google canine vaccinosis and start reading. there's a ton of information out there, some of it good, some of it a bit off the deep end. i think reading a lot and forming your own opinion is the best thing you can do.
personally i fall in the middle. herd immunity is an extremely powerful thing, and as more and more people stop vaccinating, pets become more at risk and diseases become more prolific. it happens in people as well. measles was considered to have been eliminated from the us in 2000, but in 2005 there was an outbreak among school age children who had not been vaccinated appropriately.
anyway, i do rabies and dhlpp (yes, with lepto, because lepto has been on the rise as well) every three years.
Good post. Many people think that several diseases have been eradicated because we don't hear of infections from them, but the truth is that vaccinations are protecting their animals. When you stop vaccinating, that disease your so ignorantly thought had "disappeared" claims your dog's life & the many more of those that were not properly vaccinated.
Leptospriosis is on the rise because many people have stopped vaccinating for it. And thanks to them, there is a much higher risk of contracting the virus than previously due to it's rate of infection increase.
With that said, I vaccinate all dogs with Rabies on a yearly basis. Why? Because it's required by law & it's foolish to argue against the local law enforcement on this issue & if something happens, your dog will be the one to pay....& probably with his life. However, not all states require a yearly rabies vaccination.
I vaccinate with 8in1 vaccines every other year. All dogs receive heartworm prevention & Panacur (dewormer) on a monthly basis.
And the reality is that vaccine reactions are not the norm. But of course, it's made to appear that way because all you ever hear about is those reactions.....you never hear about the remaining millions of dogs that have no problems whatsoever.
If I followed that logic, I would be demanding that all the Penicillin drugs be taken off the market. Why? Because they will kill me. Screw the other people whose lives those drugs have saved.