Dog flu...

[bubbatd]

My Vet Clinic sends out notices ..... none received on this . They limit shots , so I trust them .

[elegy]

there's been a lot of talk about it in the area- on the news, boarding kennels. we have one local boarding kennel that strongly recommends it and are leaning toward requiring it. one local vet's office requires it for boarding.

the vets i work for have no interest in carrying it. even if we did, i doubt i'd get it for my dogs. i don't even get them bordetella vaccines even though we're at the training club every weekend.

[Lizmo]

Yeah, if it wasn't required for boarding, Blaze wouldn't have his KC vaccine, and we're around dogs alot.

[Brattina88]

Do you board a lot Lizmo?
Here, even if given the vaccine, if it wasn't done in the past 6mos you have to get it done again anyway. waste if you ask me

[Sher]

Well, I guess I learn something new in here every day. I would have thought everyone would be very vaccine conscious. Who knew? I sure didn't. I have never seen this discussed before.
I can't believe I even saw this:

Originally Posted by ACooper

add me to the list of limited vacs.
I do rabies because it's the law

I truly thought everyone believed in rabies shots... Why am I getting my dog shots every year? Why have I been thinking that is the right thing to do? Do you all give heartworm meds or flea treatments? Do your vets get upset with you for not getting the shots they recommend or do they agree with you?

[Lolas Dad]

I do the Da2pp every year and have only done the Bordatella because it is reqiured by the therapy dog group. She never had the bordatella before that. Rabies is done every three years so she can be registered.

I also do front line year round and Interceptor year round. I myself have never done a flue shot even after I had pneumonia about 5 years ago so I don't think I am going to do a flu shot for the dog. Especially after seeing a women was neurologically effected by it on the news tonight

flu shot side effects paralysis - Google Search

[DanL]

Originally Posted by Sher

Well, I guess I learn something new in here every day. I would have thought everyone would be very vaccine conscious. Who knew? I sure didn't. I have never seen this discussed before.
I can't believe I even saw this:



I truly thought everyone believed in rabies shots... Why am I getting my dog shots every year? Why have I been thinking that is the right thing to do? Do you all give heartworm meds or flea treatments? Do your vets get upset with you for not getting the shots they recommend or do they agree with you?

It's one thing to be vaccine conscious, it's another to over vaccinate. We do blood titers on our dogs in lieu of giving them shots they don't need. My GSD is almost 5 years old, he hasn't had a parvo or distemper shot since he was a pup, and every year his blood test comes back with results indicating he doesn't need a booster, so he doesn't get one. Same with our Dane. We only do rabies because it's required by law- they really don't need that one either once it's been given once or twice. We don't do bordatella as we never board our dogs. If we had to board them, then I might get the shot.

My vet doesn't get upset. They don't sell me a shot but they collect more $$ for the blood work. They still get the office visit fee too. I'd rather pay more and know my dogs aren't getting stuff they don't need.

I do heartworm, but only every 45 days. I only did flea preventative once this summer, and I don't do it year round, but we have never had a flea issue here. I like the flea preventative that also has the mosquito repellent in it, as we have them bad here, but the one we got this year didn't have that so I didn't bother using it more than the one time.

[colliewog]

Originally Posted by Sher

I truly thought everyone believed in rabies shots... Why am I getting my dog shots every year? Why have I been thinking that is the right thing to do? Do you all give heartworm meds or flea treatments? Do your vets get upset with you for not getting the shots they recommend or do they agree with you?

The AAHA (American Animal Hospital Association) has even come out in support of limited vaccines, it just happens to be that some vets prefer to vaccinate everyone for everything available, either because they have their own agenda or want to make $$. In many of their minds (not all, but I have been told this by a few), it's the only way to get the dogs in the clinic for their annual exam (and for some people, that is the only reason they go in). But for a conscientious owner, who takes the dogs in for regular exams, administers HW preventative (albeit at a lower than manufacturer recommended dosage) and knows if my dog holds a whisker crooked, not vaccinating doesn't bother my vets in the least. They know I wouldn't take any chances with their health and we discuss anything new or any outbreaks in the area. I actually boostered parvo a few years back because there was an epidemic and we were trialing almost every weekend, so more chance for exposure, but now that we're trialing infrequently, they are not at risk so only get rabies to protect them from crazy people more than rabid animals.

[Lizmo]

Originally Posted by Sher

I truly thought everyone believed in rabies shots... Why am I getting my dog shots every year? Why have I been thinking that is the right thing to do? Do you all give heartworm meds or flea treatments? Do your vets get upset with you for not getting the shots they recommend or do they agree with you?

Nope, alot of people believe that a dog really only needs one rabies shot in it's life. Canadians don't even vaccinate for rabies because it's not required. We do it annually because it's required by law that all dogs be vaccinated with rabies either every year or every 3 years - depending on where you live.

I've just started doing limited vaccines after talking with people I trust and I know have done their homework on the issue.

My vet hasn't questioned me when I told him I just wanted a rabies shot. Though, he did give me lots of pamplets on a bunch of stuff.

Besides, I'm not going to a vet for anything I can do myself. I can purchases regular shots for way cheaper than my vet charges.

[MandyPug]

Originally Posted by Lizmo

Canadians don't even vaccinate for rabies because it's not required.

It is actually law here that dogs must be vaccinated for rabies. However as far as the city knows, i do not have dogs at all... So i don't get anything past puppy shots for mine.

The British Isles don't have rabies so they don't have to get their dogs vaccinated for it. Same with Hawaii.