daccies Posted October 12, 2009 Share Posted October 12, 2009 Last year I titre tested my miniature dachshund for antibodies and she was fine, this year the titre test has come back saying she has no immunity to parvo. She is now 3 1/2, had all her puppy vaccinations and annual C5 at one year of age - can anyone shed any light on why she doesn't seem to have a "lifetime immunity". We're off to the vets tomorrow to get her re-vaccinated so would like to go with some information. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Staranais Posted October 12, 2009 Share Posted October 12, 2009 (edited) A low titre result doesn't necessarily mean no immunity (although it can), it can also just mean that the dog has no circulating antibodies. If the dog hasn't come into contact with any parvovirus since the last time it was vaccinated, the circulating antibody level can fall so that the dog's immunity is then "invisible" to the serology (titre) test. I'd be pretty sure that after all those parvo shots, your girl probably has an adequate immunity to parvo if she's capable of getting one, even if this doesn't show up on the test. If you want to be sure, and have the budget for it, the best way is to titre a few weeks after you've given the parvo shot, to check that she's responded to it. If she has, you can be reasonably confident that she's immune to parvo for at least 3 years, and possibly indefinately. Edited to add: it's totally your choice, but if she titred fine last year, she's obviously responded to the vaccine. So if she were mine, I'd be happy not vaccinating her again for parvo for at least 3 years after her last vaccine - unless you have to get a titre report for kennels or dogsports, in which case you'll need to vaccinate to get her titre back up. Hope that makes sense. Edited October 12, 2009 by Staranais Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
daccies Posted October 12, 2009 Author Share Posted October 12, 2009 . No not for kennels or dog sports but I could not risk her catching parvo and this is where its all so confusing. Since the titre test "can mean no immunity" or just no "circulating antibodies" then would I not be taking a risk by not vaccinating her against it this year since I don't know which it is? I could titre test her again after the vaccination but then in a years time supposing it shows no antibodies again. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Staranais Posted October 12, 2009 Share Posted October 12, 2009 . No not for kennels or dog sports but I could not risk her catching parvo and this is where its all so confusing. Since the titre test "can mean no immunity" or just no "circulating antibodies" then would I not be taking a risk by not vaccinating her against it this year since I don't know which it is? I could titre test her again after the vaccination but then in a years time supposing it shows no antibodies again. Well, the titre test you did do shows that she developed a protective level of immunity against parvo from her first vaccines, so I'd guess that she's still very very likely to be immune even if the titre is low this time. Most of the actual studies that I've read suggest that once an adult dog has shown immunity against parvo once, there's limited or no benefit in re-vaccinating them again. No one has definitively shown this is true for every dog, but the evidence I've seen points that way. Whereas there is always a very small but still possible chance of a serious reaction from the vaccine, which is, after all, a medical procedure. But she's your dog, and your call, and you need to make the decision that you feel comfortable with - not one that someone else pushes you into making with internet scare tactics about parvovirus or about vaccine reactions. And to be honest, IMO, whether you decide to vaccinate or not this year, chances are your dog will be fine. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sandgrubber Posted October 12, 2009 Share Posted October 12, 2009 Imagine what chaos would be unleashed if they started doing titre testing on children for measles, mumps and polio!!!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
daccies Posted October 13, 2009 Author Share Posted October 13, 2009 [ Well yes that's true but being vaccinated against measles, chicken pox etc. also doesn't mean that you'll never get them. But back to parvo it is a serious issue and I'm not sure, or at least I haven't heard, an argument that I can go back to my vet on Thursday and say she shouldn't be vaccinated again. So at this stage I'm taking her to be vaccinated again as I would not like to be responsible for her either picking it up or passing onto another dog. Still open to more opinions though....... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ptolomy Posted October 13, 2009 Share Posted October 13, 2009 You can get a parvo only vaccination - if thats the route you want to take. The vet will probably have to order it in though. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
puggy_puggy Posted October 13, 2009 Share Posted October 13, 2009 (edited) Last year I was considering titer testing but now think that it possibly is a waste of money. Edited October 13, 2009 by puggy_puggy Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Staranais Posted October 13, 2009 Share Posted October 13, 2009 Lat year I was considering titer testing but now think that it possibly is a waste of money. Unless you have to provide a recent titre result to get your dogs into somewhere like a kennel or obedience club, then for the C3 I would agree with you that titres are largely a waste of money. The one possible exception being a few weeks after one vaccine, if you want to see for your own satisfaction that your dog has responded to it. JMO. