# Found out today my puppy can never be vaccinated :(



## Abbie_Hope (Oct 16, 2011)

Hi..

My puppy had his first set of shots (other than his 6 week puppy shots) a fewweeks ago at about 10 weeks. He had a bad reaction and threw up. They said he would just need a booster from now on. Well, then he developed a complete bald spot where the vaccine was placed on the back of his neck. My vet told me this happens to about 1 in 10,000 dogs and I will never be able to vaccinate him because the effects for him are too dangerous and bad. This means I can never walk him and I have to be super careful. I am really upset about it and just afraid for my little boy. Has this ever happened to anyone else or does anyone have any advice for me?

Please help. Thank you.


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## DJEtzel (Dec 28, 2009)

If he got his first shot, I would titer test at about 4-5 months to see if any of it stuck to see if he is actually covered so that you don't have to be careful/never walk him. Then I would proceed depending on the answer to that.


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## trainingjunkie (Feb 10, 2010)

I would get a second opinion. 

If it turned out that the first opinion was correct, I would go about life as normal with my dog. I would just take my chances and let the dog live a normal and big life. I would also Rabies vaccinate and just live with the adverse reaction. 

I had one that had had a bad reaction. His head swelled and he was having trouble breathing. He had to be kept overnight and given epi from then on whenever he was vaccinated. I kinew the risks but chose to vaccinate him fully as a pup. Then on to titers except for rabies.

For me, risking the reaction was a better bet than not vaccinating. But every owner will have to decide that for themselves. It will depend on disease prevelance in your area, breed of dog, and magnitude of reaction I guess.

Get a second opinion.


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## Abbie_Hope (Oct 16, 2011)

My baby is nearly 3 lbs. My vet said in a few weeks well do the rabies vaccination bc that is the only one we need to risk & it won't affect him as bad as thew others like parvo. I am so nervous about it because he is so small and fragile. Can this affect his life span at all?


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## animalcraker (Nov 9, 2006)

Honestly I would get a second opinion. Of all the vaccines to cause a reaction typically rabies is the most lilkely one for it to occur with. Vomiting, diarrhea, swelling, or hives up to 24 hours after a vaccine is given are considered vaccine reactions and your dog should be given an anti-histamine prior to any addtional vaccines. Since your dog vommited after the vaccine he should be given a pre-shot before any vaccines are given.

A bald spot after the vaccine is an uncommon possible side effect, but there is no indication that your pet should never be vaccinated after having a side effect. My Dachshund developed the same thing after his rabies vaccine a few years ago. The hair grew back and there are no long term issues with him geting vaccines.

If your pup went into anaphylaxis shock then that would be a different story and it would most likey be recomended that you pet not recieve vaccines ever again, but from you origninal post it doesn't sound like this is the case with your pup.

Dogs would a vaccine reactors live perfectly normal healthy lives, their owners and vets just be to be aware of the reactions and take proper precautions. If you got your puppy from a breeder I would let them know that your pup is a vaccine reactor so they are aware and can try to take precautions with any future breedings.


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## Pawzk9 (Jan 3, 2011)

I'm guessing it was a combo vaccination? Some vaccinations are more likely to have bad reactions than others, and can be avoided. And they don't all have to be given at the same time. Quite honestly, I'd get a second opinion too. I'm not a vet, but not sure barfing and getting a bald spot is such a severe reaction that the pup could never have another vaccination. That said, after the booster at a year, I titer except for rabies. (3 year)


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## agility collie mom (Jan 26, 2008)

What did the vaccine include? Some vets do a 5-way (ex.VANGUARD PLUS 5 is approved for vaccination of healthy dogs 6 weeks of age or older as an aid in preventing canine distemper caused by canine distemper (CD) virus, infectious canine hepatitis (ICH) caused by canine adenovirus type 1 (CAV-1), respiratory disease caused by canine adenovirus type 2 (CAV-2) , canine parainfluenza caused by canine parainfluenza (CPI) virus, and canine parvoviral enteritis caused by canine parvovirus (CPV),

some do a 7-way (ex vaccination against canine distemper, adenovirus cough, hepatitis, parainfluenza, parvovirus, and two (or four) types of leptospirosis.)

