Interesting Info Learnt On Titre Testing

[~Anne~]

I was fortunate to be able to attend the Dr Dodds seminar on Thursday night in Brisbane. I picked up on many points but this one I thought may interest those who are currently titre testing.

Dr Dodds explained that once a level of immunity has been reached it stabilises and that is the level the dog has for life and there is no need to re-test titres.

She explained that the levels will change only if your dog has come into contact with one of the viruses. In which case the levels will rise and then, within a period of time, they will go back to what they normally sit.

She also stated that any level at all means the dog is protected and the current practise of labs and or Vets saying the level is 'too low' is incorrect. If the dog registers a level of immunity then that is it. The body will raise the levels naturally when the dog comes into contact with the virus and then the levels will once again drop back to what they were pre-contact.

[Cavandra]

The only time Titer Tests are useful is 2 weeks after the pup has been fully vaccinated, to see if it has T Cells or not, if it doesnt have any then it wont matter how many times the owner vaccinates it , it will never have immunity!

Titers are often recommended on this forum by those of us that have not been annually vaccinating for years & years, as it is so difficult to get pet owners to understand their dog has lifteime immunity, and then they have the issue of Boarding kennels & Dog training Clubs who are not up to date with how Vaccines work..........It is a compromise to show them a Titer result.....But the main issue in this Country is the amount of Vets that dont understand immunolgy either, and therefore dont understand Titer results LOL

Virtually all Vets in the area were invited to the Brisbane seminar, and to my knowledge only a handful accepted, most were not remotely interested!

Frustrating!!!!

[Bubbly]

I see the main problem with the whole thing as humans needing a guarantee and vets needing to cover themselves legally (which I can totally understand).

Since not everyone, in fact not many people, understand immunology and how vaccines work, one cannot expect a regulating body such as the AVA or AVMA (in the states) to completely change their protocols right now if ever. You also see vet resistance - an correspondingly resistance by the regulating boards. One has to have a way to "prove" one's dogs are safe. Not only for your own personal comfort, but also for the general community. Herd immunity is a really wonderful thing after all, thats what does protect the dogs that never sero-convert.

With the lack of knowledge I cannot really blame the obediance and training clubs, nor the boarding kennels for requiring "proof." Think of what would happen if a dog was one that never sero-converted and got distemper or parvo at a boarding kennel. That kennel would be screwed, and have to go back through their records to try and prove they did nothing wrong. No one really wants a good groomer, boarding kennel or club to be shut down because of an unforeseeable and unstoppable accident.

That being said there is an avenue (albeit not an cheap one) for pet owners. Since antibody levels DO rise after exposure make sure to expose you dog before your titer test. So vaccinate your pup initially with a program you are confident in. When it's time for a titer test, to get a new vac certificate, expose your dog to distemper and parvo 10-14 days before. The easiest way to do this is to go play with puppies that have recently been vaccinated with a MLV vaccine and are shedding the virus from the vaccine. Another alternative that would probably work well is just to walk all of those places vets warn new puppy owners not to, make sure to go to the dog beach and dog park. Let the pup sniff the poop lying around, go to sport games where people bring their dog, or go hang out in the vet waiting room!

If your dog is exposed his antibody levels will rise. You can go a titer test and get the results that are acceptable to boarding kennels, your vet, and obediance clubs etc. without re-vaccinating. Now the only challenge is finding a vet happy to give you a vacc cert based on a titer test.

[Crisovar]

The Vets act on the information given by the drug companies as well, if a vaccine manufacturer labels the product as needing to be repeated yearly, then the Vets take that on board.

AFAIK there is only one vaccine available here that claims to be 3yo, all the rest are yearly.

Until the manufacturers agree with the likes of Dodds, they will still be pushing that yearly is required.

And on and on it goes.

It takes a long time to change well established thinking and protocol.

[Dogsfevr]

"and then they have the issue of Boarding kennels"

Pardon???

When clients dogs come down with canine cough they head to the vet.The first thing vets & clients do is blame the kennels so why shouldnt kennel owners do all to protect themselves as legally as possible.

Vets have no issues written up reports for clients if there dogs come down with something & then asking kennels/clubs for compo.

Many kennnels owners WOULD like to change BUT if the whole chain doesnt kennels arent going to risk themselves BECAUSE a clients vet has told them .

If you want to place blame then start with the vets not those stuck in the middle of a sueing society

[Bubbly]

I apologize if I wasn't clear; that is exactly the point I was trying to make. I'm not trying to lay blame at all in fact. Boarding kennels, obediance clubs, groomers, AND vets are all stuck in the middle because of the sueing society we live in. Everyone is just doing what they can to cover themselves.

The vets that have educated themselves and do want to change are restricted as much as any other animal care profession that wants to see a different protocol; especially here in Australia where the laws require medical professional to follow the dosing practices on the labels. Which of course have been written by the drug companies.

"and then they have the issue of Boarding kennels"

Pardon???

When clients dogs come down with canine cough they head to the vet.The first thing vets & clients do is blame the kennels so why shouldnt kennel owners do all to protect themselves as legally as possible.

Vets have no issues written up reports for clients if there dogs come down with something & then asking kennels/clubs for compo.

Many kennnels owners WOULD like to change BUT if the whole chain doesnt kennels arent going to risk themselves BECAUSE a clients vet has told them .

If you want to place blame then start with the vets not those stuck in the middle of a sueing society

edited for spelling

Edited June 29, 2008 by Bubbly

[Cavandra]

The Vets act on the information given by the drug companies as well, if a vaccine manufacturer labels the product as needing to be repeated yearly, then the Vets take that on board.

AFAIK there is only one vaccine available here that claims to be 3yo, all the rest are yearly.

Until the manufacturers agree with the likes of Dodds, they will still be pushing that yearly is required.

And on and on it goes.

It takes a long time to change well established thinking and protocol.

This is why Drug companies are currently being sued by Vets in USA, because their labelling saying to be given annually were proven wrong along time ago yet they failed to change the labelling, therefore they are now openly accused of deliberately causing harm, negligence etc... etc........

[Staff'n'Toller]

Thanks PRS, would have liked to make it up to the seminar but there was no way I could, so great to read a bit more about her opinion on the 'length' of immunity.

Will there be seminar notes we can buy in the future?

Mel.

[Bully]

Thanks PRS, would have liked to make it up to the seminar but there was no way I could, so great to read a bit more about her opinion on the 'length' of immunity.

Will there be seminar notes we can buy in the future?

Mel.

Hi Mel,

Someone, "Steve" I think was selling notes and a DVD, for about $30 for both. It was posted just over a week ago (in General Discussion I think), before I went to the seminar here in Adelaide. I would be well worth getting. Someone else might have more info for you I hope.