Titer Test Results

[claudiabcn83]

Thought I'd add to this.

Dog: Minty

Breed: Mutt (kelpie/staffy x maybe)

Age: 6.5

Vaccinations: C3 at 6, 8 and 12 weeks, then C5 every year up to now.

Results: don't have number results but high positive immunity for parvo and hepatitis, adequate for distemper.

Cost $60, results came back within a fortnight.

All three dog clubs I am a member of have accepted titre test results instead of proof of vaccination.

I find it interesting that there are a few cases where distemper immunity is lower (on here and with others i have compared results with). Any ideas why?

Hi superminty,

I read your post and I was wondering if you wouldn`t mind to share what vet you use for the titre test. I am a new dog owner and I would like to find a vet in vic that shares my view on not overvaccinating and titer testing.

Thank you for your help!

[bordacollies4me]

Breed: Border Collie

Age: 7.2 yrs

Vaccinations: C4 at 6, C5 at12 weeks, then C5 every year up to age 3, then a three year booster at 4, Titre at 7 yrs

Results: all >1:80 for Parvo, Distemper & Hepatitis

Cost: $177

Vet was not to keen on doing it and advised me that i would need to revaccinate anyway, he was quite surprised how high they were :) so a bit of education all round :)

[Erny]

Claudiabcn83 - in response to your request for "which Vet" .... I use Dr Bob Cavey at Ultimate Veterinary Clinic in Narre Warren South. Last check, the fee was $188.50 and this was for all three core disease titres. Give them a call as if you don't get the Distemper, just getting the Parvo and Hepatitis should prove cheaper. It's all rather new, so do double check on the price, but by popular demand they are now titre-ing :D.

[shepherds]

Hi - I've just had a quote from a vet for titre testing - fee quoted $260.00 for parvo and distemper only - using a company from Brisbane with a turnaround of 6 weeks!!!!!!!

Has anyone in Tassie done titre testing - Im struggling to find a vet here who has even heard of, understands it and is prepared to do it. The fee quoted of $260 is not from my normal vet.

Vetpath obviously seems much cheaper, can anyone access them???

Sometimes living on an island is very frustrating - seems to take forever for things to get down here

[Staff'n'Toller]

Breed: Border Collie

Age: 7.2 yrs

Vaccinations: C4 at 6, C5 at12 weeks, then C5 every year up to age 3, then a three year booster at 4, Titre at 7 yrs

Results: all >1:80 for Parvo, Distemper & Hepatitis

Cost: $177

Vet was not to keen on doing it and advised me that i would need to revaccinate anyway, he was quite surprised how high they were :) so a bit of education all round :)

Gee that statement really gives me the sh!ts when I hear it!! He needs to listen to the Dodds webcast. If there is *any* immunity then re-vaccing will only cause a temporary spike in levels before they return to the pre-vacc levels. I have also confirmed this with a new grad human Doctor.

The memory cell level will only rise if-and-when your dog is exposed to field virus. Which is actually a good thing. :) But hey, I guess you know already know that, just need to educate by example! :laugh:

Edited April 12, 2012 by Staff'n'Toller

[Lab_Rat]

Got our two retested this week, no results as yet but I suspect they will come back same as last time.

I paid $200 for 2 consults & 2 titre tests......are testing prices coming down, now more are being carried out? I think it worked out to kit over $100 for the titre tests!

Also good to see titre test results are being accepted by a lot more dog clubs & kennels :)

[rajacadoo]

Hi - I've just had a quote from a vet for titre testing - fee quoted $260.00 for parvo and distemper only - using a company from Brisbane with a turnaround of 6 weeks!!!!!!!

Has anyone in Tassie done titre testing - Im struggling to find a vet here who has even heard of, understands it and is prepared to do it. The fee quoted of $260 is not from my normal vet.

Vetpath obviously seems much cheaper, can anyone access them???