There is a vaccine that contains only the parvo and distemper: Progard Puppy-DPv
(Intervet Schering-Plough) Distemper + Parvovirus Modified live. Progard Puppy-DPv is for protection against canine distemper and parvovirus CPV Strain 154.

I agree with the others. A severe reactions would include hives, facial swelling, swelling of airways and shock.


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## Abbie_Hope (Oct 16, 2011)

Wow this is interesting, thank you all SO much for the advice. I am scheduled for his rabies shot in january, should I talk to the vet about taking the risk and having him vaccinated? I really like the vet we have right now, he is so kind. But do I just set up an appointment with a different vet all together? There are two vets in my area. I just want what is best for my little man!


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## stacey101 (Sep 20, 2010)

I'd also get a second opinion, i've never heard of this before but its possible without a doubt


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## Bordermom (Apr 28, 2010)

Of my three, Ticket had a combo shot by the breeder before I took him home. Storee did not have any vaccinations ever. Kilt had her first combo shot again with the breeder. I titer test and the two older ones were fine, Storee actually has the better immunity for the most part.

I don't keep them in a bubble, Storee was born at the breeder's place which is also a boarding kennel, same with Kilt (different breeders). Be careful not to go to high risk areas (vet clinic floors, dog parks, pet stores that sell puppies, shelters, etc.) and you should be ok. In the future you may want to talk to the vet about either doing titeres only, or separate vaccines (so just one disease at a time), and even doing a skin vaccine - they scratch the skin a bit then put a drop of the vaccine on the area instead of injecting it. Keep in mind the next reaction would likely be worse, not better.


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## Charis (Jul 12, 2009)

You may consider a second opinion or treatment around the vaccine for a reaction. Sierra (in my siggy) is possibly vaccine reactive. She swelling up and wheezed some within 24 hours of her vaccines and also directly after being exposed to cat nip. The vet isn't sure which it is but has opted to treat with strong antihistamines and steroids that time. I have switched vets since and described the reaction to the new vet's office who said they would prefer to vaccinate her first thing in the morning (0700, 0730) and to hold her for several hours afterwards if I was uncomfortable taking her home. They said the would also like to do it on a Monday vs. a Friday so they are open the next day in case anything occurs. 
You will have to make a plan with your vet dependent on your dog. Personally my dog is small enough (24 pounds) I don't want to risk the disease. We live in a very dog friendly area, with a large dog park (we enjoy going to) and dog bakery and going out to eat with them. Sierra loves going with us and she would be miserable being left at home or being carried everywhere. I think far to many dogs are around here to not track in disease and her immunity is imperative. You should work out a plan with your vet on what is best for your dog.


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## osdbmom (Feb 15, 2011)

My dog zoey has had reactions....the first time I took her for shots, she ran a temp, shook, vomited, had diarrhea, felt miserable for a long while. We discussed risks and benefits at length with the vets. What we decided to do is....ALWAYS premed her with steroids and benedryl, separate ALL her shots....no combo shots, never more than one shot at a time....with several weeks in between, and she always hangs at the vets for a good 30-40 minutes to make sure.
I think it might be worth it to explore an option like that. 

But, sometimes it just doesnt work out....two of my kids cannot be vaccinated, at all, ever. I jsut have to be careful with them.


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## melgrj7 (Sep 21, 2007)

I have a cat who is sensitive to vaccines, so she would get an antihistamine shot before the vaccine. Sometimes using a vaccine from a different manufacturer can make a difference as well.


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## hanksimon (Mar 18, 2009)

Ask the Vet, WHY your does is having a reaction, what is he reacting to exactly? Is it the serum, or the virus, or the antibodies.... it should be easy to find out, and shouldn't be a mystery.... because -
You may be able to talk to a local Vet College and get a different serum, or a different type of virus, or a slightly different shot (just like cowpox may help immunity against smallpox).

If you don't have a local Vet College, you Vet (or you) may be able to email them....


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## lil_fuzzy (Aug 16, 2010)

What about nasal vaccines instead?


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## wvasko (Dec 15, 2007)

A tad curious, never had one done as still in old school yearly vaccination program, what does a titer test cost.


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## DJEtzel (Dec 28, 2009)

wvasko said:


> A tad curious, never had one done as still in old school yearly vaccination program, what does a titer test cost.


