Regarding vaccines.... Has anyone used Titers yet?

[Owen's Mom]

I'm very concerned about over vaccinating, espeically since Willi just got so sick .... I posted a question about Titers on a health board, as I'm considering it for Owen. Here's the link http://acmepet.petsmart.com/club/bboard/fur/health/messages0722/1463.html I don't know how long you'll be able to access it, but probably close to a week, the board moves fast.

Please take the time to read through the thread and lets discuss together here http://dachsie.org/ubb/smilies/biggrin.gif

Thanks
~~Amy~~

[Mickamack]

To vaccinate or not to vaccinate, that is the question...

Amy, I just read the board, and have a few questions, first of which is "What is titers?" I never heard the term before, but it sounds like a blood test determine certain levels of immunity for diseases. Is that right or close?

I'm not really sure how I feel about vaccinations. Mickey is the only dog I know who's had reactions like this to vaccines. I didn't even know it was possible until it happened to him.

And to be honest, I am a bit concerned about vaccines, because I know that sometimes they can trigger a case of AutoImmune Hemolytic Anemia. My Buddy died of that about 2 years ago. He didn't get it from vaccines...it could be caused by a number of factors, but vaccines is one of the most common. Needless to say, I'm a bit sensitive and worried that I never have another doggie go through that.

Were people on that board suggesting that check only titers for immunity levels and no vaccines, or were they saying get the inital puppy vaccines, then no boosters, checking only titers after that?

I guess it's very confusing to me because I know absolutely nothing about it, and have never researched it. I would however, be interested to hear what others think about this subject. I'd love to hear if people think the benefits of vaccines outweigh the dangers.

[Owen's Mom]

You should ask them... they're great about answering questions... just add to the thread, tell them your experience and ask for more specifics. Your questions are excellent and I'd love to know too http://dachsie.org/ubb/smilies/biggrin.gif

~~Amy~~

[Mickamack]

I just posted, so we'll see what we get.

[Penny's Aunt]

I recently had a brief conversation with my vet about titers. She said that an animal (dog or cat, but more cats are showing up with cancer lumps at the vacc sites) must have all its puppy or kitten shots, then several annual boosters, then you can start checking titers. I also faintly remember an English vet journal 'Net document that said you might be able to reduce the vaccs to once every three years, but I don't remember when they said you could start.

By the way, at another dog board, someone said that the titers cost more than the vaccs, which was interesting. I wonder if that included the office call & the drawing of the blood as well as the blood tests?

The trouble with getting an accurate answer to titer questions from your vet is that vaccinations are a major source of income for the vet. I suspect that they will NOT be the first ones to suggest checking titers or vaccinations only once every several years. Of course, that's just my cynical opinion.

I wonder how the vet schools feel about it? Hmmmm, maybe we should ask a few questions?

[SandyLynn]

I'm just beginning to catch up here after an ordeal with one of my dachsies (she almost died from severe hemorrhagic gastroenteritis) - more about that later. Anyway, I've had distemper titers done on two of my dogs, and both have an acceptable level of antibodies. One is 14 1/2, and I stopped her annual boosters in 1995. The other is a 13 year-old rescue dog who, I presume, had regular annual boosters, since her owners' daughter was a vet tech. I'll be having titers done soon on two other dogs, both in their teens. I have one 3-year old rescue dachsie who had never even been vaccinated for rabies, so I will probably get one or two more DHPP boosters for him, then start doing titers.

The info from Penny's Aunt matches pretty well with what I've learned from various sources.Our holistic vet didn't mention titers years ago when she told us to stop vaccinating our middle-aged dogs who'd had several annual boosters. I attended two workshops by Dr.Jean Dodds (a veterinary immunologist and founder of Hemopet, a canine blood bank) in which she recommended doing titers. I also found out that some boarding kennels will accept a positive titer test in place of vaccination.

I think this is one of those areas where holistic vets are YEARS ahead of conventional veterinary medicine, just as they were with such things as glucosamine/chondroitin sulfate/MSM for joint problems (my paralyzed dachsie was given these 12 years ago!), naturally preserved foods, and acupuncture. I'm cynical too, Penny's Aunt: I think conventional veterinary medicine won't accept a new "alternative" until it finds a way to profit from it. Witness the major drug companies now marketing the same herbs for people that some of us have been buying in health food stores for years.

[wireweiners]

I think we had this discussion several months ago. We had one of our local vets give a presentation to our kennel club on vaccinations this past spring. He said that Colorado State and Texas A&M are recommending that puppies and kittens have the regular series of shots, that adults have annual shots every year until 3 years old, then every other year until age 8. After age 8, it would depend on the individual situation. For example if the dog went to a lot of shows or was boarded a lot, you still might want to give boosters. If it was a stay at home pet, you could probably stop giving them. The thing that stuck in my mind was he said that shots should not be given routinely but should be treated as medical procedures and the needs of the individual animal should be evaluated on a case by case basis. You should still take your pets to the vet annually for a check up even if you don't vaccinate annually. Of course the timing of rabies shots is governed by state law. This is very controversial among vets as shots are a major source of income for them but most of the progressive vets and vet schools have changed their recommendations about vaccination frequency.

SandyLynn, Wheeler had HGE when he was around a year old and I almost lost him. Scared the bejeezus out of me. Hope your baby is feeling better.