Doggy boosters

[baby_glass]

I received my yearly reminder today for my dogs booster.She's had them without fail for the past 9 years but am now wondering-as she's getting on a bit-if its in her interest to get them anymore and if i don't take her are the vets likely to get funny with me?

[vetdebbie]

The vets are unlikely to be funny with you - it is your decision after all! pros and cons - she may well have a residual immunity from her previous vaccinations, but the only way of telling is blood tests which aren't necessarily 100% accurate. If she does have immunity, obviously she doesn't need a booster! But she may not have any residual immunity, and if this is the case and she contacts any of these diseases, as she is getting older she will find it harder to fight them. The diseases we vaccinate against are often fatal - that's why vaccines were developed after all! So up to you really - I personally would vaccinate, and not because the general populace might consider me a "money-grabbing, doing-unnecessary-procedures-for-financial-gain" vet, but because I vaccinate all my animals all their life.

[lilworm]

i would vaccinate, i do it every year although the prices can be eyewatering for what looks like a few mm of fluid, but their life to me is priceless so always worth every penny, even though i moan my ass off about the prices, they will need the protection more towards their twilight years as like anything with age things get harder to deal with, as one gets older healing takes longer the immune system is not what it was when they was in their youth.

[Athravan]

I'm sure the vet won't be funny with you - you could always book an appointment and explain your concerns and ask what side effects the booster could give at her age and how necessary they consider it after you consider her lifestyle etc. and see what they say - they can't force you to have it done or treat you any worse because you decide not to.

I always have mine done - I watched a puppy die slowly and painfully with parvovirus and although I have read many studies about immunity buildup, I have not seen 100% conclusive proof.

Also my dogs stay in a kennel for the odd weekend and if you ever have to go away even as an emergency a kennel will not take dogs if they are not fully vaccinated (with kennel cough booster too). Also my local training school which includes agility and ringcraft classes will not allow any dog to sign up for classes unless they have shown their booster records and they are great people who are just doing what they can to protect all the other dogs & puppies who go to the classes.

[pigglywiggly]

i always have mine done, but one vet told me to leave it a bit longer, that i can go three months over and she`s still have the immunity.

shop around too, the diffreence in price at different vets can be surprising!

( theres a massive outbreak of parvo by me too )

[midori]

I have had puppy jabs done on all of mine, but they have never needed a booster. I titre test every year to check immunity, and although thisis not 100% accurate, neither do all dogs that are vaccinated become immune.

It would cost me more in the event I did need to booster (actually it costs me more anyway) but this way I am not vaccinating unnecessarily and therefore not risking side effects without needing to.

I don't kennel my dogs, but I do know more and more kennels will accept titre results instead of a vaccination card.

[baby_glass]

It usually costs around £30 at our vets,have been with the same vets since we got her so i won't change as they know her and to be honest the prices don't really vary around here anyway.Its not the cost that concerns me as i've been doing it for the past 9 years its things i've been reading on the net saying that as they get older it could actually do more harm than good,last year when she went she had really bad poos for over a week and was actually having accidents overnight,she hasn't done that since she was 4 months old.I did call the vets back and enquire as to why this could have happened,they told me it wouldn't be the jab that caused it but couldn't help with what could have...i was baffled,anyway after feeding her chicken and rice for almost 2 weeks she soon recovered,never did find out what caused it.

[marthaMoo]

I have two oldies. My old lab really isnt good on her back legs atm and she was due her booster. I did talk to my vet about it, he said unless a dog is weeks away from dying (which she isnt) he would prefer her to be done.
he then went on to tell me that only that weekend a dog came in and died of Lepto : (
I would rather vax than risk any of my dogs getting anything like that.

[Pimperella]

Vets prefer you to vax, of course they do! do you know how much the actual cost of the vaccination is and how much bloody mark up they put on. Not just that, but the whole yearly boosters thing is crap as nearly all have a 3 year course.
Do you vaccinate your children yearly?

If you reserch the vaccines they use and speak to the manufactures, they will tell you that some have 2 yrs some have 4 years and it was vets that decided yearly cause they get far more cash that way.

One of my dogs was one of the extemly rare cases of reaction. He went blind due to the canine Hep vaccine. Blind in one eye for rest of his life due his puppy vaccine. Vets never tell you the full side effects either. so after it happened to us we did a lot of reserch.

[baby_glass]

Hmmm,i have till the end of April to make my decision which is good cos i'm still unsure,lol,i just want to do what's in her best interests.