Can we talk about vaccinations?

It's time for Brinkley's yearly visit. He's only due for Leptospirosis and Lyme. I did a bunch of research on the Rabies vaccination before I realized he doesn't need it until 2012. I'm going to find out if we can run a test to see the level of immunity in his blood before giving him the vaccine again. The only thing I have to find out is if it's still legal, if you have a letter from your vet that the titer test has been done and is sufficient. Does anyone know?

I know Shorty and Rojerono have lost dogs to Lepto in the past 2 years, so it's obvious there's a risk here. But did you know that the vaccine is only for certain strains? That they could have the vaccine and still get Lepto? And that it only lasts an average of 16 weeks in their bodies?

I'm still going to give him the shot since we routinely take walks in parks and on the beach. Lepto is a big risk in fresh water, and we do take them to the pond at Blydenburgh. Plus Brinkley is a scavenger and if there's animal urine around, he's going to find it.

Then there's Lyme, which has some scary implications. The vaccination itself can make them very sick, up to 45 days after the shot! But in Suffolk, we're in a high incidence area, and again the park visits are the biggest danger. Hell, my neighbor saw deer walking down my block this summer. It's not out of the realm of possibility.

My head hurts. I know I should be educating myself, but there are so many pros and cons here that it's hard to make a decision one way or another on these things sometimes.

What do you guys think about all this? What do your vets say, especially about Lyme?

Re: Can we talk about vaccinations?

Now that I am moving to a wooded area, I will be speaking to my vet about ticks and lymes. I know in the past, my vet said it was hard to tell if they had lyme or it was the antibodies to the vaccine, so he never liked to givec it unless it was a high risk population.

I am not sure if I am saying that the right way...that was years ago but I do need to discuss this again with my vet.

My vet gives the lepto every year and I agree. I didnt know about the strains but some is better than none I guess. And I would think even if it's shorter lived than a year, there must be some memory in the memory cells if they DO come into contact with it and that is better than nothing.

Ugh, all so worrisome. Not sure about your rabies ? . I give it when it is due, without much hesitation since it's transmissible to humans should they get bit.

Message edited 10/23/2010 11:00:50 PM.