|
Docforpets
|
1#
|
Rank:none
Score:142
Posts:142
Registered:06/30/2005
Time spent: 0 hours
|
(Date Posted:04/26/2006 11:54 PM)
Then you should be very pleased to hear that most veterinary hospitals are going to a 3 year vaccine protocol
"I never got them anything but the basic rabies distemper/parvo shots.No heartworm,lyme disease etc"
This is the basic vaccine series for most dogs. Depending on where you live in the country (east coast for lyme, states with a lot of water for lepto, etc) would dictate whether your dog should need anything else. Also, if you live ANYWHERE with a high mosquito population, you should ABSOLUTELY have them on heartworm prevention. That is one thing I can almost GUARANTEE they will get, without it.
"I really think that the vet business is big business. "
We go into this profession because our goal is to protect and care for animal species. As far as being big business.....most vets come out of school with $100,000 in studnt loans and have a starting salary of 45-50,000 a year. We certainly don't do this for the money
"I am just appalled at the way some of these vet try to push all these test and vaccines on the average pet owner"
Then find a vet you feel comfortable with. Just as in any profession, there are bad ones out there.......but there are many more good ones, and I hope that you find one for your pets
I do think your point is valid concerning over application of topical chemicals and overvaccinating, and hopefully the new 3 year protocol will be a great improvement.
Lori
|
| Support us |
Create free forum and click the links below and your donations will make a difference here. |
 |
www.dinodirect.com
Online Huge Store for Various Cool Gadgets, Nintendo Wii Controller, iPod Charger, iPhone Cases, BlackBerry Cases, Laptop Accessories, Rechargeable Battery, LED Tactical Flashlight, iPod Earphones, iPhone Charger, Wii Controller, iPod Cables, Video Players, Music Players, Car Accessories, Cell Phone Accessories, Video Games Accessories and Hobby Gadgets.
If you use the code "DDLIFE", all orders will get 10% discount plus worldwide free shipping!
|
|
surfone
|
2#
|
Rank:none
Score:284
Posts:284
Registered:05/24/2006
Time spent: 0 hours
|
(Date Posted:05/29/2006 3:30 PM)
Chiming in late here...
My pup has had all his standard innocs except the rabies, which is coming up. He can't get a liscence here
without it.
I would rather err on the side of caution but the last set of shots, only two, had a delayed affect. He was
clearly just feeling bad. Loose stools, didn't want to eat or drink most of the day, lethargic. He was better
later that night but I know it was a reaction and it scared me.
Do vets bother to adjust for a dogs weight when giving these things? I'd guess they would but maybe not
enough? After reading some of these threads, now I'm worried the rabies shot will mess him up again.
I had a freind who was a vet tech and she said it's possible to get a waiver from a vet if there's a thought
they can't take it or there might be some bad reaction. OK, but then this leaves the dog less safeguarded?
Seems like with all the confusion and concern, that vets ought to do a better job of communicating all the
issues with shots somehow with owners rather than not volunteering info until asked. Most owners don't know
to ask and don't find out till later there are 'issues' about shots ( like I have here ).
--------------------------------------------------------------
Anonymity is not a bad thing. We use it in the very highest expression of the freedom that seperates our country from so many others, and in fact guarantees our freedoms as citizens of these great United States: Voting. -- author unknown
|
KristinW
|
3#
|
Rank:none
Score:371
Posts:371
Registered:09/21/2003
Time spent: 0 hours
|
(Date Posted:05/29/2006 7:42 PM)
Reply to : surfone Do vets bother to adjust for a dogs weight when giving these things? I'd guess they would but maybe not
enough? After reading some of these threads, now I'm worried the rabies shot will mess him up again.
Depends on the vet, I think most do not adjust the amount of vaccine.
I had a freind who was a vet tech and she said it's possible to get a waiver from a vet if there's a thought
they can't take it or there might be some bad reaction. OK, but then this leaves the dog less safeguarded?
Yes, your dog could get rabies, especially if you live in an area where rabies is present. If your dog bites someone and doesn't have an up-to-date rabies shot (depending on where you live) there is very much the possibility of your animal being either quarantined for 6 months and perhaps even destroyed. Also, it is very hard to find kennels that will take a dog without a current rabies cert. or a trainer who will allow your dog into their classes. IMHO the first 2 rabies shots are neccessary (4-6 months and again at 1 year), but after that the best info seems to suggest rabies immunity will last for 6-7 years for most dogs. Unfortunately, in order for my dog to be kenneled or go to classes we have to give rabies every 2 years--so that's the schedule I'm following. If it was up to me, I wouldn't give a booster until 6-7 years and then that would be the last rabies shot ever. My feeling is that if they haven't attained immunity by then, no amount of rabies boosters is going to give it to them. If you area recognizes the 3-year vaccince, then get it to lessen the amount of times your dog will need the booster. Every 3 years is much better than every year. It's pretty hard to get a waiver from the vet unless your dog has had a major reaction. The mild reaction you described is considered normal and I doubt a vet would consider that proof that your dog could be harmed by the rabies vaccination.
Some things you can do to lessen the chances of a reaction are: Ask for the Merial brand of rabies--seems to have less bad reactions than other brands. Also, ask your vet if you should give your dog Benedryl either before or right after the shot to help lessen the side effects. We made Baron's appointments in the morning, so if he did have a reaction the vet's office would still be open. Also we stuck close by the vet's office for an hour or so afterwards. If Baron had a reaction--minutes would really count and we wanted to be close by just in case. Be aware that MS have a history of reactions to Lepto and unless your dog is at risk for contracting Lepto, I would skip this vaccination.
