Note: It is advised that you should consult with a vet before deciding upon yourself as to whether you should have vaccinations withheld.
Question:
This morning I ran into a frantic lady, who recently lost her 5 yr. old dachsie, (died of complications due to back paralysis), which she claimed was due to having her dog vaccinated for rabies every year. She said she once worked for a Vet, and said she also had pamphlets that claim many vets over vaccinate these small dogs for the sake of making extra $$$$. She also said this breed is far too small to intake yearly vaccinations and this will eventually paralyse them as it did hers. She said they get as much vaccine as a horse gets for rabies. Her view was most house dogs don't need rabies vaccines as much because they aren't as exposed to rabid animals as before. She also said the heartworm medication was unnecessary, especially in Canada where the "heartworm" can't survive. Just a note, I live in the toronto area where it can get as hot as Northern Calf., and is warmer than some areas of the states, so heartworm can be prevalent here too if it depends on the climate.
Anyhow she scared the daylights out of me, ironically as I'm about to take my dog for his heartworm test. My question to everyone, and I'm sorry if I've frightened you too,....1) does anyone know about this or has heard similar comments about vaccinations? 2) how often do you vaccinate your dogs? Ms. frantic said I should have him vaccinated no more than every three years. 3) should I trust vets? Help! My dog is m/n almost 4yrs., and healthy.
Liane
Responses:
Bob Lowry
As for regular vaccines..... from what I have gathered a one year and a 3
year rabies vaccine are identical. Our is every year by law. The others...
well you can do titering but I think it is costly. I have DHPPC every year.
No lepto and no bordetella. Getting a bordetella vaccine is like a flu
shot. There are so many strains and it only covers a few. Even at that it
does not prevent it but rather hopefully lessens the intensity when they get
it.
Bottom line is you have to do whatever you (and the laws) are comfortable
with.
Jill Blasdel
Yearly rabies vaccinations are starting to be questioned. Chili and Piper's
vet said he would evaluate the dogs next year, taking into consideration the
prevalance of rabies in our area. He may suggest skipping a year and firmly
believes that every 3 years is plenty. However, this could create a problem
if you take your pet across the Canada/US border. Customs requires proof of
yearly vaccination. I will be looking into this and will let you know what I
find out. I have never heard of a dachsie's back being damaged by
vaccinations. I should mention that my vet is very much into homeopathic
treatment, acupuncture, etc. but never hesitates to use conventional
treatments when required.
Kathy and Chili and Piper
I have not heard of anything like this before, and I have had dachshunds
as long as I can remember. The best advice I can give you is to listen
only to your vet. If you have had your doxie for 4 years and have ben
going to the same vet, certainly you have established a trust in him or
her. I have made the mistake several times of listening to too many
opinins of people that mean well, but they were not vets and then I
would let those opinions get me all upset. It's hard not to sometimes
because we love these babies so much, and want to be sure we are doing
what is best for them...but if you go to a vet that you know you can
trust...continue doing what he/she advises. Believe me, you would be
able to tell if your's was the kind of vet who was out for the $$$$$.
The one I started out with was that way, and I had a couple horrible
experiences (which I will not get into now because I've been in a pretty
good mood today and don't want to ruin it!!) Now Bridget goes to a
wonderful place. There are 4 Dr's in the office and I trust all of
them completely, and they do believe in yearly vaccinations. The
heartworm test, we will probably do every other year.
I hope this helped.
Laurie
Janet
Sunni, for instance, has had many lumps, which are called lipomas
(Spelling??). The first one, we had removed and tested. Thank God it was
benign. But recently, numerous fatty lumps have been appearing. After
calling her breeder, who, as I've said in the past, is the most responsible
of any breeder I know, and who has also been a vet tech for many years,
suggested that she's having reactions to her shots.
My excellent conventional vet, Dick, on all six pets' annual visit,
a few weeks ago, confirmed that they are learning that not all dogs should
be vaccinated yearly, that it can actually cause more harm than good - the
vaccines apparantly last longer in some pets than others. Cats, in fact,
have been known to have tumors appear in the area where they were
vaccinated, and in many, it's been fatal, according to my vet. He
suggested, given my fears, his findings, and our lifestyle with the pets
(they're with us at all times, monitored closely and not left outdoors with
strange dogs, etc), that we only administer the distemper every three years
(vs annually), drop the Lyme disease shot (which this part of NH rarely
sees problems with, he said) altogher, and continue to do the rabies every
3 years, according to the law. If our situation should change (should we
be leaving any of our pets in a kennel. Never, says I!), we are to then
discuss the proper inoculations with the vet. Same goes with the cats;
both are indoor cats, thus his suggestion to drop the leukemia, distemper
and whatever else they usually get annually.
Learning what I did from Dick Siebel gave me even more motivation to take
my Sunni girl to a holistic vet. I mean, these natural healers have been
saying for years what this vet is just now accepting as truth. Most in the
conventional veterinary world poo-pooed their fears.