We pay $42 for distemper/parvo boosters and will be paying $75 for a rabies titer when the time comes through Dr. Jean Dodds. Then $10 for the blood draw at our vet and $20 shipping. ~ $70 for the distemper/parvo tests in the past totalled. It'll be a little over $140 a dog for the distemper/paro + Rabies.


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## trainingjunkie (Feb 10, 2010)

It is my understanding that a titers for rabies does not meet the requirements for state vaccination laws. The shot must be given, titers or not. Perhaps it is different in your state.


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## DJEtzel (Dec 28, 2009)

trainingjunkie said:


> It is my understanding that a titers for rabies does not meet the requirements for state vaccination laws. The shot must be given, titers or not. Perhaps it is different in your state.


I'm not entirely sure about my state/area, I would have to look into it... 

But I don't care much either way to be honest. I'm titering.


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## Pawzk9 (Jan 3, 2011)

wvasko said:


> A tad curious, never had one done as still in old school yearly vaccination program, what does a titer test cost.


not particularly cheap. I have only titered for core (parvo/distemper) and am thinking it was around $60


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## Pawzk9 (Jan 3, 2011)

DJEtzel said:


> I'm not entirely sure about my state/area, I would have to look into it...
> 
> But I don't care much either way to be honest. I'm titering.


Well, then. You'll need to be hoping that your dog doesn't bite (or scratch, or anything else someone could freak out about and call AC) Because rabies vaccination isn't about protecting dogs. It's about human health. I had one severely epileptic dog that I didn't even bother titering. Even if he came back with a negative titer, I considered shots more dangerous to him than the possibility of disease. However, because he didn't seem able to tell the difference between a milk bone and an index finger, and because he really clamped his jaws when he was pre/post ictal I got the rabies shot every three years. Did use Thuja for some days before the shot, and he never had ill effects from it, though I almost lost him from a combo shot early in our relationship (three days of status).


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## sassafras (Jun 22, 2010)

Pawzk9 said:


> Well, then. You'll need to be hoping that your dog doesn't bite (or scratch, or anything else someone could freak out about and call AC) Because rabies vaccination isn't about protecting dogs. It's about human health.


It's also about giving your dog legal protections in case of a bite. Depending on your state or local ordinances, an unvaccinated dog who does not have a legally valid current rabies vaccine could possibly be seized and euthanized. Some states allow for a quarantine period under certain circumstances but it ain't something I'm gonna mess around with for my dogs.


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## trainingjunkie (Feb 10, 2010)

And no therapy dog organization will allow you to volunteer with a non-current rabies status.

Nor are you supposed to being a non-rabies vaccinated dog to shows.


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## DJEtzel (Dec 28, 2009)

Pawzk9 said:


> Well, then. You'll need to be hoping that your dog doesn't bite (or scratch, or anything else someone could freak out about and call AC) Because rabies vaccination isn't about protecting dogs. It's about human health. I had one severely epileptic dog that I didn't even bother titering. Even if he came back with a negative titer, I considered shots more dangerous to him than the possibility of disease. However, because he didn't seem able to tell the difference between a milk bone and an index finger, and because he really clamped his jaws when he was pre/post ictal I got the rabies shot every three years. Did use Thuja for some days before the shot, and he never had ill effects from it, though I almost lost him from a combo shot early in our relationship (three days of status).


You took my post way out of context. I never said I wasn't going to give rabies, I said that I didn't care what the laws were and that I was still titering. I want to know how they show, and I will try my hardest to use them as a valid credential in my area if I currently can't. Otherwise, I'll do a 3 year rabies. I'm not just going to pump chemicals into my dog because it's the norm though.


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## Abbie_Hope (Oct 16, 2011)

Thanks for the advice everyone, i look forward to seeing my vet again. I remember him mentioning it was something that wouldn't matter if we switched to a different brand or vaccines. Anyway, in time, will my puppy be able to develop his own immune system so I can take him out for walks? Or will he be an inside dog his whole life? I run him out in the backyard but it's just SO muddy and wet all the time it's a pain. I wish I could walk him!


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## samshine (Mar 11, 2011)

Parvo and distemper are the two diseases that you need to be concerned about because they have a high fatality rate and your dog WILL be exposed at some point. Your vet almost certainly used a combo shot which includes vaccine for other conditions besides parvo and distemper, but they are not considered "core" vaccines. Non-core vaccines are for diseases are either not as serious or risk of exposure is relatively low. They are optional and depend on your location and the dog's lifestyle. The more they put in each shot, the more likely to cause a reaction. 