Sometimes living on an island is very frustrating - seems to take forever for things to get down here

Hi shepherds,

I think if you are in the south of the state, that Montrose Vets will do the Titre testing for about $70, I think :) ... This is second hand info from a conversation I had a few days ago... The number is 62723599... I actually couldnt see any info, in the Yellow pages about Montrose Veterinary clinic, so I looked up individual Vets in the Montrose area, and they all had the same phone number...

Good luck :) ...

[shepherds]

Hi - I've just had a quote from a vet for titre testing - fee quoted $260.00 for parvo and distemper only - using a company from Brisbane with a turnaround of 6 weeks!!!!!!!

Has anyone in Tassie done titre testing - Im struggling to find a vet here who has even heard of, understands it and is prepared to do it. The fee quoted of $260 is not from my normal vet.

Vetpath obviously seems much cheaper, can anyone access them???

Sometimes living on an island is very frustrating - seems to take forever for things to get down here

Hi shepherds,

I think if you are in the south of the state, that Montrose Vets will do the Titre testing for about $70, I think :) ... This is second hand info from a conversation I had a few days ago... The number is 62723599... I actually couldnt see any info, in the Yellow pages about Montrose Veterinary clinic, so I looked up individual Vets in the Montrose area, and they all had the same phone number...

Good luck :) ...

Thanks for the info! Im up North unfortunately, but I can at least ring them and find out where its sent so cheers for that, then see if I can find a vet up North that will do it. I called into my regular vets today to get some drugs for my old boy and again asked them about it. They just dont seem to want to know about titre testing.

[Lab_Rat]

OK, so the dogs had their bloods taken on Wednesday morning, vet rang me tonight to say they were both "positive"...Apparently they now only come back as positive or negative.....so thats good. They were around $60 each for parvo & distemper.

I dont understand why people are being charged so damn much for these tests!!! And a six week turnaround!!! Unbelievable.

[shepherds]

OK, so the dogs had their bloods taken on Wednesday morning, vet rang me tonight to say they were both "positive"...Apparently they now only come back as positive or negative.....so thats good. They were around $60 each for parvo & distemper.

I dont understand why people are being charged so damn much for these tests!!! And a six week turnaround!!! Unbelievable.

Thats great Lab Rat, you will be happy with those results. How long ago did you last vaccinate and who did the vet use? Was it Vetpath in WA?

Cheers

[Erny]

OK, so the dogs had their bloods taken on Wednesday morning, vet rang me tonight to say they were both "positive"...Apparently they now only come back as positive or negative.....so thats good. They were around $60 each for parvo & distemper.

I dont understand why people are being charged so damn much for these tests!!! And a six week turnaround!!! Unbelievable.

I'm not sure, but part of the additional charges could be relative to the courier fee to send to WA for lab testing???

And regards the "positive or negative" results .... you mean they aren't giving values such as "1:80" ?

Glad the results were good, LR.

Edited April 14, 2012 by Erny

[Lab_Rat]

OK, so the dogs had their bloods taken on Wednesday morning, vet rang me tonight to say they were both "positive"...Apparently they now only come back as positive or negative.....so thats good. They were around $60 each for parvo & distemper.

I dont understand why people are being charged so damn much for these tests!!! And a six week turnaround!!! Unbelievable.

Thats great Lab Rat, you will be happy with those results. How long ago did you last vaccinate and who did the vet use? Was it Vetpath in WA?

Cheers

Hi Shepherds. Im very happy with the results!! Our girls were last vaccinated 2007 for Zola (RR) and 2008 for Wandy (Kelpie. This will be their third and second titres respectively. We go to Harradines in Bunbury WA. Previous titres have gone to VetPath in Perth, not so sure about the latest one tho, as it was so quick! Im wondering if they are doing the tests themselves. They are quite a huge practice, so it wouldnt surprise me!

OK, so the dogs had their bloods taken on Wednesday morning, vet rang me tonight to say they were both "positive"...Apparently they now only come back as positive or negative.....so thats good. They were around $60 each for parvo & distemper.

I dont understand why people are being charged so damn much for these tests!!! And a six week turnaround!!! Unbelievable.

I'm not sure, but part of the additional charges could be relative to the courier fee to send to WA for lab testing???