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sonic Posted October 13, 2009 Share Posted October 13, 2009 You can get a parvo only vaccination - if thats the route you want to take. The vet will probably have to order it in though. Ptolomy is there somewhere in Australia that sells the vaccinations singly? When my girl failed the Distemper titre I was told that there wasn't anywhere in Australia that you could get the vaccinations singly so she would have to have C3 as a minimum. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cry123 Posted October 13, 2009 Share Posted October 13, 2009 You can get a parvo only vaccination - if thats the route you want to take. The vet will probably have to order it in though. Ptolomy is there somewhere in Australia that sells the vaccinations singly? When my girl failed the Distemper titre I was told that there wasn't anywhere in Australia that you could get the vaccinations singly so she would have to have C3 as a minimum. You can buy parvo singly, which i have brought. I ordered mine through vet products direct. I think parvo is the only one that you can by this way, as it isnt a live vaccine Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Erny Posted October 13, 2009 Share Posted October 13, 2009 (edited) Staranais - with your experience in working with and towards rehabilitating an aggressive dog; your knowledge and understanding of training; and your balanced approach to diseases, treatments along with all the current information relating to the downside affects of over-vaccinating, you are going to make one heck of a Vet. Come out here and live near me, would you? Edited October 13, 2009 by Erny Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Tess32 Posted October 13, 2009 Share Posted October 13, 2009 You can get a parvo only vaccination - if thats the route you want to take. The vet will probably have to order it in though. Ptolomy is there somewhere in Australia that sells the vaccinations singly? When my girl failed the Distemper titre I was told that there wasn't anywhere in Australia that you could get the vaccinations singly so she would have to have C3 as a minimum. You can buy parvo singly, which i have brought. I ordered mine through vet products direct. I think parvo is the only one that you can by this way, as it isnt a live vaccine You can buy PARVAC but I think a single dose is not enough. My puppy was given PARVAC at about 9.5 weeks and still had no immunity. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cry123 Posted October 13, 2009 Share Posted October 13, 2009 You can get a parvo only vaccination - if thats the route you want to take. The vet will probably have to order it in though. Ptolomy is there somewhere in Australia that sells the vaccinations singly? When my girl failed the Distemper titre I was told that there wasn't anywhere in Australia that you could get the vaccinations singly so she would have to have C3 as a minimum. You can buy parvo singly, which i have brought. I ordered mine through vet products direct. I think parvo is the only one that you can by this way, as it isnt a live vaccine You can buy PARVAC but I think a single dose is not enough. My puppy was given PARVAC at about 9.5 weeks and still had no immunity. You still need to give either 2 or 3 doses (I cant think off hand, but it is on the site and packaging) of the Parvac to be effective. A one off needle in the beginning wont be effective. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Staranais Posted October 13, 2009 Share Posted October 13, 2009 Staranais - with your experience in working with and towards rehabilitating an aggressive dog; your knowledge and understanding of training; and your balanced approach to diseases, treatments along with all the current information relating to the downside affects of over-vaccinating, you are going to make one heck of a Vet. Come out here and live near me, would you? Aw thanks Erny - warm fuzzies! I have to pass these exams first though, so keep your fingers crossed for me (and um, feel free kick me off DOL if you see me on here procrastinating in the next few weeks)... For the people buying and using killed vaccine instead of modified live vaccine (MLV), remember that killed vaccines don't work nearly as well as MLV at provoking an immune response, and there is much less evidence that they provide long term immunity against parvo. The World Small Animal Veterinary Association recommend MLV instead of killed vaccine for parvovirus except in specific circumstances for exactly this reason, and I tend to agree with them. They also typically need to add adjuvent (chemical nasties) into the killed vaccines to make them work, which are left out of the MLV. If it were my dog, I'd probably prefer to give a live C3 over a killed single parvo shot. Your call, but be aware there is a difference between the vaccines. www.wsava.org/PDF/Misc/VGG_09_2007.pdf Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nickojoy Posted October 14, 2009 Share Posted October 14, 2009 You can get a parvo only vaccination - if thats the route you want to take. The vet will probably have to order it in though. Ptolomy is there somewhere in Australia that sells the vaccinations singly? When my girl failed the Distemper titre I was told that there wasn't anywhere in Australia that you could get the vaccinations singly so she would have to have C3 as a minimum. You can buy parvo singly, which i have brought. I ordered mine through vet products direct. I think parvo is the only one that you can by this way, as it isnt a live vaccine You can buy PARVAC but I think a single dose is not enough. My puppy was given PARVAC at about 9.5 weeks and still had no immunity. You still need to give either 2 or 3 doses (I cant think off hand, but it is on the site and packaging) of the Parvac to be effective. A one off needle in the beginning wont be effective. Link http://www.vetproductsdirect.com.au/itemdesc.asp?ic=830 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Create an account or sign in to comment
You need to be a member in order to leave a comment
Create an account
Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!
Register a new accountSign in
Already have an account? Sign in here.
Sign In Now