Here's good news/bad news. The good news is that it really only takes one vaccine to give a puppy long term immunity. The bad news is that for an individual puppy we don't know if that long term immunity comes with the 8-9 week shot, the 12 week shot, or the 16 week shot. Puppies get maternal antibodies that protect from many diseases when they nurse in the first day or two of life. Those maternal antibodies gradually wear off and they need to drop down below a certain level before the vaccination can stimulate the puppy's own immune system to develop immunity. For about 85% of puppies, the maternal antibodies will be low enough for a vaccine to work when the puppy is 8-9 weeks old. By the time they are 12 weeks almost all (but not quite!) of the remaining puppies would develop immunity when vaccinated.

So there is a very good chance that you could have a parvo/distemper titer run on him 10-14 days after the vaccination he's already had, and find out that he is perfectly protected against parvo and distemper and does not need any more vaccinations until he's old enough for rabies. 

If you choose not to get the titers done, then you really MUST get the rest of the series of shots done. Your veterinarian could obtain a vaccine that contains only parvo/distemper/adenovirus which would have a lower risk of reation. It really is not possible to completely protect your puppy from exposure to parvo and distemper. It is everywhere. You can even bring parvo virus into your house on your shoes. Eventually, your dog would be exposed. 

Another very important reason to get either the titer tests or the next vaccination: your puppy is at the age where socialization is critical to his development. You want to expose your puppy - safely! - to as many things as you can. The things that your puppy is exposed to during this window of socialization are things that he will be comfortable with for the rest of his life. Things like running kids, bicycles, cars, big dogs, little dogs, loud noises, big men, people in hats, different surfaces under foot, lawnmowers (maybe snowblowers right now!) and on and on. 

The window of opportunity for socialization begins to slowly close at 12 weeks and the window is nearly shut by 16 weeks. If you keep him shut in your house and yard until after he is 16 weeks old, there is a much higher chance of him having permanent behavioral issues. He may get freaked out by certain things, and even if he later learns to tolerate those things he will never be truly comfortable around them. He will also have a hard time adapting to changes. A well socialized dog is comfortable in most situations and takes changes in stride.

Since I train and show my dogs, it is important that they be well socialized and comfortable in the hectic environment of a dog show. I've been in this game for over 25 years, so I know a lot of other show people and between us all we've had a LOT of dogs. We all make a point of socializing our puppies starting at around 12 weeks on average, after the second vaccine. We take our puppies to a SAFE training class, one that cleans well and checks that all puppies are current on their shot schedule. We take them for car rides, to friends houses with healthy vaccinated dogs, busy stores, etc. We AVOID pet stores, dog parks, and any place frequented by unknown dogs. I've never known a person who followed these steps to have a puppy catch parvo or distemper. 

Your best bet for a long happy life with your new puppy is to either titer or continue the vaccinations, and then socialize socialize socialize your puppy as much as you can in a safe manner. Please don't keep him isolated. You will regret it for the rest of his life.

Here's some links on socialization 
http://www.aspcabehavior.org/articles/83/Socializing-Your-Puppy.aspx
http://www.diamondsintheruff.com/earlysocialization.html


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## hanksimon (Mar 18, 2009)

You'll have to ask your Vet to titer to verify if he developed immunity. Otherwise he will have to be a mostly inside dog, unless the local Vet school has another suggestion for immunization.


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## Abbie_Hope (Oct 16, 2011)

samshine said:


> Parvo and distemper are the two diseases that you need to be concerned about because they have a high fatality rate and your dog WILL be exposed at some point. Your vet almost certainly used a combo shot which includes vaccine for other conditions besides parvo and distemper, but they are not considered "core" vaccines. Non-core vaccines are for diseases are either not as serious or risk of exposure is relatively low. They are optional and depend on your location and the dog's lifestyle. The more they put in each shot, the more likely to cause a reaction.
> 
> Here's good news/bad news. The good news is that it really only takes one vaccine to give a puppy long term immunity. The bad news is that for an individual puppy we don't know if that long term immunity comes with the 8-9 week shot, the 12 week shot, or the 16 week shot. Puppies get maternal antibodies that protect from many diseases when they nurse in the first day or two of life. Those maternal antibodies gradually wear off and they need to drop down below a certain level before the vaccination can stimulate the puppy's own immune system to develop immunity. For about 85% of puppies, the maternal antibodies will be low enough for a vaccine to work when the puppy is 8-9 weeks old. By the time they are 12 weeks almost all (but not quite!) of the remaining puppies would develop immunity when vaccinated.
> 
> ...



