How Often Do We Do The 'annual' Vaccination?

[Lollipup]

I have been getting the vaccs annually but I don't want to anymore. I spoke to the vet about it and he was hesitant to do it. He said I could titre test but it'd cost more than double the cost of vaccinating. When I brought up the AVA statement, he said - "yes but that is not specific to our area so it doesn't really apply."

I think its all about the money.

How do you find good vets that are willing to listen and look at alternatives? All the vets in my area are still telling people not to take their pups anywhere until after their last vaccination by which stage they are usually 16 weeks old. That is one thing I will not agree with.

ETA: He also told me the spiel about the tri-annual vaccination being a different product which costs more and they don't use it because it only covers C3

Edited March 30, 2013 by Lollipup

[Tralee]

Flynnch had a C5 is September because I needed to put him into kennels.

He is due to be vaccinated in September.

Winja has just had his vaccinations too.

Winja was given a Kc Annual on 14 March 13 and is due to be vaccinated again on 14 March 14.

Winja was given a C3 on 14 March 13 and is due to be vaccinated again on 14 March 16

So within 6 months the vaccination regime has changed from an annual C3 injection to a tri-annual one.

I will be moving to titre testing as soon as the Boarding Kennels pull their head out of their backsides and accept a Veterinary Certificate.

Vaccinations are dangerous, I had a Vet vaccinate my pregnant bitch and then try to tell me she was having a phantom.

Edited March 30, 2013 by Tralee

[Sparassidae]

For me it's once every adult lifetime. I don't vaccinate my dogs anymore. I still firmly believe the puppy vaccinations are essential. I would personally follow up with one when the dog became an adult and that is all.

Ditto to this.

Our dogs probably see our vet once every year or two, excluding Gizmo because he never has any issues requiring the vet. We're probably at the vet on average once every 1-3 months for any number of our animals so don't really need the "annual checkup" type system.

[Steph M]

Do we have a list of kennels/boarding places/training schools and vets who support alternative methods/titre etc?

Might be a good idea for a pinned thread? I'd love to see a thread of really good vets by area too, but can't hurt to have a database of places that take titre and the like.

[minimax]

Pet insurance wont cover for diseases that you can vaccinate against if your not up to date with vaccines but you can still get insurance.

Manufactures that guarantee their vaccine for three years often also will cover for these diseases if your dog has been vaccinated with their vaccine- which would be cheaper than using pet insurance anyway. But best to check with the manufacture what their policy actually is.

This was the main thing I checked before deciding on titre testing. I was worried that the insurance company would decide that a lack of vaccination would be the cause of every little illness and injury and decide not to pay out, but they said no, they only don't cover for things that can vaccinate against. However it did take them passing me around to a few different people until someone knew what I was talking about when I asked if they accepted titre testing instead of vaccinations and what their policy was in regards to titre testing.

[tlc]

If your vet agrees to do 3 yearly vaccine is it a different vaccine or different strength? So far all of mine have been vaccinated yearly. There is a couple of places we go that only let you go of your dogs have had their yearly vaccine.

[Jess the Lab]

For me it's once every adult lifetime. I don't vaccinate my dogs anymore. I still firmly believe the puppy vaccinations are essential. I would personally follow up with one when the dog became an adult and that is all.

Ditto to this.

Our dogs probably see our vet once every year or two, excluding Gizmo because he never has any issues requiring the vet. We're probably at the vet on average once every 1-3 months for any number of our animals so don't really need the "annual checkup" type system.

I only see my vet once a year...which is to do the annual vaccination. The lab is 10 years old and it's still solely for the vaccination and nothing else (fingers crossed). Have seen several vets including the ones in RSPCA (Burwood, VIC), Parker's At Templestowe, VIC and Rowville Vet all in Victoria. All seem to indicate yearly dose. I'm no pure breed/pro so I've never heard of once in 3 years nor once in adulthood - type vaccination till I bumped into this subject in another thread. An eye opening indeed.

[moosepup]

For me it's once every adult lifetime. I don't vaccinate my dogs anymore. I still firmly believe the puppy vaccinations are essential. I would personally follow up with one when the dog became an adult and that is all.

Same for me. I do puppy vacs and then the first adult booster and thats it for life. .......but I'm starting to doubt whether that first booster is even necessary.

Me too. :)

I've always had Zeus and Kirah annually vaccinated but am now considering bringing up the tri-annual vaccine. I'm unsure how to approach the topic though.

How do you find good vets that are willing to listen and look at alternatives?

It really depends on the vet. You need to do your own research and be comfortable in your decision to not vaccinate and be armed with that knowledge when bringing it up with the vet. When they ask me now I just say I choose not to vaccinate and that's that. The vet I see now is very open minded. :)

I had them both titre tested 2 weeks ago and got the results today (anything over 40 is considered protective and no vaccination is required):

Zoe - 14 years old, not vaccinated in 10+ years - Parvo: 160, didn't test for the others.

Moose - 4 years, not vaccinated since booster at 12 months - Parvo: 320, Distemper: 56, Hepatitis: 56

I would say D & H are low because we rarely encounter them in dogs these days, particularly in urban areas. The results just reaffirm my belief that annual vaccs are overkill and possibly unhealthy.

Edited April 2, 2013 by moosepup

[HazyWal]

Geez my vet must be one out of the box, mine are done every three years on my vets recommendation.

[Esky the husky]

My vet actually brought the subject up with me.

He explained his views and why he was still doing the annual.

As I was needing to use kennels that year I went for the annual vaccination.