And regards the "positive or negative" results .... you mean they aren't giving values such as "1:80" ?

Glad the results were good, LR.

Youre probably correct about courier charges Erny - why is noone doing these over east though????

My vet explained (and Ive read a few comments on here that refer to the same) that if there is immunity, they are immune! Its a bit like pregnancy - you cant be a bit pregnant, you either are or youre not!! So I figure rather than bamboozle clients with lots of numbers, they have decided to go with positive or negative, which is fine by me!!

Another year I dont have to jab my dogs with unneeded chemicals =)

[Erny]

OK, so the dogs had their bloods taken on Wednesday morning, vet rang me tonight to say they were both "positive"...Apparently they now only come back as positive or negative.....so thats good. They were around $60 each for parvo & distemper.

I dont understand why people are being charged so damn much for these tests!!! And a six week turnaround!!! Unbelievable.

I'm not sure, but part of the additional charges could be relative to the courier fee to send to WA for lab testing???

And regards the "positive or negative" results .... you mean they aren't giving values such as "1:80" ?

Glad the results were good, LR.

Youre probably correct about courier charges Erny - why is noone doing these over east though????

Capital -vs- demand ?

My vet explained (and Ive read a few comments on here that refer to the same) that if there is immunity, they are immune! Its a bit like pregnancy - you cant be a bit pregnant, you either are or youre not!! So I figure rather than bamboozle clients with lots of numbers, they have decided to go with positive or negative, which is fine by me!!

That's understandable, to an extent :).

Another year I don't have to jab my dogs with unneeded chemicals =)

Edited April 14, 2012 by Erny

[Lab_Rat]

OK, so the dogs had their bloods taken on Wednesday morning, vet rang me tonight to say they were both "positive"...Apparently they now only come back as positive or negative.....so thats good. They were around $60 each for parvo & distemper.

I dont understand why people are being charged so damn much for these tests!!! And a six week turnaround!!! Unbelievable.

I'm not sure, but part of the additional charges could be relative to the courier fee to send to WA for lab testing???

And regards the "positive or negative" results .... you mean they aren't giving values such as "1:80" ?

Glad the results were good, LR.

Youre probably correct about courier charges Erny - why is noone doing these over east though????

Capital -vs- demand ?

My vet explained (and Ive read a few comments on here that refer to the same) that if there is immunity, they are immune! Its a bit like pregnancy - you cant be a bit pregnant, you either are or youre not!! So I figure rather than bamboozle clients with lots of numbers, they have decided to go with positive or negative, which is fine by me!!

That's understandable, to an extent :).

Another year I don't have to jab my dogs with unneeded chemicals =)

Can you explain further, your thoughts on this Erny?? Although Ive read up quite a bit on vaccinating and antibodies Im not nearly as knowledgeable as lots of others - including yourself

I would like to know your views please :)

[Erny]

Can you explain further, your thoughts on this Erny?? Although Ive read up quite a bit on vaccinating and antibodies Im not nearly as knowledgeable as lots of others - including yourself

I would like to know your views please :)

I appreciate the compliment (ie being knowledgeable about this stuff) but believe me, I'm learning with the rest of everybody and there are others here who have well guided me in my understanding and also to good reading (eg Dr Jean Dodds). But I will be the first to admit my understanding is limited.

"To an extent" was probably a remark that I needn't have made but I think why I'd like to know the levels is in part way a curiousity and part way because I'm still learning. But, in an attempt to explain and just for interest sake :

• I BELIEVE about the theory of antibodies reducing down and retiring to cell-memory, but I like to know I can keep an eye on it, should I decide to change my mind.
  
• If the theory on high levels is correct, good to high antibody levels being present indicates Parvo etc. exposure. This gives me an idea of what's around and what hasn't been around. An academic exercise, if you will, I guess.
  