Thank you so much for your advice. I bring my dog to family gatherings every sunday (big italian family) and over to my boyfriends parents house a few times a week. I have exposed him to friends large german shepard who is really sweet and he loved it. I exposed him to a family members pug and he enjoyed playing as well. I bring him for car rides A LOT. He use to hate them but now he is very used to them and like them. I have people come over a few times a week and have everyone who comes in hold him so he gets exposed to people. I am not sure what else to do other than that. I think he is taking onto socialization very well bc when people come in the house he doesn't know, he wags his tail and acts very excited to greet them. I obviously want to do what is best for him and I hope I am doing an okay job. I will ask the vet about the titers when I go in January for his rabies shot. The vet told me we'd have to drop him off for the day so they can watch him  Thank you!


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## Miss Bugs (Jul 4, 2011)

my Happy can never be vaccinated due to bad reactions, her puppy vaccines landed her on IVs at the vets and her rabies vaccine caused a personality flip(a known side effect). I dont let it effect her life at all, I do everything with her that I do with any other dog, she is currently 11 years old, in exellent health, goes to dog parks, daycare, kennels, friends places, petstores, she is retired now but I competed with her in dozens of dogsports etc.. Rabies is not required in my area so I can get away without that one, I just cant ever take her accross the border.


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## Abbie_Hope (Oct 16, 2011)

Miss Bugs said:


> my Happy can never be vaccinated due to bad reactions, her puppy vaccines landed her on IVs at the vets and her rabies vaccine caused a personality flip(a known side effect). I dont let it effect her life at all, I do everything with her that I do with any other dog, she is currently 11 years old, in exellent health, goes to dog parks, daycare, kennels, friends places, petstores, she is retired now but I competed with her in dozens of dogsports etc.. Rabies is not required in my area so I can get away without that one, I just cant ever take her accross the border.


when did you start being able to take her places? Like for walks?


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## Miss Bugs (Jul 4, 2011)

honestly I started right away, I was just careful to wash her feet after being anywhere and I always kept collidial silver on hand, so I would wash her feet and pop a little collidial siver down her throat after I had been out with her, I did this till she was about 4 months old, then treated her like any other dog on earth.


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## Abbie_Hope (Oct 16, 2011)

Miss Bugs said:


> honestly I started right away, I was just careful to wash her feet after being anywhere and I always kept collidial silver on hand, so I would wash her feet and pop a little collidial siver down her throat after I had been out with her, I did this till she was about 4 months old, then treated her like any other dog on earth.


What is collidial siver? And do you give your dog any multivitamins? I want to be like you with your dog, I just worry bc he is only 3 lbs and I feel like if he got sick he might not be strong enough to recover.


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## DobermanGuy (Dec 16, 2011)

Abbie_Hope said:


> Wow this is interesting, thank you all SO much for the advice. I am scheduled for his rabies shot in january, should I talk to the vet about taking the risk and having him vaccinated? I really like the vet we have right now, he is so kind. But do I just set up an appointment with a different vet all together? There are two vets in my area. I just want what is best for my little man!


You would be doing yourself a service to get to know both Vets near you and see what they have to offer. Different Vets are not only going to have different prices but they will also have different levels of care that they can provide. Some are going to be much more skilled and better equipped to handle different things. :wave:

I am picky about the particular Brand of the vaccine used on my dogs. You should inquire about the particular brand that was used prior to the adverse reaction and consider using a different brand next time if at all possible. Your Vet will tell you exactly what was used if you just ask... You should also make SURE that the adverse reaction was reported to the vaccine manufacturer yourself... They can't calculate good statistics without being properly notified of the adverse reaction. Each manufacturer will have a different number you can call to report adverse reactions. 

I prefer to use Galaxy brand while my breeder prefers Fort Dodge...


