Revised: November 23, 2007

For years, the pricing structure of veterinarians has misled clients into thinking that the inherent value of an annual office visit was in the "shots."  The value is in the physical exam of your companion. Twelve months of your pet’s life is equivalent to approximately 7 years for you and I. We take our children to the pediatrician more than every 7 years. Hopefully we see our own M.D. more often than every 7 years for a physical.  Most men over 40 know their blood pressure and their cholesterol levels. Most women over 40 have a mammogram.  The point is early detection of treatable diseases can provide a longer and higher quality of life for our beloved family member, our dogs.

 

Vaccines are not harmless.  Avoiding unnecessary vaccinations can minimize unnecessary side effects and adverse events.  Our dogs now have access to the best medical care in the history of veterinary medicine.  Following the initial puppy immunization series, dogs should be boostered one year later and then every three years thereafter.  However an annual check-up is always a good practice to assess the general health of your dog.   We do a “titers test” which checks the levels of immunization to ensure that we are not over vaccinating our dogs.  For adults over 7 years of age chances are there is no need to vaccinate the dog any more since the immunization levels should be more than adequate, and in fact unnecessary. We recommend a "titers test" to see the levels of immunization that your dog has built up over his lifetime.  This should simply confirms that vaccination is no longer necessary.

 

According to the most recent studies, the findings of which are supported by the American Animal Hospital Association, the American Association of Feline Practitioners, and 22 Schools of Veterinary Medicine, the duration of immunity for vaccines for diseases like rabies, distemper, and parvovirus have been shown to be 7 years.  More importantly it has been scientifically proven that, after the initial series, when vaccines are re-administered the immune status of the patient is not enhanced.   Antibodies from the initial vaccine block the subsequent vaccines from having any effect.  Although the true interval at which re-administration of Rabies, Distemper, Parvovirus, Adenovirus and Para influenza vaccinations will enhance the immunity in a significant number of dogs has not been determined, an arbitrary compromise interval of every three years has been agreed upon.  It is the consensus of immunologists and experts that the duration of immunity is much longer and probably the life of the patient. This three-year compromise interval will greatly reduce the number of antigens administered, and therefore the risk of adverse reactions, while providing the most complete protection against preventable diseases possible.

 

We subscribe to the Small Animal Vaccination Protocol of the Colorado State University Veterinary Teaching Hospital.  (See http://csuvets.colostate.edu/savp2.htm  and http://www.critteradvocacy.org/)  Your vet should be very knowledgably on the geographical risks of your environment to your dog and suggest other vaccines as appropriate.  Based on the protocol above, we suggest the following: 

 

"Core" Recommended Vaccinations 

 

1.   RABIES:  Wait until puppy is 6 months old before puppy receives a rabies vaccination.  One-year later puppy should get a second rabies shot but this should be a three-year rabies vaccination vice the more common annual rabies shot.  This is to protect your puppy from over immunization.  Rabies vaccinations should not be given in conjunction with any other vaccines. The suggested period is two weeks between shots.  Use only killed rabies, highly aduvanted.
   
   

2. DISTEMPER AND PARVOVIRUS:  The puppy shot series provides lifelong immunity for these viruses.  Use the modified live virus.
    
   

3.   HEPATITIS (Adenovirus)-(CAV2):  This is one of the agents known to cause  “kennel cough”.  Only Vaccines with CAV 2 should be used as CAV-1 carries the risk of “hepatitis blue-eye”.  Use the modified live virus.
   
   

4.   BORDETELLA – PARAINFLUENZA:  Commonly called "kennel cough," this vaccine is recommended only for those dogs in obedience training, boarded, groomed, taken to dog shows, or for any reason housed where exposed to a lot of dogs. The intranasal vaccine provides more rapid onset of immunity with less chance of reaction. Immunity requires 72 hours and does not protect from every cause of "kennel cough" or every serovar of bordetella. Immunity to bordetella is of short duration (4-6 months), so vaccination should be repeated as needed.  Use the intranasal application.
   
   

5.   HEARTWORM:  There are a great number of heartworm preventative medicines available.  We have found that “REVOLUTION” has had particularly good results with our dogs.  It also protects against fleas, ticks, ear mites and a host of other common parasites.  Consult your vet.
   