PS. We have had 2 incidences of rabies in our area in the last year. A whole litter of puppies and many farm animals had to be destroyed and quite a few people had come into contact with the puppies and had to receive rabies treatments. On our air base, a puppy purchased from a pet store had rabies and was destroyed and those people also had to get the rabies shot series. Rabies does happen, especially in rural areas or where there are a lot of skunks or racoons.
KristinW
--------------------------------------------------------------
"Whoever said you can"t buy happiness forgot about puppies."
Gene Hill
|
|
surfone
|
4#
|
Rank:none
Score:284
Posts:284
Registered:05/24/2006
Time spent: 0 hours
|
(Date Posted:06/01/2006 5:14 AM)
Thank you for the reply Karen, that was very informative and helpful. I do plan on living in a rural
area in the near future and also plan on having my pal with me fishing and in the woods and such
so your opinion is well taken. I will ask about the Benadryl, thanks for the tip 
--------------------------------------------------------------
Anonymity is not a bad thing. We use it in the very highest expression of the freedom that seperates our country from so many others, and in fact guarantees our freedoms as citizens of these great United States: Voting. -- author unknown
|
minimageditor
|
5#
|
Rank:none
Score:1949
Posts:1949
Registered:05/30/2003
Time spent: 0 hours
|
(Date Posted:06/07/2006 8:02 AM)
Reply to : surfone
I will ask about the Benadryl, thanks for the tip
I keep liquid Children's Benadryl (actually the generic brand) on hand at all times for allergic reactions to anything - that's what the reaction to a vaccination is - an allergic reaction to the contents of the vaccine.
You can also ask your vet to give a "pre-shot" before the actual vaccinations to prevent reactions if you know that your dog has had one before. You have to wait about 30 min. between the shots, but that might help you rest easy with the vax.
Actually, it has been proven that the duration of immunity is much much longer than three years on parvo, distemper, and I believe rabies too. Dogs bodies have "memory cells" in the immune system that remember just as human bodies do. (We aren't vaccinated annually - or even every 3 years.) My own dogs do not receive anything except the state-mandated 3-year rabies. They have been fine.
If your dog is vaccinated every three years and gets bitten by a rabid bat or other animal in between, the Center for Disease Control says vets should give another rabies vaccination right away and the dog is considered protected.
However, Kristin is right - if your dog BITES someone and has not been vaccinated - you are in deep "do do." For this reason I advise keeping your rabies vax up to date every three years until Dr. Dodds and Dr. Schultz have finished their rabies challenge and proven that the duration of immunity is longer than three years and we can forget all this insane chemical blasting of our pets.
Tania
--------------------------------------------------------------
Tania S. Kidd
Editor/Publisher
The Mini Magazine
www.simplyschnauzer.net
New - DogShots, Ltd.
Cards & Gifts
www.dogshotsltd.com
|
|
cb0599
|
6#
|
Registered:12/12/2005
Time spent: 0 hours
|
(Date Posted:06/08/2006 4:49 AM)
Reply to : minimageditor
You can also ask your vet to give a "pre-shot" before the actual vaccinations to prevent reactions if you know that your dog has had one before. You have to wait about 30 min. between the shots, but that might help you rest easy with the vax.
Tania,
What if your vet does not wait the 30 minutes between shots? My cat has recently started (as of last year) with an alergic reaction to her annual shots. The vet gave her a Benadryl (generic) shot just seconds before giving her the rest of her shots. It appears to have work - she wasn't sick like last year - but am concerned (for other reasons as well) with my vet's vaccation policy.
CB
|
| Support us |
Just click the links below and your donations will make a difference here. |
|
|
|
minimageditor
|
7#
|
Rank:none
Score:1949
Posts:1949
Registered:05/30/2003
Time spent: 0 hours
|
(Date Posted:06/11/2006 9:29 AM)
Reply to : cb0599
What if your vet does not wait the 30 minutes between shots? My cat has recently started (as of last year) with an alergic reaction to her annual shots. The vet gave her a Benadryl (generic) shot just seconds before giving her the rest of her shots. It appears to have work - she wasn't sick like last year - but am concerned (for other reasons as well) with my vet's vaccation policy.CB
Well, hmmm, I can't really say about cats but my guess is that they would be about the same as dogs in general.
Perhaps the 30 min. isn't necessary but both of the vets who have handled my "reactive" dogs this way have had me wait in between. If your cat was OK, then probably it is ok.
Maybe somebody else is more familiar with cat reactions to shots.
Tania
--------------------------------------------------------------
Tania S. Kidd
Editor/Publisher
The Mini Magazine
www.simplyschnauzer.net
New - DogShots, Ltd.
Cards & Gifts
www.dogshotsltd.com
|
|
surfone
|
8#
|
Rank:none
Score:284
Posts:284
Registered:05/24/2006
Time spent: 0 hours
|
(Date Posted:06/13/2006 1:24 AM)
Nitro's pushing five months old and I haven't taken him in for his rabies shot yet. The vets office kinda confused me. One tech said he doesn't need it till he reaches six months and just the other day over the phone a different tech said,"No, you can bring him in anytime now if you want." 
I asked and here we have the option of one year or three year rabies vax. I'm leaning towards the three year but a part of my mind says that this might be a 'stronger' solution in order to last that long? Or is that wrong? IF it is stronger, seems like a reactive dog would have a worse reaction to it than a one year.
--------------------------------------------------------------
Anonymity is not a bad thing. We use it in the very highest expression of the freedom that seperates our country from so many others, and in fact guarantees our freedoms as citizens of these great United States: Voting. -- author unknown
|
|
|