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## onyxdog26 (Dec 16, 2011)

Was looking at the bald spot the only reason your vet said your dog could never be vaccinated? That is a pretty minor reaction. My dog had epilepsy and extreme vaccine reactions and we still vaccinated her with lots of precautions in place. She started going into anaphylactic shock (face swelling up, eyes swollen shut, throat swelling causing difficultly breathing, extreme itching) without being pretreated but once we knew that we gave her an injection of Benadryl and a steroid before her vaccines, split them up, and had her stay at the vet all day for monitoring and she did fine. We still gave her vaccines less often for her own safety but were able to get the vaccines built up in her system for immunity. As others have said, rabies is actually the least medically needed shot although it is required by law in most places. Your dog is much more likely to get parvo or distemper. I would talk to the vet about still vaccinating with precautions in place, at least until a titer shows an immunity is built up.


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## Abbie_Hope (Oct 16, 2011)

onyxdog26 said:


> Was looking at the bald spot the only reason your vet said your dog could never be vaccinated? That is a pretty minor reaction. My dog had epilepsy and extreme vaccine reactions and we still vaccinated her with lots of precautions in place. She started going into anaphylactic shock (face swelling up, eyes swollen shut, throat swelling causing difficultly breathing, extreme itching) without being pretreated but once we knew that we gave her an injection of Benadryl and a steroid before her vaccines, split them up, and had her stay at the vet all day for monitoring and she did fine. We still gave her vaccines less often for her own safety but were able to get the vaccines built up in her system for immunity. As others have said, rabies is actually the least medically needed shot although it is required by law in most places. Your dog is much more likely to get parvo or distemper. I would talk to the vet about still vaccinating with precautions in place, at least until a titer shows an immunity is built up.


yes! he looked at the bald spot and said since we saw him get sick (throw up) and now he has lost his hair there, that it is too dangerous. I mean, after he threw up they kept him at the vet all day but the vet did not tell me if anything else happened. And thank you, I have decided to talk to my vet about getting parvo and distemper down. I want to make sure he is safe. Thank you!


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## InkedMarie (Mar 11, 2009)

wvasko said:


> A tad curious, never had one done as still in old school yearly vaccination program, what does a titer test cost.


I paid $78 for a distemper/parvo titer test, at a holistic vets. This is for a then 16mos old brittany, she is all set for 3yrs and will be re-titered then. I'm in NH by the way.


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## sassafras (Jun 22, 2010)

DJEtzel said:


> You took my post way out of context. I never said I wasn't going to give rabies, I said that I didn't care what the laws were and that I was still titering. I want to know how they show, and I will try my hardest to use them as a valid credential in my area if I currently can't. Otherwise, I'll do a 3 year rabies. I'm not just going to pump chemicals into my dog because it's the norm though.


Unless you can say your dog has never or will never bite, you SHOULD care about what the laws are, as in the case of a bite your dog's legal rabies vaccine status may determine his fate.


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## theyogachick (Aug 2, 2009)

sassafras said:


> Unless you can say your dog has never or will never bite, you SHOULD care about what the laws are, as in the case of a bite your dog's legal rabies vaccine status may determine his fate.


Yes. This. I am 99.8% sure that neither of my dogs will bite, but that .2% is enough, IMO. I wouldn't want to put anyone at risk who may put their face too close and catch one of them on an off day...it isn't worth the risk.


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## cshellenberger (Dec 2, 2006)

Abbie_Hope said:


> What is collidial siver? And do you give your dog any multivitamins? I want to be like you with your dog, I just worry bc he is only 3 lbs and I feel like if he got sick he might not be strong enough to recover.


Colliodial silver is a form of liquid silver. Silver has many antibiotic properties and boost the immune system, you can find it at GNC, Vitamin Shoppe, Vitamin World, Sunshine health foods and other health food stores.


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## DJEtzel (Dec 28, 2009)

sassafras said:


> Unless you can say your dog has never or will never bite, you SHOULD care about what the laws are, as in the case of a bite your dog's legal rabies vaccine status may determine his fate.


Well absolutely. And I said I'd still be doing whatever was legal, whether that is vaccinating or using titers, but I'm going to titer regardless. Don't need to worry about it until 2014 though.


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## sassafras (Jun 22, 2010)

DJEtzel said:


> Well absolutely. And I said I'd still be doing whatever was legal, whether that is vaccinating or using titers, but I'm going to titer regardless. Don't need to worry about it until 2014 though.


