is the distemper/parvo ONLY, but of course, I don't suppose we can have that can we???!! I'll try my best, and if it IS possible then it might be preferrable to go for that and then use nosodes from then on, because again on that same link, they say no further jabs needed. It's a minefield out there isn't it, but I'm so glad I decided to take the time, but after what I've been through this year it's hardly surprising is it! Thanks again Lucky, I will now check back through those posts of Christine's, pity she's long gone isn't it!