Booster

Hi,
I have always been under the impression to booster animals drummed into me through working at the kennels. But the dogs are due this month and i cant afford it with everything else. Suki is 2yo so this would be her 2nd booster and Michael is 18months so would be is 1st booster. I have heard you can have them done every other year and still have protection (just not from a kennels point of view). Any thoughts on this? Im not planning going away any thime soon. I will find the money some how is i really need to i dont want anyone thinking im putting myself 1st. I just have so much to pay for at the mo well everyone is in the same boat.
Thanks any advise would be much appreciated.
ATD x

I have just taken one of mine for her booster yesterday but prior to this i recieved a letter from my vets regards booster vaccination.This is a paragraph of what was written.

"There has been a lot of publicity about the need for annual vaccination. We felt that it was important to keep you informed of the current situation.Due to research and development, it has been confirmed that there is still a need to vaccinate annually against Leptospirosis and Kennel cough.The protection soon diminshes if a booster is not given every year. Leptospirosis is carried by rats and infected dogs and is a potentially fatal condition we do see in Lincolnshire.Without annual vaccination your dog is susceptible. Leptospirosis is also potentially transmitted to man. At your annual visit we will give a full check up and discuss any concerns you may have about the health of your pet.The good news is that Distemper, Hepatitis and Parvovirus are now only given every three years,these will be given at the appropriate visit."

I personally think it is something that the owner has too make up their own minds about regards boosters with so many varying opinions. I have two of my dogs which are up to date with all their innoculations but my eldest dog who is seven has not been jabbed since he was two due to taking ongoing low dose prednisolone [corticosteroids] for a skin condition called Atopy [Atopic Dermatitis].This advice was given from a veterinary dermatolgist...Cheers..Ian..

The leptospirosis vax is the one that causes the majority of adverse reactions & doesn't even give a years immunity & also doesn't cover all the Serovars in the UK

I do not vax my dogs & titre test instead-I actually had one dog who never needed vaxing @ all throughout his lifetime !

This is worth printing off & reading

This is exactly the point i was trying to put over about there being so many different opinions regards innoculations.If you asked as little as 10 dog owners i am sure the opinions would be different based on what they have read or heard from varying sources. You just have to make your own mind up and do what you think is best for the welfare of your dog...Cheers..Ian.

Sadly my late parents learnt by experience, their healthy Cavalier had his lepto vax & had a massive reaction to it within seconds(whilst still at the vets)& three hours later he was dead, I had been advised to titre test in the very early 1980's by a vet, who was getting concerned over the ever increasing numbers of dogs he saw ever year with vax reactions.

Just a thought...

Adverse reactions aside, it might be worth checking to see whether it is a condition of your pet's insurance that annual boosters are carried out. You might find saving some money now may cost you dearly at a later stage, if you have to make a claim and the insurance company refuses to pay out.

Hi ATD many vets now use the three year/36 month vaccines like Nobivac or the equivalent which covers for the main conditions (excluding Leptospirosis and parainfluenza) so it is worth asking your vet about this.
http://www.future-of-vaccination.co....y-vaccines.asp

I've just had two of mine vaxed as they were due.

I don't know enough (in fact anything) about Titre testing - what it is, what it shows, how etc. so I will stick to what I know.

Good luck hon - it's certainly very tight financially almost everywhere x

I would never routinely vax again after losing my two cavaliers at such young ages.
I titre test instead and so far Milo has always had such high readings he has never needed a booster, had I given him one routinely, who knows he could have ended up the same as my cavs.
I don't believe in most cases that the Lepto actually lasts in the system for much more than 3 months as when I checked levels 6 months after a booster it showed no lepto cover at all, so cover must start to drop off very quickly after having it to actually show Zilch 6 months later, so I don't waste my money on it now.

All the Insurance Company will not cover will be any disease that the dog wasn't vaccinated against.

BTW I don't vax for my dogs sake not to save money-losing one dog because of his vax is enough