Oh, sorry, I must have misunderstood your statement that you didn't care what the laws were.


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## Mdawn (Mar 3, 2007)

In Ohio, rabies is not required at a state level. It's up to individual counties to determine whether or not they require it. Currently, my county does not require rabies vaccinations. With that being said, my dogs ARE vaccinated every 3 years. This is because on the very OFF chance one of them would ever bite someone, for whatever reason, it helps protect them from being seized, quarantined and possibly euthanized. I can get out their certificate and say, "HERE! My dog is current on their vaccine". I get it solely for their protection. I made the decision to do this because Eddie is a bite risk due occasional aggressive reactions to people he doesn't know. To further protect him and in this instance OTHERS...I do not put him in situations where a bite is likely to happen...such as large gatherings with a bunch of people he doesn't know.

As for other vaccinations, I give puppy shots and then a booster a year later. I don't vaccinate after that...again, except for rabies. I don't even titer. If I was GOING to titer, it wouldn't be in combo with the vaccinations. There wouldn't be any point.


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## trainingjunkie (Feb 10, 2010)

I wish that all of this vaccine stuff was more straightforward. The various opinions are so diverse. The last thing I want to do is over-vaccinate, but on the other hand, I have seen so many puppies die of parvo and I myself have had to have the rabies series twice. And to complicate things, this summer my friend lost a fabulous show dog to an auto-immune disorder that her vet says was caused by the parvo vaccine. The dog was a small breed and only 8. But at 8, was there really any reason to be boosting for parvo? She spent a fortune, went to 4 vets, and lost the dog at the U of MN.

It's certainly easy to find vaccination schedules, but none of them seem to look alike. And then what do you do about the oddball vaccines, like lepto, corona, kennel cough, lymes? And (who i am to even hold an opinion, but here it is) why are kennel cough and lymes EVER recommended when they are so frequently ineffective? After treating 3 vaccinated (and front-lined) dogs for lymes, I am done with that one. And kennel cough? It's almost never serious, rarely needs treatment (unless there's a secondary infection), and the vaccine only covers a very, very small portion of the viruses that causes it. 

Done ranting. But it's frustrating when reasonably informed and well-meaning people can't find some sort of consist information regarding something this important.


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## InkedMarie (Mar 11, 2009)

Training Junkie...this is JMO but take the opinion of Dr Jean Dodds and Dr Ronald Schultz. They are the experts. Do a Google search for their recommendations. The best thing you can do is find a holistic vet to advise you about what to titer for, whether you should titer or not and what vaccines are recommended for your dogs (it depends on your dogs lifestyle and where you live)


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## waterbaby (Jan 20, 2009)

Hey trainingjunkie - This is AAHA's 2011 recommendations for vaccinations (Ronald Schultz is on the committee). It provides probably more detail than you're interested in on why they recommend what they do, but they also have tables for each vaccine with a schedule for vaccination and info on titering. It's pretty interesting.

As far as Jean Dodd's vaccination schedule - even she only recommends it for dogs that have adverse reactions/other issues that might affect health and she suggests that pet owners follow their own vet's advice. I've never seen any research or reasoning behind it.


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## Abbie_Hope (Oct 16, 2011)

I made an appointment today with one of the very best vets in my state. Any advice when I go?


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## Gigit (Dec 30, 2011)

If you truly cannot vaccinate the dog, I would still take it on walks and let it live a normal life.


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## Abbie_Hope (Oct 16, 2011)

Since this is bumped up... good news everyone! I got a 2nd and a 3rd opinion. Both vets said it was okay to carry on vaccinating with the proper precautions. Today he got one vaccine, Parvo. He had a shot of azium and benadryl and he's been good all day with just a little whining! In two weeks were going for rabies. I am so happy I am able to vaccinate my baby. (I changed vets, thank you all so much for the advice for the second opinion!!!!)


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## cshellenberger (Dec 2, 2006)

Glad to hear you didn't give up on this, get him up to speed on his vaccinations then go to the Dr Dodds protocol.


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## DJEtzel (Dec 28, 2009)

sassafras said:


> Oh, sorry, I must have misunderstood your statement that you didn't care what the laws were.


Must have.


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## cshellenberger (Dec 2, 2006)

DJEtzel said:


> Must have.


Pretty sure we've all moved on since before Christmas.


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