She's due again soon, I'll see what he has to say next time I bring Esky in

[RiverStar-Aura]

May seem like a stupid question but is it pronounced 'tie-ter' or 'tee-ter' testing? Don't want to sound like a moron pronouncing it wrong

The vet I now use has so far seemed okay in all my dealings with him -- I know he was very thorough in discovering my poor Poochie had been living and suffering with dermodectic mange for almost 15 years -- so I'm hoping he'll be open to the triennial vaccination.

[gsdog2]

My girl would have horrible itchy skin 6 weeks after a C5 vaccination. She hasn't had one for 3 years and is due. She won't be getting a C5 but a C3. She has been titre tested and for the first time, 3 months ago, she was low on one of them, but still high for parvo and distemper. The puppy is due for her booster shot, so I will probably do them both then and then titre test after this.

I had the same problem with my GSD girl - after her annual C5 vaccination she would have a lot of skin issues (over $1000 in vet bills). Three years ago I found a vet who was able give Indi the C3 tri-annual vaccination (my vet refused ) and again last week - both times without any 'itchy' problems

[moosepup]

May seem like a stupid question but is it pronounced 'tie-ter' or 'tee-ter' testing? Don't want to sound like a moron pronouncing it wrong

The vet I now use has so far seemed okay in all my dealings with him -- I know he was very thorough in discovering my poor Poochie had been living and suffering with dermodectic mange for almost 15 years -- so I'm hoping he'll be open to the triennial vaccination.

I say tie ter but some people say tee ter. I think tie ter is the correct pronunciation. :)

[Sam the man]

When we took our dogs recently for their needles the vet who is either new or a locum said they didn't need the C5 as what they had the previous year would last for 3 years. They were done for Kennel cough.

[Jed]

When I took my pups to the vet for vaccinations, I saw the associate, not my regular vet. The Associate is the one who sends me letters advising me my dogs are due for annual vaccinations. I have discussed this with him to no avail, so I simply shrug and bin the letters now.

The associate was all ready to shoot them up with C5. I told him a C3 would be fine. He told me they had no C3. I told him my regular vet always did them with C3, and that's how it would be. He had to ask the receptionist how to organise that.

So he is recommending annual vacs, with C5.

Some vets are either living in the stone age, or would do anything for money.

[gsdog2]

Jed I asked my vet why he wouldn't give the tri-annual C3. Apparently he asked the drug company if they would guarantee their vaccine - and they won't. I can't imagine they would guarantee the C5 either ........ so when it comes to vaccines I go elsewhere.

[Rosetta]

Can anyone tell me what is contained in the C3? Is the triennial vac the same as the yearly C5 just administered 3 yearly instead of yearly?

I get very confused about vaccinations

[minimax]

Can anyone tell me what is contained in the C3? Is the triennial vac the same as the yearly C5 just administered 3 yearly instead of yearly?

I get very confused about vaccinations

http://dogsnsw.org.au/resources/dogs-nsw-magazine/articles/health/171-vaccination.html

[moosepup]

This is an interesting read too http://www.apvma.gov.au/use_safely/vaccination.php

Particularly this (my bolds):

The Australian Veterinary Association (AVA) believes that in most cases, core vaccines need not be administered any more frequently than triennially and that even less frequent vaccination may be considered appropriate if an individual animal’s circumstances warrant it. However, local factors may dictate more frequent vaccination scheduling.

And highlights the importance of informed consent by pet owners. The APVMA supports the AVA’s vaccination policy.

The AVA’s policy refers to the World Small Animal Veterinary Association’s (WSAVA's) Guidelines for the Vaccination of Dogs and Cats, which state that

Vaccines should not be given needlessly. Core vaccines should not be given any more frequently than every three years after the 12-month booster injection following the puppy/kitten series

In formulating a vaccination regimen for an individual animal, the veterinarian should consider many factors including knowledge of the canine/feline immune system, the vaccination history of the animal, its age, breed, health and reproductive status, disease prevalence in the local area, likely exposure of the animal to other animals, including stray or feral animals, current best practice, contemporary guidelines and published veterinary literature.

The APVMA acknowledges that experts continue to debate the need for annual re-vaccination, especially in cats. For example, the WSAVA guidelines note that the European Advisory Board on Cat Diseases recommends annual revaccination for feline herpesvirus and feline calicivirus for cats considered at high risk, and triennial revaccination for low risk (predominantly indoor) animals.

The APVMA also acknowledges that in some unusual circumstances, such as communities with high prevalence of infection and incomplete vaccination records, annual revaccinations may be advisable - however, the aim should be to ensure that all susceptible animals are vaccinated, rather than that already well-immunised animals are re-vaccinated.

The APVMA does not support the retention of label statements that direct or imply a universal need for life-long annual revaccinations with core vaccines. The APVMA supports the AVA's vaccination policy and is of the view that product labels should be amended to align with that policy. The APVMA is working with vaccine registrants with a view to updating labels.

Testing as an alternative to re-vaccination

Antibody titre testing, to determine if an animal needs re-vaccination, is available for canine distemper virus, adenovirus and parvovirus; and for feline parvovirus, calicivirus, and herpesvirus. Titre testing is not helpful with diseases where there is poor correlation between the antibody titre and immunity, such as those caused by Bordetella bronchiseptica and canine parainfluenza virus. Owners should seek veterinary advice when deciding between serology and re-vaccination.

The bit in red is why most vets still recommend annual vaccination, because that's what the label says.

Edited April 3, 2013 by moosepup

[Rosetta]

Can anyone tell me what is contained in the C3? Is the triennial vac the same as the yearly C5 just administered 3 yearly instead of yearly?

I get very confused about vaccinations

http://dogsnsw.org.au/resources/dogs-nsw-magazine/articles/health/171-vaccination.html

Thanks.

So essentially it should be a C3 only every 3 years which protects against the "core" diseases with a kennel cough vaccine 12 monthly?