Dogs and vaccines

[jsasker007]

Anyone have any real world experience with dogs that have never had any shots. The dog that I had that lived the longest and never had any health issues is the only dog I've ever had that never had any shots. That dog lived to be 20 years old and was exposed to everything you can imagine at the farm. Curious if maybe the vet promotes things we really don't need? Money game? Thoughts?

 

[SwampCat]

I keep mine vaccinated. One of my dogs bit the UPS guy and first thing they asked for was vaccination record. Where we board our dogs when gone requires vaccination record - and I am glad. I have had three dogs I didnt keep current on heart worm medication - and all of them got heartworms. Fortunately, caught it early enough to successfully treat. My daughter had one that did not catch early enough and died. My dogs usually live long enough to get down where they cant get up and have to be put down. Usually 12 to 14 years

 

[jsasker007]

I was wondering how much of things they push on us at the vet was "needed". I was looking into doing the shots and things they actually need myself. Been starting to look into it and this place is a good source of information on so many different topics. I've heard tractor supply has a lot of the vaccines and we could give the shots ourselves but can't say if that's a plan or not. So far I've just been blindly following MOST of the recommendations from the vet. They are starting to price themselves out of being a smart/affordable option for a lot of people.

 

[4wanderingeyes]

My dogs have all lived to 13, for the reason stated above, I make sure they get rabies vaccine, if they dont have it, and bite someone, they will put it down. I also give them Lyme shots, because I had one of my dogs get lyme, and it slowed her down big time. Other than that, tick meds, 1 pill every 3 months, only during spring summer and fall.

I was on the other side of the rabies thing, my brothers dog bit a kid on the bus, it didnt have the rabies vaccine, and the dog did get rabies. About 10 people all had to get rabies shots, and back then, late 80's, it was over $3000 per person, and being the dog wasnt vaccinated, the home owners insurance didnt cover it. I had to pay my own for the shots, and they sucked to get. No, they werent in your stomach, but I believe there was 27 shots I had to get over 3 weeks time. My brother had to pay everyone elses shots, except the vet, the vet had his own insurance for it.

 

[jsasker007]

Reading a little bit about rabies. They recommend getting the rabies vax every 1-3 years depending on the laws in your state. This is the kind of thing that makes me question what is really needed. Why the variation in time frame depending on the state? Doesn't make sense. Seems that there should be a known time frame and that is that. So it looks like it's probably a money making deal if some states require it yearly but other states only once every three years.

 

[FarmerDan]

The only things certain in life are death and taxes. There's always a chance you can do nothing and still die a wealthy man but the chances are slim - and you will still need to pay the taxes.

In your lifetime If you own a hundred dogs (or a thousand) and do not vaccinate a couple will probably live beyond your wildest expectations. The rest won't be as lucky. The only way to know for sure is to try it. My personal position is that if you can't or won't vaccinate than don't own a dog - for the sake of the dogs and to preserve you net worth.

There is a middle road where you do your own vet work. Here in Virginia we do a lot of hunting with dogs. The club I belong to owns 40-50. They get their booster shots done by the members responsible for the dogs - with an exception. The vet shoots all of them for rabies rotating as necessary, once every three years as he has to do the certification. Once a year he comes to do the lot where required. We open the event to the community. He charges us $10 a head for club dogs and only a little more for community dogs. We make no money. While we follow a recommended schedule, we still lose an occasional dog. We tried raising puppies but never had an luck because we fail the vaccination schedule. Puppy vaccines are essential. Now we buy (or beg) vaccinated adult dogs.

HINT: If you want a vet to do it find a large animal vet and a livestock farmer we works with. Don't go to a small animal practice. And some animal shelters or other local dog groups will offer free or low cost services. For example:

 

[Turkey Creek]

I agree with going to the large animal Vet, the small animal ones know they have you by the nuts and will make you pay for it.

 

[jsasker007]

I agree with going to the large animal Vet, the small animal ones know they have you by the nuts and will make you pay for it.

That's what I'm trying to avoid. Certainly want what the dogs need but no more than that. I took 2 male labs to get fixed and the vet charged me $900.00 about ten years ago. I haven't been back there and wouldn't mind seeing their building burn down.

 

[jsasker007]

Never dreamt it would ever cost that much. Show up to pick up my dogs and they lay a whopper like that on me. Not a good day

 

[roymunson]

When I was a kid my dad finally spend $350 on our favorite pup when it got parvo. Got tanked on the road the next week chasing a rabbit.

We weren't dog lovers. A dog was a farm animal that ran around outside.

 

[jsasker007]

When I was a kid my dad finally spend $350 on our favorite pup when it got parvo. Got tanked on the road the next week chasing a rabbit.

We weren't dog lovers. A dog was a farm animal that ran around outside.

That's about how it goes right there. My grandparents always had a dog or two and they usually stayed down by or in the barn. Like everything else, even the dogs lives are easier these days. I really like my dogs but I don't have a gourmet chef cooking for them or anything.

 

[bigboreblr]

I had a dog die of heartworms.

The pheasant farm i guided for had 3/4 german shorthair and 1/4 english pointer dogs. Awesome hunters. I paid $350 for a 2 year old he was going to give me. great dog all around. He gave her a rabiies shot before i was going to pick her up. She died the next day.

 

[omicron1792]

I disagree with you on the shots. Rabies and Parvo will kill a dog.

That said, vets are right up there with dentists and lawyers as thieves masquerading as professionals. Ha

 

[jsasker007]

I had a dog die of heartworms.

The pheasant farm i guided for had 3/4 german shorthair and 1/4 english pointer dogs. Awesome hunters. I paid $350 for a 2 year old he was going to give me. great dog all around. He gave her a rabiies shot before i was going to pick her up. She died the next day.

