Titers

[rottnelmo]

Just curious how many people here do titers instead of vaccinations....

I do...

if you dont, why not?

There is a great article in a womens magazine "Better Homes and Gardens"(...I think???? have ask my mother in law...it is at her house!) about over vaccinating in the US this month...GREAT article.

B

[frontierrots]

I titer pups at 16 weeks and again after 12 months after hat I don't unless I'm shipping a dog and need proof of immunity

[moonbeam]

I had titers done for Parvo, Distemper and Rabies.

[Judy Chrusch]

I also do titers and Czar hasen't had any vaccines since the first year and he's now 3. I will do titers again soon to see where his levels are, then we will determine what to vaccinate for, if any. I personally don't agree with yearly vaccines.

Judy

[chivas]

I titer every year and have only had to vaccinate one dog for distemper in 5 yrs. I no longer titer or vaccinate (except for rabies - every 3 yrs) my 16 yr old dog, stopped doing it at 13. Probably will do the same for any others who get to be that age.
Kim

[moondog]

I've been doing titers since Luna came down with her PLE one week shy of her 6th birthday. I've titered for the "killers", parvo and distemper, once in each of the past 3 years and they have come back showing adequate immunity.

I'll continue to do them yearly for her because the soundness of her immune system is questionable and could impact her protection from these diseases. She's also on a maintenance dose of prednisone which is an immune suppressant that could also affect her immunities.

On a positive note, her vet, who has always been a staunch supporter of yearly boosters takes the blood for her titers. Hehehe, three times he's had to put his beliefs aside to tell me her titers are good.....it has to be rubbing off on him, yes? :D

[lblax]

i have the yearly shots as i dont believe and there is absolutly no positive scientific evidance that shots cause any cancers and such you will find plenty of studies and plenty of opinions but no proof but to each there own...

[chivas]

Actually there is proof that vaccinations cause a type of cancer in cats and DVM magazine has suggested that cats be vaccinated every 3 years now.
My good friend who is a vet said that some veterinary conferences he has been to is suggesting that yearly vaccines arent neccesary in SOME dogs, there are exceptions to all rules. He has started suggesting titers to certain clients. And he has always said that yearly vaccinations are a vets bread and butter and not necessarily what the dog needs.
Kim

[lblax]

actually it is absurd to think that vaccinations are any worse for us or animals than the air we breath the water we drink and the food we eat something is gonna get us all. but i respect your right to think otherwise i believe that the event of getting the majiority of peoples dogs in for a yearly check up when they go for there shots far outwieghs any risk asscociated with them..... if there was a way to poll a 1000 people and tell them they no longer had to go for there yearly shots for there pets but they are only nesscarry every 3 years..... then go back and see how many of those peiople actually even took there dogs to the vet during this time for a check up.. i would bet that after a few years a good percentage of them would be dead or ill at a greater rate than what would be sick from shots.. but then again we have all agued this point time and time again

[spidey]

I guess I'm pretty lucky to have a forward-thinking vet - he feels the puppy series and the one-year booster are essential, after that, he's happy to do titres for everything except rabies (which is regulated by law), and recommends it over vaccinations to the more aware owners. He's hoping that the new guidelines for rabies (every 3 years, I believe) come into effect in our county very soon, the county vaccination laws have been changed in most of the counties around us.

[Judy Chrusch]

We have the 3 years for rabies and as far as vaccinating yearly I feel it's an individual decision and you have to be comfortable with whatever you decide. Over vaccinating Czar would not be good for many reasons which is why my vet and I have agreed on titers and I'm actually quite amazed at how many antibodies are still left after 2 years, which indicates they do not necessarily need the yearly shots.

So Larry it's not that I disagree with you, bc I NEVER disagree with you, lol :D . I do feel over vaccinating could be a potential problem for some dogs, JMO :D .

Judy

[mmgy]

We titer everyone now, annually. My older dogs that don't get out in doggie public as much probably have had all their shots. The young brits, I might give shots again in a couple of years just to be sure.

I'm sort of on the fence, but I feel that even if you only vaccinate every three years or so, you've cut lifetime exposure to vaccines by 70-80%.

And for the last ten years or so, before I started titering, I always *stretched* the period between vaccines. Typically my dogs were only vaccinated every 16-20 months.

[C Ross]

What does it cost to do a titer? Just curious.

I like MaryMac's suggestion about stretching the time between shots. Kudlow had a three-year rabies on January 3, 2004. On the 16-20 month schedule he'd only be vaccinated once between 1/04 and 1/07 instead of twice.

I wonder if I'll have problems with the boarding kennel if it's been more than 12 months since vaccination. Do most kennels accept titer results in lieu of vaccinations? What about bordetella?

Christine

[mmgy]

Christine, the boarding is the hardest thing about it. We don't travel that much though, and I always found that I could put off shots till right before the next trip. So, you look for boarding options that don't require shots.

Here, titering costs as much as a shot series, but many boarding facilities will accept titers in lieu of shots. Not all. Many still require bordetella. And maybe titers will go down in $$ as they get more popular.

Also, I've been disappointed lately to learn that TDI (therapy) requires annual vaccines.

MM

[lblax]

Originally Posted by Judy Chrusch

. I do feel over vaccinating could be a potential problem for some dogs, JMO :D .

Judy

I AGREE IT SHOULD BE AN IDIVIDUAL DESCISION BASED ON THE INDIVIDUAL DOGS OVERALL HEALTH ---EXPOSURE TO OTHER DOGS---EXPOSURE TO AREAS SUCH AS CLUBS ,TRIALS, BORDING KENNELS ALL MUST BE TAKEN INTO CONSIDERATION.... I ONLY POSTED ON THIS THREAD BECAUSE WE HAVE MANY IMPRESSIONABLE PEOPLE STARTING OUT ON THIS BOARD AND AND TO GIVE THEM THE IMPRESSION (WHICH YOU HAVENT) THAT VACCINES ARE THE ROOT OF ALL EVIL IS WRONG AND ABSOLUTLY NOT THE CASE opps sorry about the caps! lol i agree with you judy 100 percent