vaccination??

hi, my dogs yearly boosters are due in a few weeks. many of you will know that my male suffers from inflammatory bowel disease and has bad reactions to most medications. neither of them had any ill effects from their previous vaccinations.
this will be sadies 2nd annual booster and yodas first(discountiing the original vaccination as pups)
what do people on here feel about vaccinations? are they really necessary?
My dogs do go to 'high traffic' areas as i compete weekly with them, i will never board them at kennels so am not sure whether to have them done.
also does anyone know whether dogs have to be vaccinated to compete at crufts?

I have lost 2 dogs to autoimmune disease caused by vaccinations so I will NEVER routinely vaccinate again.
I have a titre test done and if they need anything they can just have what they need instead of the whole lot.
Milo my JRT has only ever had his puppy jabs and his titre test each year has shown he has a high immunity to everything so he has never needed a booster.
I would rather be safe than sorry and not pump them full of stuff they don't need and so cause problems which as I found out the hard way can be in the end fatal.

There are tonnes of discussions on here about that if you search
I am not boosting my dogs, they go to shows and training classes which seems to keep their immunity high

But anyway my vet has reduced most of the boosters to every 3 year - so about 3 or 4 years time I might start with titers

Really it is up to you, I believe the animals are imune for well over a year - mainly for life
except for lepto which even my vet admitted only covers for one strain for 3 months - so most of the time the dogs are not protected anyway

PS whatever you decide to do, if you have insurance make sure you check the small print about what they require because there are some policies that will be invalidated if you do not pursue the standard set of vaccs and boosters.

There are good points made above - please check your insurance as many won't cover if boosters are not given.

Titre testing is good - however please be aware that a titre test can only show if your dog has had recent exposure - it does not tell you if your dog is immune.

The immune system has a "memory." The immune system contains memory cells. Once these memory cells have been shown what to do against a particular disease (by one puppy vaccination at 11-16 weeks old), they will produce antibodies against that disease whenever they encounter it -- for years and years, probably for life.

Boosters are a practice that was started many years ago that lacks scientific validity or verification is annual revaccinations. Almost without exception there is no immunologic requirement for annual revaccination. Immunity to viruses persists for years or for the life of the animal." "Only the immune response to TOXINS requires boosters (e.g. tetanus toxin booster, in humans, is recommended once every 7-10 years). NO toxin vaccines are currently used for dogs and cats."

This is what Kirk's Current Veterinary Therapy XI -- the veterinarians' bible -- says. It was written by Dr. Tom Phillips D.V.M. Ph.D. and Dr. Ronald Schultz Ph.D. (immunologist and Chairman of the Department of Pathobiological Sciences, University of Wisconsin School of Veterinary Medicine).

Hope that helps a little and ultimately you must decide.

Only healthy dogs should be vaccinated

Vaccines stimulate the immune system to produce antibodies against a number of diseases so that the dog or cat is protected from various organisms in the environment. If the vaccinated or immunized dog is later exposed to the infectious agent, the antibodies react quickly to attack and destroy the disease. Vaccinations challenge the immune system in a complex manner, so it is not advisable to vaccinate a sick dog or cat. Vaccines can fail if they are given to sick pets such as those with a fever, or animals receiving certain drugs, for example steroids, or if given too close together or too far apart. In such situations, the animal’s immune system may not be able to respond well to the vaccine. It is therefore important to administer vaccines only to healthy animals. For that reason, usually prior to vaccinating your pet, the veterinarian will ask you about your pet’s medical history, and then perform a complete clinical examination to find out whether your pet is sick or not. Vaccines also do fail if the vaccine has been improperly handled or stored because they may not protect a young pet that has lost immunity from the mother’s milk before the vaccine is administered.

Jobie hasn't had a booster for 2 or 3 years now. He's also almost completely stopped excessively licking his paws, which can be a sign of over vaccination
Personally I'm not a fan of them, and would probably only have the puppy ones done in the future. Maybe once more when they were elderly, but that would be for my own peace of mind. When Jobie went in to have a dental they didn't so much as mention his vaccines, but I don't know about Crufts.

This is a very difficult decision, I know. What make of vaccines did he have last time, e.g. Duramune, Intervet, Procyon, etc.? This can be found on his vaccination card or by a quick phone call to your vet. The reason I ask is because some offer at least 4 years immunity for Parvo, distemper and adenovirus these days so yearly boosters for these are not necessary and can overload the dog.

PI and Lepto are recommended to be done yearly, although I understand that lepto doesn't last a year anyway and doesn't cover all strains.

There is much debate over whether dogs should be vaccinated regularly. This might be of interest:

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

Some manufacturers state on their product information that only healthy dogs should be vaccinated. I would exercise great caution in considering vaccinating a dog already suffering from a disease or an auto-immune condition.

There are no rules regarding dogs having to be vaccinated in order to be shown at Crufts or any other show

hi, the brand was intervet- ill just have a lok at that link now.

thanks for the info joedee