• I'm also interested in another train of thought I've been toying with (but not sure if I'm on a feasible path with it). It relates to Mandela's seeming auto-immune issues. Could it be possible that his system NEVER dealt with the first puppy vaccine well? This is a question to me ..... I haven't managed to phrase it succinctly or clearly yet and haven't yet asked a Vet about it. But I wonder if the answer was "no", whether that would have any bearing on why his Parvo and Hepatitis antibody levels are so "VERY good" even after almost 4 years??? Is it something that is just parading around in his body after all this time, upsetting the balance of his system?? I'm quite prepared to be embarrassed for even thinking this, as I'm probably quite wrong in the possibility. I actually haven't been quite ready to verbalise the thought yet, hence my wordiness .
  

Only giving results in terms of "Positive" or "Negative" tells me the antibodies are either present or not, and not whether they are waning or still present in full force.

Gosh! I don't know if even any of that makes any sense to anyone other than myself lol.

Edited April 14, 2012 by Erny

[shepherds]

[*]I'm also interested in another train of thought I've been toying with (but not sure if I'm on a feasible path with it). It relates to Mandela's seeming auto-immune issues. Could it be possible that his system NEVER dealt with the first puppy vaccine well? This is a question to me ..... I haven't managed to phrase it succinctly or clearly yet and haven't yet asked a Vet about it. But I wonder if the answer was "no", whether that would have any bearing on why his Parvo and Hepatitis antibody levels are so "VERY good" even after almost 4 years??? Is it something that is just parading around in his body after all this time, upsetting the balance of his system?? I'm quite prepared to be embarrassed for even thinking this, as I'm probably quite wrong in the possibility. I actually haven't been quite ready to verbalise the thought yet, hence my wordiness .

Hi Erny........ I think I understand what you are saying - and to paraphrase (and please correct me if my understanding is wrong) - essentially you are asking if the puppy vaccination compromised his immune system and as his system couldnt deal with it he has ongoing health issues are as a result of that vaccination?

Secondly, because his system is compromised, it cant deal with the vaccination, therefore he is still maintaining very good levels?

If I've got that right - then I would agree with your thoughts. There are a number of well qualified Holistic Veterinarians following that line of thought, attributing a number of diseases to over vaccination of our animals. Two vets in particular from the USA Mr Robert Goldstein and Dr Martin Goldstein (brothers) have written numerous articles and separate books on the subject (The nature of animal healing and The Goldstein's Wellness and Longevity Program) - one is a little bit more extreme in their views than the other, but it is very hard to ignore their arguments. Likewise Dr Karen Becker from the States who has also done an interview with Dr Ronald Schultz.

Here is the link to the interview series which you may find of interest.

http://healthypets.mercola.com/sites/healthypets/archive/2011/05/31/what-your-vet-didnt-tell-you-about-all-those-puppy-and-kitty-vaccines.aspx

Cheers

Then again I could be completely off track with what you are saying and the above is useless :laugh:

PS - Wish I could figure out the quote thing - Sorry Erny it hasnt highlighted the first part as your initial comments.

Edited April 14, 2012 by shepherds

[Erny]

Shepherds - your paraphrasing and understanding of what I meant is correct, thank you :). And thanks for the extra info !! Even if these Holistic Veterinarians are wrong, I'm blown away by my meandering musings being anywhere near as plausible as qualifying for discussion by professional experts!! This is not to sound as though I'm blowing wind in my own sails, mind ..... just that I don't feel dumb as I thought I was taking the risk of being.

I'll check up that link - thank you .

ETA: To quote, just type in :

[ q u o t e ] at the beginning of what you want to quote, and [ / q u o t e ] at the end of what you want to quote. But leave out all the spaces I put in :).

Edited April 14, 2012 by Erny

[shepherds]

Shepherds - your paraphrasing and understanding of what I meant is correct, thank you :). And thanks for the extra info !! Even if these Holistic Veterinarians are wrong, I'm blown away by my meandering musings being anywhere near as plausible as qualifying for discussion by professional experts!! This is not to sound as though I'm blowing wind in my own sails, mind ..... just that I don't feel dumb as I thought I was taking the risk of being.

I'll check up that link - thank you

No, definitely not dumb and something I have pondered for a while, given the increasing ill health of our animals and side effects being experienced after vaccination.