After a full-work up with Dr Jenson, Sunni was given a holistic med remedy,
in hopes of reducing her lumps, or even making them disappear. This seems
remote since Dick said they'll probably be there forever. But it's worth a
shot. I really liked the way in which this holistic vet treated her
patient - with the entire dog's well-being in mind. She wanted to know
everything about Sunni before doing a medical exam. "It's not just the
problem we're treating, but knowing the entire dog, inside and out. It
helps us to possibly know why the problem is occurring. Treat the entire
dog, not just the physical problem itself." I like that. It was her
opinion that Sunni has indeed been over-vaccinated, thus her lipomas and
other minor growths. She did an anti-body titer blood test, to see what
levels of vaccine were still in her body (I think that's what this is
for). We're still awaiting results.
Bottom line, I was so impressed with her that I brought 2 of my other dogs
to her, just for the exam. She's fabulous! Loved her approach, her
kindness and caring about the entire dog, inside and out. They actually
had a good time while there. Not the usual vet visit, that's for sure.
Jeannie
We are moving to Florida this summer, and our vet here in New
Hampshire told me that the state of Florida requires yearly rabies
vaccinations--unlike here in New Hampshire where rabies vaccination every
three years is the requirement.
In anticipation of our move am taking my Zoomer tomorrow for another rabies
vaccination, even though he had one in 1999. I guess in some states there
is no choice as to how often we vaccinate for rabies?
Response:
yes Fla does require yearly vacinations for rabies. I think also but may be
wrong, you need to check when you get here, and you have to get a household license
for pets, rather than an individual one.
Rabies here is a real problem especially in the summer, there are always
rabid racoons coming out of the woods each year. Eglin reservation backs up
to this whole area,many, many thousands of acres, lots of wildlife, so
better safe than sorry.
If you need a good vet when you get here let me know I would be glad to
recommend mine.
Janet L Cook
Jeri
Take care and have a good night,
Denise
Ironic that this comes up. A veterinarian at the Auburn University College
of Veterinary Medicine is doing research on the proposition that small
dogs need to be vaccinated less often for rabies, etc. In fact, my two
doxies are involved (since he's our regular vet). He does blood tests
periodically to determine if there's still enough vaccine in their system.
His work is ongoing, but so far our puppers are not getting annual
vaccinations before their blood tests indicate they don't need it.
Heartworm isnt a worm that lives outside of the body. It lives in the blood
stream and in the heart cavity. It is only transmitted through mosquitoes.
Now I have been told by people in CA that they have no mosquitoes and then
VOILA! dogs there turn up heartworm positive. I would think that as weather
patterns alter and winters become less severe, we will see even more of it.
What if you traveled with your dog and it got bit one time? That is all it
takes. Depending on the preventative you use, it works just a little
differently. It is becoming more wide spread all the time. Treating it is
expensive while the preventative is cheap. The treatment also carries a
relatively high risk factor as you are poisoning the worms to kill them.
Seeing a dog die that way is not a pretty thing. Have your dog tested and
put on preventative. I live in southern IN and stay on preventative year
round. I have a blood test for all my dogs every 2 - 3 years. Vets do it
all different ways.
DRNA
http://www.drna.org
Heartworm can indeed survive in Canada. I live in Ottawa, which is 250 miles
north of Toronto and we there have been cases in the surrounding area. I
have my 2 dachsies tested and medicated every year. The temperature here
during the summer is very often over 30C (90F). The vet did warn against
getting the everything-in-one pill (heartworm,lyme disease, flea control).
He says it's too much to put into any dog.
Liane,
I have heard similar accusations about rabies and heartworm shots being
unneeded for small dogs. A lot of alternative medicinal reports give studies
and statistics on the above. Just go into your local health food store and
pick up a free copy of the store magazine.
I believe in the heartworm test. I'm not sure about the rabies.
I do also, I am presently fostering a doxie who was diagnosed with
heartworm, prevention would have been so much easier for her than what she
has to go thru now. what with the treatment itself and now she has 6 weeks
of having to be on leash or cage, and it is hard to keep her inactive for
so long, she loves running around the back yard.
Janet
Regarding the discussion about individual states having different
requirements about rabies vaccinations. When we moved from Nebraska to
Missouri almost three years ago, we moved from a state which requires
rabies shots only every 3 years (Nebraska) to one which requires it every
year (Missouri). Next month we are moving to Colorado--I haven't found out
yet what their requirements are. Yes, I guess you have to go on what the
laws are in your state or area.
Mickey
with CocoaPuff and Butch
I do also, I am presently fostering a doxie who was diagnosed with
heartworm, prevention would have been so much easier for her than what she
has to go thru now. what with the treatment itself and now she has 6 weeks
of having to be on leash or cage, and it is hard to keep her inactive for
so long, she loves running around the back yard.
I'm not sure about the Heartworm meds not being necessary where you live,
but I have heard similar reports regarding the fact that they're
discovering that these annual vaccines are causing problems, physically, in
some dogs and cats.
Question:
I know that some vets don't like to vaccinate small dogs every year. Here in
Virginia the law requires a vaccine every three years.
Not only do you need the yearly rabies vaccinations, you also need the
heartworm preventative so Zoomer will also have to be checked for heartworms
yearly too.
Thanks, Janet. I appreciate your quick response, as I am taking Zoomie for
this rabies vaccination tomorrow and don't want to be doing the wrong thing.
I will follow up with you on the name of the vet.