Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
That's very interesting news to me and I'm excited to research titer efficacy in senior animals more. I only found out about it after my one cat's bad reaction to the combo vac. Doing the titre testing was pretty much mind-blowing and freeing because to vaccinate or not is an ongoing heated debate in the animal owner community. Even the woman who runs the shelter I work with does not do annual vaccines on her own cats, so again, it seemed a valid alternate path for younger animals who are sensitive to vaccines. Since their reactions are exacerbated each time they receive the shots.
I feel very strongly that we need to know our options and make fully informed decisions. I fear that people, too many people, think vets are out to "steal" their money when they are really just paying the bills like anyone else. And they do have massive student debt by the time they get their hand on your animal. And they have to pay operating costs. If you are in a veterinary lobby drinking pop or coffee for free then you know where your money is going. It's going to comfort of human clients and frills.
So, no judgement towards you at all as I think we are like-minded in that we both want what we understand as best for our charges. When you got info from your equine vet it helped you to decide. I did the same thing. I just feel like jumping to the defense when I hear "scam" and "veterinarian" in the same breath, because I have some insight into the business.
But I'd never judge someone on their preparedness. We had one cat and then we were unprepared for 3 more but we got them as they basically unexpectedly fell into our lap, but we are willing to do all that we can to ensure their health even for the one who came to us with a brain mass. It's the people who take animals in and do not plan to caretake for them that bothers me. If they don't vaccinate fine. If they have made an educated decision not to but basing the decision on a bias that vaccines are a scam....doesn't sit well. It's not coming from a contemplative state but one of bias.
Having always lived in rural areas where, until recently, the vet was "one size fits all" (large and small animal), I never did feel any vet was trying to scam me.
I'm sure there are vets who will "cya" and advise the animal get every vaccination known to mankind even if it's not needed. I believe there should be a conversation between owner and vet as to where the animal lives and what its job is.
We are very rural, and all my animals are now in senior stages. Even the barn cat is up there 12 or 13, I'd have to have the vet look at his records but he is up there pretty good for a barn cat that's been here since he was ~9 months old, lol
I don't take my horses off the property anymore, both are in their early 20's and we are all retired from serious trail riding.
One is seriously insulin resistant and is my second Tennessee Walker to develop metabolic issues (some breeds are more predisposed than others). I have the same vet as I did with my drug-sensitive TWH, so this horse's health is closely monitored; I won't even buy OTC supplements for him without consulting the vet, as there are some products that could possibly raise his insulin that would otherwise be fine for a healthy horse.
I agree with you 110% that people need to educate themselves and understand why they think their animals don't need vaccinated. It's a complex forumula based on individual animals and a LOT of common sense on the part of the human. Jumping on a "flavor of the month" bandwagon just because it sounds good, or someone heard something is not displaying good common sense, lol
I've been hearing more arguments that most of the pet vaccinations are a scam opportunity for vets. Take all the human vaccinations for instance, you get series of 1-3 shots as a child and you are OK until age 20 at least. The human DRs used to say the immunity would last a lifetime but now suggestion re-vaccination every decade for some human immunizations.
So, the argument is, why do the pets need vaccinations annually? Lots of people were complaining about animal sick after vaccinations too often in their areas on East Coast...
I understand the rabies vaccination is mandatory every year or three years depending on how the vaccination was made. But what are other's feelings on this matter?
Not all human vaccinations are like that. Some you need every year (flu,) some you need every 10 years (tetanus,) some you don't need after the first one (chicken pox.)
Rabies is the line-in-the-sand because once you begin to show symptoms, your done for.
Parvo is 90% fatal if untreated, 10% fatal if treated, but is wickedly contagious.
Distemper used to be such a killer that professional field trialers, guys that would train and compete with bird dogs, wouldn't do anything with the dogs their first year; the mortality was so high that it wasn't worth investing in the dog til you knew he'd be around.
If you think its a "scam opportunity," go ahead and buy the vaccinations yourself. I can pick them up at the local ag supply store like Southern States or Tractor Supply.
I've been hearing more arguments that most of the pet vaccinations are a scam opportunity for vets. Take all the human vaccinations for instance, you get series of 1-3 shots as a child and you are OK until age 20 at least. The human DRs used to say the immunity would last a lifetime but now suggestion re-vaccination every decade for some human immunizations.
So, the argument is, why do the pets need vaccinations annually? Lots of people were complaining about animal sick after vaccinations too often in their areas on East Coast...
I understand the rabies vaccination is mandatory every year or three years depending on how the vaccination was made. But what are other's feelings on this matter?
I've never vaccinated any of my furry friends...never will. Of my seven cats the oldest is now 26, and all but the 2 youngest live outside 24/7....dogs aren't vaccinated either.
I find it strange that the same vaccine is used for a 150 pound dog as is used for a 4 pound dog....maybe that's why the tinier dogs have more adverse side effects to them than do the larger dogs.
Those are my thoughts on the matter.
My indoor-only cat got her kitten shots and one booster and that is it. She’s not going to come down with any vaccine-preventable illnesses.
