What Is Titre Testing?

[Daggles]

I have been reading another thread where a Dol member asked her vet for a titre test?

I have never heard of this.

My GSD also has allergy to grass and constant hot Itchy skin and has done since he was 15 weeks old, he is now almost 12 months.

reading betwenn the lines, am I right in thinking that vaccination might caused this or aggravated hi skin?

He is also on monthly heartworm and advantage spot on for fleas ect.

[Danois]

Not necessarily daggles from what I understand. Skin allergies can be caused by a number of factors and you need to go through a number of tests to figure out what the allergy is - Sas and Stormie are 2 members here who will be able to tell you a lot about this area.

Angs does not get his boosters as he has an immune based condition - which could have been caused by vaccination or it could not have been - more than likely was not but I am being cautious.

I will get titre testing done on him in due course but mainly for proof if he needs to be boarded.

[Guest Tess32]

Titer tests measure the amount of "Humoral" (antibody) immunity the dog has for the diseases It is not the ONLY way the immune system responds to disease, so a low titer test doesn't always mean no protection, in an adult dog but the presence of adequate antibodies is a sign that the immune system is responding properly.

If I had a dog that had a compromised immune system, including allergies, I would not vaccinate.

[Daggles]

Thanks Tess. How do you pronouce it?

[Staffyluv]

Our boy had allergies as a young dog but we were still told to vaccinate every year and we did.

Now he has a cancer called Mast Cell Cancer. It develops in the very lowest layers of the skin (but once systemic, can invade the liver, kidneys etc). Lots of research points to this cancer turning up in dogs that tend to have skin allergies as young dogs. It releases histamine into the system that mimics an allergy reaction.

We did not vaccinate for two years and we have just started again but he will be tested in two years to see if he needs another vaccination - it won't be automatically given (he is never kennelled so it does not matter).

[Liza]

I'm wondering, how do you -pronounce- Titre tests? I want to call up the vet Keeda and I visit here in Perth and ask whether or not they offer Titre testing, but I have no idea how to pronounce the word! Is it Tee-ter or Tai-ter?

[Guest Tess32]

Some say "tighter", some say "teeter" I say "teeter"

[Daggles]

Our boy had allergies as a young dog but we were still told to vaccinate every year and we did.

Now he has a cancer called Mast Cell Cancer. It develops in the very lowest layers of the skin (but once systemic, can invade the liver, kidneys etc). Lots of research points to this cancer turning up in dogs that tend to have skin allergies as young dogs. It releases histamine into the system that mimics an allergy reaction.

We did not vaccinate for two years and we have just started again but he will be tested in two years to see if he needs another vaccination - it won't be automatically given (he is never kennelled so it does not matter).

Very sorry to hear that your boy has Mast cell cancer. Do you mean the cancer releases histamine?

Why did you start again? was his immunity low?

[JackieW]

I say "teeter" too.

Daggles, there's a lot of info on this website http://www.canine-health-concern.org.uk/. If you go to Vaccine and then Pet Vaccination, that'll give you an overview of the situation from a non-vaccinator's point of view. Some of it may seem anecdotal or even hysterical, but even the World Small Animal Veterinary Association have come out saying annual vaccination shouldn't be necessary. Go to http://www.wsava.org/SAC.htm and then to the link to the Vaccine Guidelines 2007.