I recently phoned one of my old vets to get them to forward me Manchego’s vet records. When I told the receptionist (possibly vet tech?) that my new vet wanted to review his vaccination history she told me that I didn’t need to worry about getting the records, he should be vaccinated every year so I could just go ahead and vaccinate him again. I almost fell over when she said this. First of all, We haven’t been to that vet in 6.5 years, she has NO IDEA what we have been doing for that time and when he was last vaccinated not to mention the fact that he has an auto-immune disorder. And more importantly I was shocked at the lack of education that the people at this clinic seem to have regarding updated vaccination protocols. After speaking to many friends their veterinarians seem to hold the same outdated belief that pets should be vaccinated yearly!
I would like to make people aware that there is a lot of current research out there and the AVMA recommends most vaccinations every 3 years now (including Rabies). Be sure to check the regulations in your area and as always research, research, research to make sure your pet needs the vaccinations your vet is recommending!
Dr. Ron Shultz, an immunologist from the University of Wisconsin had this to say:
“With the exception of rabies, the vaccines for CDV, CPV-2 and CAV trigger an immunological memory of at least seven years,” he explains. (Studies testing the duration of immunity for rabies shots show it lasts about three years.)
For these reasons, Schultz suggests that dogs receive rabies shots every three years (as is required by law in most states) and the other core vaccines no more frequently than every three years.
But vaccines are perfectly safe, why not give them yearly?
Because vaccinations are not harmless. They can cause a whole host of problems and chronic conditions in our dogs:
But, as many veterinarians are realizing, over-vaccination can actually jeopardize a dog’s health and even life. Side effects can cause skin problems, allergic reactions and autoimmune disease.
So please, learn the laws and regulations in your area and be sure to research which vaccines your pets actually needs! Also be aware that sick animals should not get vaccines as stated on the vaccination labels. Some states have exemptions for animals who are sick so check your local laws.
For more information on vaccinations and duration of immunity visit:
- Rabies Challenge Fund
- Schultz: Dog vaccines may not be necessary
- Pet Vaccinations, Titer Testing & Homeopathic Nosodes, by Dr. Rehanni Khaseipoul, DVM
- Study on Duration of Immunity to Canine Vaccines, by Dr. Peter Dobias, DVM
- How Much Money are You Wasting on Pet Vaccines? by Dr. Karen Becker, DVM
- Learn about Titer testing
More Articles from Blog the Change for Animals:
Lara Elizabeth says
Thanks for writing about an important topic and your dog has the greatest name!
Jan K says
My beagle has had non life threatening reactions to more than one of her vaccines, which caused me to look into this issue more closely. We were vaccinating yearly, but now we do every three years. My vet was open to a discussion on this and understood my concerns with yearly vaccines. Unfortunately some people may not be starting that discussion and blindly believe what their vet tells them (the vets blindly believe what the drug manufacturers tell them!), so I think it is great that you have shared this information!
Angel The Alien says
I got my dog the three-year vaccination that was rabies combined with some other things. I did it at her doggie daycare, which was offering a discounted clinic. Now I always get the notices from my veterinarian telling me that she is due for her vaccination, even though they have the record saying her vaccination is still good for another two years! I didn’t want to get her vaccinated unnecessarily because I don’t want her to go through the trauma for no reason, plus it costs a lot. But I didn’t know it could also be dangerous to get extra vaccinations! Thanks for the info!
Sarah says
Thank you! He came with that name but I had to keep it because it was so unique!
Sarah says
Thanks for reading, sorry about the vaccine damage to your dog! Make sure you read the article by Dr. Rehanni, she is also a homeopath and believes you can reverse vaccine damage with homeopathy.
Sarah says
Thanks for reading! I’m glad I could offer more info!
KimT says
This is a very hot topic these days, and one that would surely make a difference for our pets. I can’t believe what that receptionist said to you! I’ll be checking out your links – thanks for so much information!
And thank you for blogging the change for animals,
KimT
http://www.btc4animals.com
Pup Fan says
Thanks for sharing this info and for the links – I’m definitely going to check them out. It seems that I’ve been hearing more about this recently. Some of the reactions to the vaccines are scary and it does make me wonder how much we still have to learn in this area.
A.J.
BtC4Animals.com