Moral dilemma: Bordatella vaccine

[elegy]

Originally Posted by Emily

I don't know, I don't consider Bordatella a particularly "risky" vaccine for a healthy dog, just kind of a dumb one. So how strongly to do you feel about the vaccine, and how strongly do you feel about swimming? It's up to you.

That's pretty much where I fall. I don't give it because I don't feel my dogs need it, but they had to all get it in order to board last spring, so they did. If Steve had to get a bordetella vaccine in order to swim? He'd get the bordetella vaccine.

[smkie]

Has anyone else seen a reaction like Victor has? He acts like he has a migraine, like it hurts to even shift his head. It lasts for a couple days.

[crazedACD]

Originally Posted by smkie

Has anyone else seen a reaction like Victor has? He acts like he has a migraine, like it hurts to even shift his head. It lasts for a couple days.

Yes, not unheard of. I've also seen some notations of nasal tumors in vaccinated dogs, though that may not be a causation. There's a lot of interesting theories about vaccines and although I'm not an extreme conspiracy theorist, I can't ignore some of it. I very minimally vaccinate my dogs. It's been at least four years since I've given the parvo/distemper though I've been considering doing it lately. All my dogs have had a series of puppy vax though and maybe two boosters.

It's important to remember too, that even though the vaccine might be kind of dumb, kennel cough isn't always something to take lightly. I've certainly heard of dogs dying from it, though they usually have a compromised immune system (old, stressed dogs).

I had three dogs get KC indirectly and they were fine. Then years later just healthy Soldier got it...and his rapidly got pretty bad. He was just laying there wheezing, couldn't eat, was miserable. Had to take him into the vet for fluids and antibiotics. So yeah, it can get kind of serious depending on the strain I think.

[crazedACD]

Oh! And the three dogs that got it, were the only dogs we had at the time, and all three were vaccinated. None of them had been anywhere near other dogs, but I worked at a kennel that had KC going through it at the time. I was able to pass the virus from my clothes/shoes onto my vaccinated dogs. Yeah, the vaccine works SO well..sigh.

[CharlieDog]

Originally Posted by elegy

That's pretty much where I fall. I don't give it because I don't feel my dogs need it, but they had to all get it in order to board last spring, so they did. If Steve had to get a bordetella vaccine in order to swim? He'd get the bordetella vaccine.

This pretty much sums up my feelings on it too.

All of mine had to have it to come to work with me, but after I did it once I never did it again, and they didn't care. None of mine ever got sick with it in the two years I worked there either, even though they only had it once.

Enzo got it a week or so after she got the vaccine at the first daycare I worked at though. I was slightly worried she'd get it again the second time she got it, but she was fine that time, even though it was several years later.

[sillysally]

My dogs go to classes, swimming, and get boarded at least once a year, so I generally get it done. I don't see the vaccine as that big of a deal.

[AussieLove]

Coming from a family of vets, I personally wouldn't do it. The vaccine only "protects" against a few strains of Bordetella while there are a whole lot more out there, this summer we saw a pretty nasty strain pop up in our clinics. But it's your dog, you are the one that will make that decision.