Do You Believe in the Vaccine for Lyme Disease? - Page 1

I ask this question after reading and hearing varying reports for the good and the bad regarding this vaccine. I would like to know what your opinions are and if you use it for your dogs.

When I lived up north, I did use the vaccine for Lyme. We lived right next to a state park on Long Island that had a very large deer population. I opted to do the vaccine rather than take a chance of the dog(s) getting Lyme. My vet and I felt that the risks with the vaccine were far less than what Lyme would do to the dogs. My girlfriend lives in CT and has 2 Goldens - I know she also vaccinates them.

No, I did it one time no longer. Depends alot on where you live, if in hi tick areas. I use Frontline and does a good job protecting my dogs, of course I dont live in the woods, and training fields are done selectively. Your dog will always test positive for Lymes once it is vaccinated!

the vaccine is not extremely effective...I don't remember the percentage - 70? 60?.....and if used, will give you a false positive for the disease - only one lab in the US was able to run the blood for the disease if you had vaccinated and be able to discern if the positive was vaccine induced [this was a few years ago!!! - could be different now] Unless you live in a high risk area for ticks, I don't know if it is worthwhile...

That's very interesting to hear. My son has a pet Beagle who recently tested positive for Lyme. We do live in Virginia, in the woods and are always down at the creek. We have deer in our backyard. I use Frontline all the time. Dogs were given Lyme vaccines last year for first time as vet was adamant they needed them. When given booster this year, I had found a tick imbedded in a swollen area on the Beagle. Vet did blood work and said she had Lyme disease. I've had another vet tell me they do not vaccinate for Lyme disease because they believe it does no good and complications can come from the vaccine also. I just purchased a beautiful GSD puppy and want to ensure she has everything she needs and am on the fence about the Lyme vaccine now.

I do not use the Lyme vaccine. I do a distemper/parvo shot at 7 1/2 weeks of age and again at 12 weeks of age. Nothing else ever except for rabbies because the law makes me.

In areas where ticks are prevalent, serious consideration SHOULD be given to Lyme vaccine. While it is true that there are sometimes minor adverse reactions and that the vaccine must be given repeatedly at intervals to maintain protection, anti-tick medications do NOT always work as they should. If your dog is bitten by a tick carrying Lyme, it will be very sick. So what if it shows a positive response once vaccinated? The bottom line is that if you have ever seen a dog ill with Lymes or any other of the tick borne diseases you realize quickly that prevention IS worth a pound of cure. Once a dog has Lymes, or a human for that matter, it can be very difficult to get rid of the infection. I do not vaccinate for Lymes because ticks are really not an issue for me, but I see dogs here all the time who have been bitten by a tick and are suffering long-term consequences. If one can be relatively certain that tick bites are not going to be an issue, of course, it makes sense not to vaccinate.

Hodie, Thank you for your response. What concerns me is that if it were not time for their annual boosters, I never would have known about this until she would probably have exhibited signs of the disease. At this point, she did not and still has not. She of course now is on the meds twice a day for thirty days to fight it. Apparently, it can cause crippling arthritis and renal failure. She is only 18 months old and a very rambunctious young girl still. I know that the Frontline is not 100% but, you tend to feel protected. This was such a shocker to me and has me constantly checking my dogs...always almost to the point of distraction. Since I am so diligent about their Frontline, etc, I thought I was protecting them.

Considering that there have been class action lawsuits for the vaccine and vaccine company for this particular vaccine, and that many, many vets will NO longer give or recommend it, I would say, it is not something one should consider seriously. The vacccine is known to give WORSE symptoms of 'lyme disease' that the actual disease does.

gsdfanatic1964, If you wish I can send you current literature links on Lymes. It can be a devastating disease. The vaccine can have issues in a few dogs, but the incidence is not high. Do not be bothered about talk about class action lawsuits etc. Too many people simply are fear mongers and are anti-vaccine when they do not know what they are talking about. Have a rational discussion with your vet, and if you want to, get a second opinion. Again, a rational approach will be to think about the risk vs benefit of the vaccine. I would personally not hesitate to vaccinate if I felt my dogs lived in a tick infested environment. I have seen the results of dogs who have tick borne illness and most of them suffer a lifetime. Good luck.