Just thinking of getting  my dogs vaccinated again, had an incident recently with one of mine  who was extremely poorly with hemorrhagic gastro disease but vet was testing for Parvo as I don't vaccinate after puppy course.
At the time it made me feel guilty as I thought if it was that it would have been my own fault for not doing vaccines and the vet was insistent for testing for Parvo even though the symptoms were pretty accurate of it being hemorrhagic disease, she didnt have a go about me not vaccinating but I just felt guilt incase it was Parvo.

Now thinking of giving them a booster but one is 5 in march and not had any since a year old, and the other is 3 and not had any since the first set at 12 weeks but can they still just have boosters or would the vet say to repeat the whole course of 1 lot then 2 weeks later another lot?
I think the vet will push for whole course but I don't think they will need this??

Manufacturer's information leaflets state dogs over 10 weeks of age need only ONE vaccination no matter what vets want to do. They do not need a full puppy course, which are multiple because maternal immunity may render one or more of the vaccinations given ineffective

so I can insist on just one shot for Parvo and distemper?
Not sure on lepto after reading another post about it and its length of time it actually lasts plus the lepto 2 & 4 decision!!

Short answer: yes.  And print off a copy of the manufacturer's guidance so you can present it to the vet if they try to argue with you!

Big no to any Lepto at all, too many dogs become ill after being given either Lepto.

Don't forget also that only healthy animals should be vaccinated, dogs that have any health issues such as epilepsy, IBS, immune system issues etc should NOT be vaccinated ever.

If it's for your own peace of mind then yes 1 booster shot and you can decide of what combo you wish.
For kennels and similar they will expect the whole lot started from again generally unless the area accepts titre testinf

Please do NOT go against the manufacturer's information for boarding kennels etc if the manufacturer states "ONE dose"for dogs over 10 weeks that is all that is required. Boarding kennels etc cannot insist that the multiple doses are given to keep up to date.


This is also interesting

If your worried you could have your dogs titre tested instead. If good results no need to booster.

It's pretty simple really - just don't go back for the second shot because you know you don't need it!

Well having seen 4 RATS running around our small garden recently (we've had to take ALL bird feeders in now because that's what they've been after) and having allowed our two's boosters to lapse now which I do once they are over 7 years, which they are, I decided to get at least their Lepto shots boostered.   No way would my vet here allow that (booster only) - so they had to be restarted, two sets given 3 weeks apart.  So don't be surprised if your vet wants to re-start the vaccination.   My vets weren't happy not to do ALL the shots.    And btw. they had Lepto 2 as before, and neither of them has been ill following the shots.

" Boarding kennels etc cannot insist that the multiple doses are given to keep up to date."
No but they could refuse to board your dog.

I remain TOTALLY confused about what's going on with vaccination and boosters.   Is EVERY vet just pushing vaccination to make money?   I was also told that titres may show okay but could show not so if titres were done again within days.   If vaccination/boosters is there to protect our dogs from any one of the sometimes fatal diseases, why not take advantage of it?   I don't get it.

> It's pretty simple really - just don't go back for the second shot because you know you don't need it!

I have done this before and the vets never said anything about it!  I've also not been back for any boosters with any of my dogs since, and they don't send reminders.  I assume there's a note on my file or something.

> I remain TOTALLY confused about what's going on with vaccination and boosters.   Is EVERY vet just pushing vaccination to make money?   I was also told that titres may show okay but could show not so if titres were done again within days.  

Some vets, I reckon so.  But not all.  Titres are a difficult one I think - if a dog has not been recently exposed to a disease then antibodies may not show in the results, because the body has not needed to produce them.  But that does not mean the dog is not immune, as the immunity is stored in the memory cells, not the bloodstream, and these can't be tested (yet, I do hope it happens as it would sort this whole issue out sharpish).  I assume this is why a lot of places still don't accept titre results in leiu of vaccinations.

> If vaccination/boosters is there to protect our dogs from any one of the sometimes fatal diseases, why not take advantage of it?   I don't get it.

We do!  Well, most people do.  I do - puppy shots only though.  Some choose not to vaccinate at all but usually, those dogs still become immune through low-level exposure in the environment.  In any case, the evidence is mounting that it is not necessary to revaccinate every year in order to do this.  As with humans, once the immunity is there from initial vaccines, the dog is immune for life so boosters are not needed.  You can't 'boost' immunity anyway - once it's there, it's there and if the vaccine doesn't take, then it's not going to so trying repeatedly isn't going to work either.  The exception to that is when the maternal antibodies are still flying around and they might interfere with vaccine uptake, which is why pups either get two shots or one shot a little older, once those antibodies have waned.

Lepto and the KC vaccine will be exceptions because those diseases mutate often and have many strains, so will need redoing if you choose to do them - although for those reasons I don't bother with them.

As far as the double shot thing goes, the fact is, it is not necessary in an adult dog regardless of circumstance, because the only reason it exists is those maternal antibodies.  no adult dog has them so they cannot interfere with vaccine response.  Any vet pushing for a 'restart' is not only ignoring manufacturer guidance and WSAVA guidance, but is putting the dog at risk because every vaccine is a risk.  Ditto any vet still wanting to booster all the core vaccines every year (not what you're posting about I know, I just thought it worth mentioning) - not necessary, potentially very dangerous.

Lepto again may be an exception to that, I'm not quite sure how that one works atm but I don't see why it should be any different to any other vaccine - if it takes it takes, if it doesn't it doesn't and a second shot in an adult won't make any difference either way.

