Hi Ailsa, here is what it says from the link

*Uses
For active immunisation of dogs to prevent mortality and disease caused by canine distemper virus and canine parvovirus, to prevent mortality and reduce clinical signs due to infectious canine hepatitis and Leptospira and to reduce clinical signs and infection caused by canine adenovirus 2; to reduce viral shedding of canine parainfluenza virus.
The onset of immunity is from two weeks after the second vaccination. The duration of immunity is at least three years for the canine distemper virus, canine adenovirus and canine parvovirus fractions. The duration of immunity is at least one year for the leptospira fractions. The duration of immunity for the canine parainfluenza component is not known but may be less than a year.

Ok so P=parvo D=DISTEMPER & A=ADNO(hepatitis) so the duramune vax gives protection to those 3 major diseases for a minimum of 3yrs.

Parainflunza=Pi & L= lepto. The vax only give protection to those diseases for a year so if your dog is likely to be at risk from those diseases they say you have to booster every year, but only for those 2 & not the other 3.
Now Fort Dodge don`t make a vax for just those 2, they are incorporated into the vax WITH the other 3 diseases which means the dogs being done with Duramune are still getting vaxed with P/D/A even tho they don`t need it
But intervet do Pi & Lepto seperately so people need to tell their vets they only want their dogs vax for only Lepto & Para-influenza. When enough people start letting their vets know what they want the vets will tell the manu`s & they will then start to make more single vax

Its like the 3in1 or 5in1 for children, a lot of people don`t want combined vax & why shpuld they?
Even worse for the dogs to be getting vax for 3 diseases when it isn`t even needed

Hope thats explained it

it is confusing....
all i can recommend (again) is going on the CHC course. Catherine has been researching for 15 years into this and has been responsible for 31 vets signing a petition to change the vaccine laws.
My sister just asked me what she should do with her pup thats almost a year. I said that it is her desicion, if i told her to do something and it went wrong then it would be my fault...she has to make herself informed so that SHE is confident in her desicion. This is how i feel. I have done the research, been on the CHC course and made my desicion. Its my fault whatever happens now. I will tell people who ask, and back up my arguement, but I will not tell people what to do. Its too big a deal, and I have now the experience that tells me people are happy to do whatever they are told/whatever is the easiest or cheapest way. If you are concerned (which i know you guys are or you wouldnt be on here !) then do the research and be happy with the knowledge you will gain to make your desicion. We have to do it for them!

Costing for the blood tests from one site

Rabies Serology for the Pet Travel Scheme 30.00

Minimum 2mL Blood, 1mL serum. Results within 5 days of sample receipt.

Pre-Booster Immunity Check

Titres to Distemper Virus, Adenovirus and Parvovirus with certificate of results 24.00

Antibody assays

Canine Distemper virus (Virus Neutralisation) 12.00

Canine Adenovirus (Virus Neutralisation) 12.00

Canine Parvovirus (Haemagglutination Inhibition ) 12.00

Toxoplasma gondii IgG (Immunofluorescent antibody detection) 11.00

Toxoplasma gondii IgG & IgM (Immunofluorescent antibody detection) 20.00

Neospora caninum (Immunofluorescent antibody detection) 11.00

Canine Parainfluenza (Virus Neutralisation) 12.00

Canine Herpesvirus (Virus Neutralisation) 12.00

Virus detection

Canine Parvovirus HA (faeces) 12.00

Virus Isolation (One of Distemper, Parvovirus, Adenovirus, Herpesvirus, Parainfluenza virus) 25.00

This is the site
& here is another
interesting !

..yes Jodee interesting.. and if more people knew they had an option /had blood tests guess it would be cheaper still perhaps a special price could be negotiated for 'bulk buying' eg Dogwebbers

Expensive still but with the Intervet 3year vaccs which most vets now use you would only need to have the main tests done three yearly and Lepto yearly I guess.

we have all our doggies done every year cos that is what was told.
I always thought it had to be done every year.

When I had Rjj's blood taken by my vet for his DNA testing & it cost me £9.99 If I had to pay for the titre tests in full it as well I cannot see how it comes to £75 as someone else was quoted Massive mark up by the vet !

His Rabies test including the blood sample, pet passport & postage came to £54 ! so they weren't making much. BTW all blood samples have to be sent either separately or in a special container to ensure that there can be no cross contamination

It's about time that the BVA got their act together & made sure that owners were offered titre testing as I was over 30 years ago by a lovely vet in Southend. My then dogs all had levels that showed they did not need boosting & he had his doubts over Lepto way back then. No wonder his clients put him up for an MBE when he retired He was a super vet. I've titre tested ever since & never had to booster My Dad's Cavalier sadly was boosted yearly & died aged 8 just days after his jabs & was ill from the time of the booster

Thing is Jess, its the manufacturers of the vaccines, the very people who make them, who are now telling people their dogs don`t need vaccinating every year

And heres another labs prices for titres

http://www.gla.ac.uk/companion/Pricelist.pdf

Its the vets who appear to be charging extortionate prices for taking a simple blood test & postage