titre test

[sarahc]

has anyone had this done on their dogs?If so what did it involve,was the vet willing and how much did it cost.

[midori]

yes, I have it done every year and so far haven't needed to vaccinate. I do not titre for lepto though.

My previous vet was a little against it at first, but eventually agreed when I explaind my reasons, and that I wasn't trying to avoid vaccination full stop, just unecessary vaccination. It costs about £70 per dog, over half of which goes to the vet. I had to tell my vet where to send it. I had been quoted £200 from other vets!!!

My current vet isn't keen on the idea at all. One vet tried to tell me that as there is a high incidence of parvo in Northern ireland, due to people not vaccinating, (I am English) I was risking my dogs by not vaccinating. I pointed out that if the test showed they were immune and didn't need vaccinating, then they were immune. Vaccination wouldn't make them 'more immune'. She shut up then...

If you have researched it and are doing it for the right reasons, I see no real reason your vet should point blank refuse, but some are more open to it than others.

[feorag]

A friend of a friend who breeds Bernese does it too.

She's vaccinated puppies and then titre tested them and they haven't had the immunity they should have from the vaccination and so she's vaccinated them again until she gets the right titre result. Thereafter she titre tests and seldom ever has to booster.

[sarahc]

Thanks for that.It's food for thought.I keep reading articles that we are over vaccinating our dogs and it bothers me.It would be interesting if nothing else to know how high their immunity is.Next time I'm at the vets Ill take a deep breath and dare to ask.

[Marinam2]

I wasn't aware the titre test had to be done every year?

I thought immunity was a life long thing.

Marina

[sarahc]

it is also my understanding that it's a once only test and if the immunity levels are satisfactory they remain in the dog for life.

[feorag]

Could be, I don't honestly know, I'm just repeating what my friend (who is her friend) said she did. I didn't ask if she tested every year, or just the first year.

[SilverSteno]

As far as I'm aware, the immunity isn't permanant for at least some of the things vaccinated against hence the need for regular titre testing to ensure immunity.

EDIT:

Just found this link - K9 guidelines

Rabies, distemper and Parvo vaccines give around 7 years immunity according to this article.

[midori]

Immunity wanes over time, so regular titres ensure your dog is still immune, after all, it's just not worth taking risks, is it? I think it is the fact that people might neglexct to vaccinate or titre test yearly that puts so many vets off suggesting or doing it.

All of mine have only had their puppy jabs. Oldest is four and last time she had her titre test done, her immunity to parvo was borderline, so the vet said she may need vaccinating against it this year. i'll obviously se what her results say this time.

immunity also depends on whether the dog com sinto contact with the virus regularly. A do gthat is exposed to parvo, distemper etc and doesn't contract the illness and show symptoms will build a far better immunity than any dog that has been vaccinated. Hence so many feral dogs having immunity to lepto. They have contracted it and survived it.

Please do not forget, vaccinating or titre testing is not just about your own dog, it is about herd immunity also. Some dogs cannot be vaccinated and are therefore at higher risk of contracting, and spreading, the diseases we vaccinate against. If more and more peopel fail to vaccinate or titre tes, then the diseases will begin to spread again. In Ireland, where I now live, the situation regarding parvo is dire, because so few people vaccinate their dogs. Peopel also often forget that vaccination is no absolute guarantee the dog will not contract the disease.

[sarahc]

you are right midori,it's not worth taking risks.I suppose some dogs are born with naturally low immunity and vaccinating doesn't bring them to safe levels.For all I know my dogs might currently not have immunity levels high enough to protect despite being vaccinated.Then again is all the talk of over vaccinating just that?I know when my son was a baby there was a vaccine scare for the mmr jab.It didn't put me off getting him done.I do feel suspicious towards the idea of yearly vaccinations when some research suggests it's not neccessary so often and could be harmful.