Re: All of You-shots and the likes

[Linda Shipman <Linda.Shipman@chezor.alaska.com>]

At 09:35 PM 6/12/00 -0700, Gina wrote:
>There are also those who don't vaccinate beyond a modified puppy schedule 
>and do titer testing there after only boosting for what titers come up 
>low.  Linda and Perry I believe do titer testing and they could tell us 
>more about it from their personal research and experience.

Hi all....

I can only speak from our personal experience with Iris.  Angel's not
old enough yet for us to have started titering to see how her puppy
vaccinations are holding up. I believe Deb McFail also titers her goldens
and perhaps she will share her experience in this area too.

I did a quick search for reference web sites in regards to this 
issue.  Following
are some of the better ones.  Each of the articles brings a different perspec-
tive to the issue, but I think you'll find a common thread among all of them.

http://www.altvetmed.com/vaccine.html
http://www.bogartsdaddy.com/bouvier/Health/Vaccination.htm
http://www.ighawaii.com/naturally/newsletter/dogvaccination.html
http://www.beardiehealth.com/VACCINATION.htm

Now for me, having a lifetime interest in medicine and alternative health, this
makes for interesting reading ;-)  But if you don't want to plow through all of
these articles, here's the gist of it....

The professional vet associations are in the process or have changed their
recommendations, along with the University of Colorado Veterinary School,
to giving vaccinations every three years instead of every year.

Documented studies have shown that immunity from the vaccinations
quite often lasts more than a year and that yearly vaccinations are not
necessarily 100% proof against contracting disease. There is also more
attention being paid to side effects that seemingly occur within a month
of vaccinations.....ear infections, hot spots, auto-immune diseases....are
just a few.

To reassure yourself and your vet that your animal is protected, you can
titer the blood of your dog to see if it has built up antibodies to diseases.

Though two of these sites talk about other breeds, there have been reports
within the larger golden community of vaccination problems.

Now...several caveats....

Puppies need protection, so please don't regard this as applying to them.

Titers may be more expensive than vaccinations.  I think each titer for a
specific disease cost us $30-$40 (it may cost less down south where the
cost of living is less).  Iris is tested for parvovirus and distemper.

In Juneau, at least, our dogs are not exposed to a lot of diseases that are
present down south (I'm thinking of corona and lepto, for instance).  You
would need to research this further and talk to your vet to verify if 
titers are
available for diseases present in your locale.

Following is our experience on a practical level with Iris. She will be
four years old next week.  Other than appointments for health certificates
needed to travel out of state, Iris rarely has reason to see the vet.  She's
too healthy :-)  And I think that is in large part why our vet, who was 
initially
opposed to titering, instead of vaccinating, has been won over to this newer
protocol.

Iris was given all her puppy shots within the first four months. When
the next reminder came to update her vaccinations a year later, in
October, I asked the vet to please titer her blood first to see what
antibodies she retained against certain diseases.  Her titers were very
high.  She did not need to be re vaccinated.

Titers have remained high when tested in October 97, 98 and 99.  Our vet,
who was skeptical at first, is very comfortable now with the protocol we've
established.

I offer this information, not to convince, but to give you a full picture of
the vaccination issue, to make an informed decision as your dog matures.

Truly,

Linda
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Linda Shipman
Juneau, Alaska
Linda.Shipman@chezor.alaska.com
http://www.chezor.alaska.com
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