What is your vaccination protocal? - Page 1

It seems like just about every person out there has a different view on when to start vaccinations, what vacc. to use, & how often.
Also as some vac. depend on where you live, please share your general location if you don't mind.

Interesting article... http://www.holisticandorganixpetshoppe.com/why-vets-are-getting-away-with-murder.html

I'm located on border of N. Wi/U.P. of Mi.
I don't vac. puppies until 9 weeks old & only for parvo/distemper. Then a booster of same at 14 weeks & again at 1 yr. I don't booster again, unless needed(based on titers).
Depending on time of year I may vac. for lymes starting at 14 weeks. Given annually every spring, before tick season.
Rabies is given at 6 months & then boostered every 3 yrs, as that's the local law.




 

Sounds perfect to me.  although not sure about the lymes vaccine.  How detrimental to our dogs is it? 

As long as your titers are high and accurate you should be good to go.  I prefer starting with 4 or 5 way at 9 weeks then 4 week follow up and again at l year.  That is it.  Of course you have to go by state requirements on rabies and ours is also every 3  years.  Not sure about kennel cough and lepto but according to what I have read neither are good coverage and only hold their immunities for about 3 months or not at all??  So for me and according to Jean Dodds protocal, neither are necessary.  Good luck  Nan

I do 3 puppy shots, the first 6-8 weeks (really depends on the breeder not me). I'm not exactly sure what's in them, I have a vet do it (don't breed and don't have a new puppy often enough to do my own). Then at 6 months I do the first rabies, generally when the dog is in for prelim x-rays.  1 year later we do rabies and the distemper/parvo.  Then every 3 years after that.  My vets will do what I want.  I don't like to over-do it but I also belong to several training clubs and compete at venues that have more strict requirements than just doing a puppy series and never again.  I figure 3 years is a good compromise and has been acceptable so far.  Rabies must be done by law (and dogs in my county are licensed based on a valid rabies certificate).  I don't bother with bordetella and luckily my dog sitter doesn't require it.

Same as you! I just try to follow my vets protocol. They seem to know what's going on and keep my dog healthy.
Vonrivera

VKGSDs,

I will booster against parvo/distemper if the titers come back low. I have never had an issue with presenting the titer form(from my vet) instead of a vac. record, when brining my dogs anywhere.
I think most places are starting to realize not everyone wants to vac. their dogs on a yearly basis & are willing to use the titers as proof of immunity.


Nans,
 
Up here Lymes is rather bad. We have a HEAVY tick season & the deer ticks have started to over run the normal brown ticks. My dogs are also in the woods & fields a lot.
A friend of mine was late getting her pup's booster for it & almost lost the dog due to Lymes.
We are have one of the place with higher number of people with Lymes. 
I have done titers for it to try avoiding having to booster for it, but they come back low enough to worry about immunity. For $15 a dog per yr, it's worth my piece of mind.

I've never vacc. for kennel cough & haven't vacc. for Lepto in quite a few yrs.

I do at 6 wks, 9 wks, 12 wks, then final shot after 16 wks, then an annual booster. I use a 5-way shot.  Its worked well for me for 30 years doing it this way, so "if it aint broke don't fix it" is my strategy!

CMills,

What is the reasoning behind starting them at 6 wks & giving them every 3wks?
Way back in the day when it was still considered normal practice to give more puppy shots, I still wouldn't have given the 1st one before the 7 wk mark & then every 4 wk(for a total of 4 puppy shots) & then a yearly booster. 
The only reason I can see for early &/or more frequent puppy vac. is if the pups are in a high risk area (shelters, parvo break out, etc).

Dodds says 9-10 weeks for first shots, parvo and distemper only. 

@northwoods, that's what my vets, past ones and present one, have all recommended, so that's what I give.  I've not had any issues doing it my way in 30 yrs, so why change now I figure.

Jenni,

Yep, I know what Jean recommends :)   I was just curious what vac. schedule others do.
I think there are still a lot of folks that just blindly follow whatever their vet tells them, when the vet really has no clue regarding any updated vac. protocals.
My vet is one of those that will lay all options on the table & then let the owner decide. So some of the clients still vac. following the ole/outdated recommendations, while others(as myself) follow their own schedule.