I dont think you need to be a rocket scientist to figure out the whole current one size fits all approach is wrong and creating greater issues. We seriously overload our dogs systems with the combined vaccines, not to mention the added loading of heartworm, flea and tick control etc. All putting massive strain on the immune system - the one thing any animal (or human for that matter) needs to be in optimal health to fight disease.

In one of those books I mentioned, (the more extreme brother) they go as far to say that in many years to come people will look back at the practice of introducing disease into people and animals for the purpose of preventing that same disease as foolishness.

Cheers

PS - still dont think I've quite figured out the quote thing and I've got no idea what the multi quote is about. Where's the "dumb" emoticon :D

ETA - nope definitely didnt get the quote thing right :laugh:

Edited April 14, 2012 by shepherds

[Erny]

PS - still dont think I've quite figured out the quote thing and I've got no idea what the multi quote is about. Where's the "dumb" emoticon :D

ETA - nope definitely didnt get the quote thing right :laugh:

Just hit the "reply" button inside the post that you want to quote from. You can delete any part of the post you don't want to quote or isn't relevant. Make sure that you type your response AFTER the [ / q u o t e ] which you will see is at the end of what the other person wrote.

And yes - I agree with the how frightening the chemical overload we subject our dogs to is. Of course it has all been (initially at least) for good reason, with the right intentions. But now we need to look at things differently, and it is only now that some people are making changes, even though those changes have been being advocated by professionals and professional organisations (our own AVA included) for years.

I don't use wormers, anti-flea chemicals, shampoos and so forth. I would never say "never" to them, but I like to keep them on the shelf until and unless I can recognise they should be used.

ETA: Mind you, I'm not saying puppy vaccinations should be avoided. Just in my boy's instance, I am wondering if his body isn't allowing his puppy vaccine to settle down, or vice versa.

Edited April 14, 2012 by Erny

[shepherds]

PS - still dont think I've quite figured out the quote thing and I've got no idea what the multi quote is about. Where's the "dumb" emoticon :D

ETA - nope definitely didnt get the quote thing right :laugh:

Just hit the "reply" button inside the post that you want to quote from. You can delete any part of the post you don't want to quote or isn't relevant. Make sure that you type your response AFTER the [ / q u o t e ] which you will see is at the end of what the other person wrote.

And yes - I agree with the how frightening the chemical overload we subject our dogs to is. Of course it has all been (initially at least) for good reason, with the right intentions. But now we need to look at things differently, and it is only now that some people are making changes, even though those changes have been being advocated by professionals and professional organisations (our own AVA included) for years.

I don't use wormers, anti-flea chemicals, shampoos and so forth. I would never say "never" to them, but I like to keep them on the shelf until and unless I can recognise they should be used.

ETA: Mind you, I'm not saying puppy vaccinations should be avoided. Just in my boy's instance, I am wondering if his body isn't allowing his puppy vaccine to settle down, or vice versa.

Okay...hopefully 3rd times a charm with the quoting :) ..... Again I agree, I dont think puppy vaccinations should be avoided either, but done according to the specific dog's needs - which would mean titreing from a young age. Im also of the belief in an ideal world vets should be looking into administering doses on a weight basis and only one at a time (ie parvo on its own etc etc)... But I suspect for most people repeated trips to the vet for single dose vaccines wouldnt happen as that would take time and more money.

I've also looked into the homeopathic nosodes etc which appear to have merit.

I try and keep any chemical exposure to the dogs system to an absolute minimum (whether that be drugs or flea/worm treatments etc) - but given any acute or emergency situation I would be the first to accept standard line of care, then deal with the consequences after (ie potentially suppressed immune system) and work on restoring/repairing that.

Its a balance between using common sense and blind faith in conventional western medicine

Slightly OT, Not sure whether or not you have heard of Holistic Animal Medicines in WA - I have used a lot of their treatments with great results and they may be able to help your boy (can pm for more details if you would like :) ). http://www.holisticanimalmedicines.com/