"Non Core" Not Recommended Vaccinations

1.   CANINE CORONA VIRUS: Canine corona virus is only a disease of puppies less than six weeks of age.  It is a rare, self-limiting disease (i.e. dogs get well in 3 days without treatment). Corona virus does not cause disease in adult dogs. TAMU, Colorado State, University of California at Davis, Cornell University and Texas A&M University have only diagnosed one case each in the last 7 years. For a veterinarian to make a diagnosis of Corona Virus based on clinical signs is highly presumptive. Only electron microscopy of feces can verify the presence of canine corona virus.  This is only done at places such as Texas A & M Diagnostic Laboratory, and they report no positive tests.  The presence of the virus does not indicate it is the cause of disease. Dogs over 6 wks of age cannot be experimentally induced to exhibit disease from corona virus.  This is age related immunity.  Immunologists have reason to believe that the vaccine does not work.  We see no justification for the use of corona virus vaccine.
   
   

2.   LEPTOSPIROSIS:  Owing to recent severe adverse reactions in puppy Norfolk and Norwich Terriers, we request that you refrain from administering leptospirosis vaccine until your puppy reaches adulthood (+1 year old) and then only if it is a risk in your area (currently includes Michigan, Wisconsin and Ohio).  The risks of side effects outweigh the benefits.  Please be sure to tell your veterinarian when you make the appointment and again at the visit. Leptospirosis is a common cause of adverse reactions in dogs ranging from life threatening anaphylactic reactions to mild facial swelling and urticaria.  It is an infection of the kidneys and liver.  Dogs and people get it from contact with urine from rats, raccoons, cows and pigs.  The risk of contagion from dogs to humans is very low.  There is considerable debate among veterinarians whether this vaccine is effective at all.
   

3.   LYME BORRELIOSIS:  Lyme vaccine is not considered a core vaccine because lyme is considered a limited, regional disease.  There are concerns regarding immune-mediated complications from this vaccines use which have neither been substantiated or refuted to date.  Lyme vaccine may give owners a false sense of security and make them lax regarding tick control in general, leaving animals at risk for other tick-borne diseases.  We suggest using this only if you are in a high risk area.
   

4.   GIARDIA:  The Giardia vaccine will diminish oocyst shedding and possibly clinical signs associated with infection, but not the infection itself.  The vaccine is not considered to be zoonotic, even though humans are commonly affected.  Management, hygiene, and treatment (fenbendazole) are preferred control methods over vaccination.  Giardia is not recommended as a core vaccine because:
   
       1. Efficacy of Vaccine unsubstantiated by independent studies.
       2.  IgA mucosal antibodies? Immunity against a complex organism?
       3. Natural infection does not provide immunity.
   
   

Here are a number of links that are well worth surfing

Special Report of the American Animal Hospital Association (AAHA) Canine Vaccine Task Force: 2003 Canine Vaccine Guidelines, Recommendations, and Supporting Literature
http://www.dogs4sale.com.au/AAHA_Special_Report.htm

Short Summary of Special Report of the AAHA preceeding
http://www.woodhavenlabs.com/vaccines-2003.html

Colorado State University's Small Animal Vaccination Protocol
http://csuvets.colostate.edu/savp2.htm

Vaccination of Small Animals At Washington State University
http://www.vetmed.wsu.edu/rdvm/vaccine.asp

University of California at Davis VMTH Canine and Feline Vaccination Guidelines
http://www.vmth.ucdavis.edu/vmth/clientinfo/info/genmed/vaccinproto.html

From DVM Magazine, the News Magazine of Veterinary Medicine
http://www.dvmnewsmagazine.com/dvm/article/articleDetail.jsp?id=61687 

Article by W. Jean Dodds, DVM on Vaccine Protocols for Dogs
http://www.canine-epilepsy-guardian-angels.com/chang_vac.htm
http://www.doglogic.com/vaccination.htm- vaccine schedule

Vaccine Protocols recommended by Dr. Bob Rogers, DVM
http://www.critteradvocacy.org/
http://critterfixer.com
http://www.northernlight-uk.com/cyd_11.htm  New Vaccination Immunology: New Protocols  - summary of the "critterfixer" info

"The Vaccination Web Site for Dogs and Cats" Richard B. Ford, DVM, MS - North Carolina State University
http://www.dvmvac.com/

"The Vaccine Controversy" Susan Thorpe Vargas MS, Ph.D
http://www.msu.edu/~silvar/vax.htm