Interestingly(but sadly)the Lepto 4 all singing & dancing latest vaccination covers 4(yes just 4) of the 200+ servors of Lepto that exist. I do hope the rats know this & those that are carriers(not all are BTW) carry one of those 4. If they don't then the vaccine( & accompanying risks of vaccinosis)is less than useless.

BTW Lepto 4 is a 2 course dose for ADULT dogs & 3 for PUPPIES. My remarks re single doses for dogs over 10 weeks was for the CORE vaccinations. Lepto 4 is NOT a core vaccination

I will just do Parvo and distemper. One of my dogs has lots of problems with joints and interdigital cysts and on permanent metacam and gabapentin, also on apoquel at the moment too for itching. If there is a dog thats going to react then he will be the one! We nearly lost him with the hemorrhagic gastro disease but until Parvo was ruled out I felt sick that I hadn't done his booster vaccination at a year old.
Usually after that booster I don't re do but I guess doing it every 4/5 years is sensible just to be on safe side.

I will do one shot and not go for second shot but they may just go along with what I want anyway!

We had a load of rats in our garden last year.  I saw a cat leap in the bushes and grab one and jump back into our neighbour's garden with one.  I found rat faeces every morning on the patio.  I blocked up a hole and they reopened it.  It all went on about 8 months. 

None of my dogs are vaccinated against lepto and we also had a litter of totally unvaccinated pups who played in the garden too.  ALL WERE COMPLETELY FINE.  Honestly, even human sewer workers are not vaccinated against lepto!!! 

Please don't rush off and vaccinate just because you see a rat in your garden, rats are everywhere around us at all times.  We are not all dropping dead from lepto...

> One of my dogs has lots of problems with joints and interdigital cysts and on permanent metacam and gabapentin, also on apoquel at the moment too for itching. If there is a dog thats going to react then he will be the one!

If your boy has anything resembling allergies going on - anything potentially autoimmune, and this is an overresponse from the immune system - then he should not be vaccinated at all.  You are quite right that he is the most likely to react and it's stated in the manufacturer guidelines that only healthy dogs should be vaccinated.  Vaccines challenge the immune system so any existing problems involving that system will already have it under strain without adding that.

The joint problems are less of an issue in that respect but I would be trying to identify the source of the itching, if possible, and addressing that before you even consider vaccinating him.

I would go one further . having got.two.dogs with allergy problems I wouldn't vaccinate even if things are undercontrol.there  is a theory that allergies could  be caused by vaccines and any onslaught to the immune system could kick off all sorts

.as the manufacturers data sheets say. only healthy dogs should be vaccinated and I don't consider mine healthy

> Honestly, even human sewer workers are not vaccinated against lepto!!! 

There isn't a human vaccination against lepto ...

>so I can insist on just one shot for Parvo and distemper?

It's your dog. You can insist on whatever you want, or don't want.

Not sure there is a  parvo and distemper only  u may have to ring around and check

There is definitely a DHP vaccine without lepto - it just means that the vet needs to use sterile saline as an adjuvant to mix with the DHP.  Usually they use the lepto instead to mix it.  So some vets might get all 'oh we can't do that' but they really are obstructing you, if they say that, and not thinking properly :)

PS I clearly have tempted fate with this talk about rats because I've just found faeces again in the garden after getting rid of them a year ago.  All dogs fine   Will now commence use of bait... and keep dogs on leads in garden again.  Sigh.

> I would go one further . having got.two.dogs with allergy problems I wouldn't vaccinate even if things are undercontrol.there  is a theory that allergies could  be caused by vaccines and any onslaught to the immune system could kick off all sorts

I wouldn't, and that's what I meant!  Sorry if that wasn't clear.  Not worth the risk because it's so easy to flip that system into overdrive and trigger something really nasty.  Having lost a dog to an IMHA (although not triggered by a vaccine, but many cases are and it is often lethal quickly), I wouldn't touch them with a bargepole for a dog with allergies.

> PS I clearly have tempted fate with this talk about rats because I've just found faeces again in the garden after getting rid of them a year ago.  All dogs fine <img class="fsm fsm_lol" src="/images/epx.png" title="lol" alt="" />  Will now commence use of bait... and keep dogs on leads in garden again.  Sigh.

    That reminds me - must check the bait boxes.   I've not seen any in the past few days so have started bird feeding again, in moderation.  I'm also now checking for dead bodies.

ps   It's not about us that I'm concerned about re Lepto, but my 2 hounds.   Being aware that not all rats carry Lepto!!

> No way would my vet here allow that (booster only) -

Same here, my vet insists on restarting too.

I don't have this issue as I only booster at a year, but when I decided to do every three years before it bevame more common, I did have a vet push, and I pushed back and insisted a booster is a booster no matter the interval if a dog has been previously fully vaccinated.

I did end up with the Lepto included though, only the one dose.

There isn't a human vaccination against lepto ...

There's been human lepto vaccine s made but deemed too dangerous to use - even for sewer workers etc

http://www.wsava.org/sites/default/files/WSAVA%20Vaccination%20Guidelines%202015%20Full%20Version.pdf

> Same here, my vet insists on restarting too.

Just to add it was only because this was the Lepto jab I was in for, that restarting was the option I was presented with!   Otherwise mine have been on 3-yearly boosters up to this past year (other than the annual Lepto booster) so presumably had I said do the rest, that would have meant boosters (for one who was still within the 3-year period).   Not so much with the other who was due for the full set of boosters back in last February.   That may have meant starting again ??  I didn't go there