My dog had his puppy shots and his one-year boosters. He will get shots again at age 4 and age 7, then just rabies at age 10 if he’s still around and healthy (he’s a shepherdy mix, so his lifespan is around 10 years).
I’m not a fan of overvaccinating, but I do think dogs who play outside should have their shots every 3-4 years.
This and the fact that we board our dog several times throughout the year. The kennel has it's own requirements for vaccines and if I want to board my dog, I have to abide by their rules. They require all annual vaccines, rabies (annual or 3yr) and require the flu and bordatella/corona. They also require your dog to be on flea/tick prevention...ie: Trifexis or something similar.
My dogs get their first set/series of shots during the first few months, and core vaccines only (no lepto, bordetella, etc.) and that's it. Unfortunately, they have to stay current on their rabies because I travel with them and it's required for shows. My older dog is 7 and he will never any more vaccines; he had those initial ones and that's it. I've tried a couple of new vets and the minute the mention yearly vaccines and/or that feeding raw is dangerous, I know I will never be back.
I've been hearing more arguments that most of the pet vaccinations are a scam opportunity for vets. Take all the human vaccinations for instance, you get series of 1-3 shots as a child and you are OK until age 20 at least. The human DRs used to say the immunity would last a lifetime but now suggestion re-vaccination every decade for some human immunizations.
So, the argument is, why do the pets need vaccinations annually? Lots of people were complaining about animal sick after vaccinations too often in their areas on East Coast...
I understand the rabies vaccination is mandatory every year or three years depending on how the vaccination was made. But what are other's feelings on this matter?
The rabies vax is now available for a 5 year course here in TN and TX IDK about your area. I will have to agree with others on here it all depends on your animal's exposure. Like Max my dog he runs around our area but isn't exposed in close quarters to other dogs. The bordatella vax is really only nescesary for dogs that are kenneled or boarded hence the name bordatella, the parvo vax is not necessary unless you expose them to a lot of bovines or swine very seldom is a domesticated animal exposed to parvo. The vax for hip problems should only be givennif your breed is suceptible to the problems. So you really need to weigh the needs of your animal personally I just give him his rabies vax and I do not put the tag on his collar because he has a bad habit of losing all tags within 48 hours of me putting them on his collar, I have had to reorder his rabies tag 4 times now and his name tag has been replaced 10 or 11 times now just in the last year luckily we have a lady here at the flea market that engraves them $2.00 single side and $5.00 double sided so I have Max put on the front and my and my brother's numbers on the back and I always get the Medium Red Bone design it has gotten to the point that when I go to her booth at the flea market he just chuckles and says "he lost another one didn't he" and I just shake my head I don't even have to tell her what to engrave anymore and she txt me once to tell ke she was running a special for $1.00 if I wanted her make a couple extras for men and she could mail them to me so I didn't have to come by if I wanted to call her and let her run my card, she uses square, so I did and he has lost those ones too so I need to go by there and have another one made I should take his collar and go by a machine shop and have them wield it to the d ring but he would find a way to lose it too.
My dogs get their first set/series of shots during the first few months, and core vaccines only (no lepto, bordetella, etc.) and that's it. Unfortunately, they have to stay current on their rabies because I travel with them and it's required for shows. My older dog is 7 and he will never any more vaccines; he had those initial ones and that's it. I've tried a couple of new vets and the minute the mention yearly vaccines and/or that feeding raw is dangerous, I know I will never be back.
I hear you on that. I have a good vet here he is a country vet that still makes house calls but also runs a clinic and he specializes in horses but he is real progressive probably in his 40's has small children with his second wife and a preteen with his first wife, he is the main sponsor of our county rodeo in fact it is held on his old family farm about 3 miles from my house but he has never told me that feeding raw is dangerous just told me to warmed that his bowels would he torn up till he adjusted to it, but my dog had absolutely horrible gas on commercial dog food and I bought the good stuff but when I switched him to homemade his gas is almost completely gone his poop is solid and less fragrant if you know what I mean but his pee is more pungent amd he has stopped gaining weight.
I'm struggling with this one as well. I used to get every vax the vet recommended, which meant my dog got everything. I take him most places with me (service dog) so it felt right to get it all since he's expose to so much. Then last year I was low on money so I skipped it all but rabies since he wasn't interacting with other dogs and only had free reign of a small yard. Since birth, he had stomach issues. Vomiting and diarrhea somewhat frequently, constant ear infections, no known cause for any of it. This entire year we've had zero ear infections and he vomited for the first time the other day and it seemed to be from drinking water too fast after a difficult hike.
I certainly know that correlation does not equal causation and so I do not blame the vaccines for his previous health issues unless I have evidence. Yet finally having a year of such great health for him gives me serious pause. The thing I worry about is that now he comes into contact with more dogs than before (live in an apartment, around more service dogs, visit the dog park once in a while for running on days when I'm unable to give him quality exercise) so that might be the deciding factor. But I really don't want to give him all those vaccines.
Please register to post and access all features of our very popular forum. It is free and quick. Over $68,000 in prizes has already been given out to active posters on our forum. Additional giveaways are planned.
Detailed information about all U.S. cities, counties, and zip codes on our site: City-data.com.
Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