I think some dogs can have extreme reactions allergy wise like some people do. Makes sense but trying to find out more about the different vax shots and what is and isn't needed is kind of a read between the lines thing. Looking like Rabies, Parvo and where I live Lymes are probably a must for my dogs anyway. Wonder how many get sick from the shots? Sounds like dosage isn't something to get wrong either. Probably why they try to make us go to the vet to get em. I just picked up a really nice german shepherd pup a few weeks ago and when we picked up the dog the guy gave me 2 empty tiny little bottles to show the vet what he has already given the dog. Don't know if the vet will accept that they did it themselves and will just give the remaining needed shots or if they will want me to start all over from the beginning with the vax. Nothing simple any more.

 

[omicron1792]

I think some dogs can have extreme reactions allergy wise like some people do. Makes sense but trying to find out more about the different vax shots and what is and isn't needed is kind of a read between the lines thing. Looking like Rabies, Parvo and where I live Lymes are probably a must for my dogs anyway. Wonder how many get sick from the shots? Sounds like dosage isn't something to get wrong either. Probably why they try to make us go to the vet to get em. I just picked up a really nice german shepherd pup a few weeks ago and when we picked up the dog the guy gave me 2 empty tiny little bottles to show the vet what he has already given the dog. Don't know if the vet will accept that they did it themselves and will just give the remaining needed shots or if they will want me to start all over from the beginning with the vax. Nothing simple any more.

Breeders give all their own shots. They would lose money if they took them to the vet for the shots. My vet has always accepted the shots my dogs have already gotten by their breeder.

 

[jsasker007]

Breeders give all their own shots. They would lose money if they took them to the vet for the shots. My vet has always accepted the shots my dogs have already gotten by their breeder.

I'm hoping they do. Not really sure about the guy we got the pup from. They don't have the AKC paperwork or anything like that. They charged $450 for the dog and I can't complain about that. Not sure how "professional" they are. Saw both parents and they looked like german shepherds to me. I wasn't worried about the bloodline at all. Also the guy that met us to get the dog wasn't the person doing all the daily work and breeding or raising the pups so he just told me what he knew. Had a pretty heavy Russian accent so I didn't even catch everything he did say. The puppy has been an impressive little shit so far. Hopefully the vet will finish out what's needed for shots.

 

[omicron1792]

I'm hoping they do. Not really sure about the guy we got the pup from. They don't have the AKC paperwork or anything like that. They charged $450 for the dog and I can't complain about that. Not sure how "professional" they are. Saw both parents and they looked like german shepherds to me. I wasn't worried about the bloodline at all. Also the guy that met us to get the dog wasn't the person doing all the daily work and breeding or raising the pups so he just told me what he knew. Had a pretty heavy Russian accent so I didn't even catch everything he did say. The puppy has been an impressive little shit so far. Hopefully the vet will finish out what's needed for shots.

It will be fine I bet. My parents raised some German shepherds on the side, we would give the shots and give a list or bottles to buyer and never had a problem. I’ve only recently gotten into the high dollar dogs. All ours growing up were just like yours.

 

[jsasker007]

I've had expensive dogs and cheap dogs. Many dogs over the years and never had a bad one yet. How did you guys get access to the shots? Easy to do? I would gladly give the shots myself if possible. I had a lab with diabetes that I gave insulin for 2 years twice a day. Not to mention all the expensive food that goes along with diabetes.

 

[buckdeer1]

You can buy your own vaccine at farm stores if you don't live in town.Parvo is spread by coons also.Also different breeds live longer than others

 

[Lucky_P]

Veterinarian (retired) here.
Rabies vaccination is a must. In reality, we don't vaccinate the dogs to 'protect' them... we do it to use them as a 'barrier' between the human population and the wildlife reservoir of rabies virus. Most state public health regulations will recommend euthanasia for any dog (vaccinated or not) bitten by a confirmed rabid animal - but if they are current on rabies vaccination, there are allowances for re-vaccination and in-home quarantine. You'd have to check your state's public health regs, as they'll vary from state to state.
You can purchase rabies vaccine and administer, yourself, in some states, but in most cases, it does not count as an 'official' rabies vaccination, and if your dog bit someone, the public health authorities would treat them as an unvaccinated animal.

Routine puppyhood series of vaccinations for Distemper/Parvo/PI3/Adenovirus +/- Lepto, with booster at 1 yr is really a good idea. I've not kept up with current protocols, but historically, we started vaccinating pups at 8 weeks and boostered every 3 weeks til they were out to 14-16 wks. In later years, it often became necessary to extend that vaccination protocol out further to get good response to Parvo vaccine, as bitches were passing such high levels of Parvo antibodies across placenta and in colostrum, that they suppressed the pup's immune response to the vaccine well out past 3 months of age. We seemed to see what looked like some immune deficiency in some lines of Dobermans and Rottweillers - 'well-vaccinated' pups would still contract Parvo and die.
There is debate, even among veterinarians, about necessity for 'annual revaccination'. I think it's probably unneccessary, and we only 'booster' our dog every 3 years or so. Sure, we live longer, but no one is recommending that we get a measles, tetanus, etc. booster every year. One could draw blood samples and have antibody titers run to determine if the dog has sufficient titer to indicate probable immunity... but that cost would dwarf that of a routine vaccine
booster.
Heartworm prevention... pretty important down here.
Our dog has tested positive for Lyme and Ehrlichia at one time or another... never saw any clinical disease, but IIRC, we did run her through a course of Doxycycline, just to be on the safe side.