Are annual Boosters really necessary

This is something I thought about on and off for the past 20 years.

Most vets will advice annual boosters. Kennels insist on them if you want to kennel your dog, and even some groomers require proof of booster injections.

But are they really necessary?

When I was growing up it was almost unheard of, you just had puppy injections.
I've also read many articles over the years arguing against the need for annual injections and even some suggesting it could do more harm than good.

So what are your thoughts on this

Hi Shane

I don't.

There is concern about over-vaccinating and many vaccines offer up to around 4 years immunity now for the main diseases (not PI or Lepto though).

Mine go into kennels every year so it's not an option not to vaccinate but that said I don't think any of my dogs have suffered due to being vaccinated at all.

This. I've personally never come across any dog who suffered any adverse affects from yearly vaccination.

But have you come across any that have suffered from not having annual boosters?

For me, puppy vaccs are imperative along with the first year annual booster, and then I stick with the manufacturer's guidelines of every 3, 4 or even 5 years. I don't bother with the annual booster coz it's purely lepto and kennel cough, and when my vet tells me he's never seen one case of lepto, and my dog will never see inside a kennels I don't see the point. My previous dog was boostered annually and she got kennel cough badly one year!

I only do puppy vaccinations then go onto homeopathic.

Recently both my friend and I put our dogs into the same kennels at the same time and there were kennelled next to each to each other. My friend vaccinates including kennel cough. The kennels had an outbreak of kennel cough and hers became ill and mine didn't.

Catherine O'Driscoll (Canine Health Concern) has done a huge amount of research into the effects of over vaccination (both animal and human) and has evidence that after initial vacs, dogs are immune for their lifetime.

I think it is entirely up to each individual and whether or not you need to use kennels etc.

I personally think they are totally unnecessary. I strongly believe that puppies should have all the immunisations going, but after that, no. If a dog has a healthy immune system, IMO the annual boosters are not only a waste of money, they can be dangerous because they are challenging the immune system when it has already been challenged and woken up by the initial vaccinations. To continuously challenge is, IMO, a recipe for disaster for dogs and our own species.

However, kennels do insist on vaccination, so if you have a need to kennel your dogs, then of course you have no choice, nor if you want to travel abroad with your dogs.

Dillon always has his yearly booster, I don't think it's worth the risk.

I do not know, my own included, of any dogs who have suffered in any way from not having annual boosters. I know of several dogs who suffered because they had never had any vaccinations at all, but not from the lack of boosters.

However, I have heard of several huskies dying from anaphylactic shock following an annual booster, and it was for this reason that I decided not to do this with Hal. He was vaccinated for the first 3 or 4 years I think it was, and then after that zilch. Tai has never been vaccinated since we got him, although I believe his previous owner had him done, and Ben we have no idea.