Hi Westie lover
I have always vaccinated my dogs. I just heard something a while ago it sometimes can not be good for the dog with having it year after year. Ive heard myfather talking about it aswell and he is a farmer.

I boost for just so long. Leptospirosis is the problem. According to my vet the immunity is quite short lived and as I work my dogs, often in areas where rats are I like to keep them safe. In later years I'm afraid I drop it off. Not because I begrudge them their shot but because I feel they have built up a good immunity.

John

me too!

Spoke to my vet, the other week about this as I have an 11 yr dog, he said he felt that it was more importaint to boost the young and the old as they have less ability to fight infections themselves. Got the impresion that he would prefer we all kept the boosters up to date but felt that providing most people did there would not be a major problem if some didn't. It all depends on the area you live in. I supose that Rats, Foxes and some other wild life must present some problems to those who work their dogs or who, like me, live in the countryside. And supose it can work in the other direction our stock infecting wild life.

I think the problem is more the other way round Jackie. Because of inoculations the illnesses are not around therefore our dogs do not get the chance to build up a natural immunity, which they would have done in the old days. People seem to think that before inoculations dogs were dieing in the streets, this was not so. In all my years with dogs I only remember one case of distemper! Although when parvo arrived this caused large amounts of death but then, as it was new there was no natural immunity to it in the dog population.

John

Only wish I had the same memories John, Can remember my family losing pup after pup to distemper, we did live in a suburan area at the time, but the dogs were not allowed out on their own as was the custom at the time, they were always walked and trained by members of the family. But still I remember that buying in puppies was always frought with sadness, and even the stock you breed yourself were not always able to survive to 12 mths. however carefull you were. How much better things are today.

You certainly had a very different experience to mine Jackie. I lived in what could be called a semi rural area. There were a number of “Latch Key Dogs” as was normal in those days although ours were never allowed out without us. About ten houses walk before free running in fields (A housing estate now!) I know it’s a slight case of “Rose Coloured Glasses” but those days did have something going for them.

Regards, John

Hi, yes even some vets admit that not every dog needs boosting every year, but I would never try to persuade anyone not to boost. Two years ago I took all of mine to have a new course, as there was a few cases of Parvo, which had gone through my vets the previous week and as I had been there with a dog, once I heard, I rushed them all down to have their jabs. Joke question - how do you get 8 Westies in a Maestro ?!! :-))
Its impossible without a blood test to know how the individual dogs' immunity is doing. I think its a subject for each individual to decide what to do, depending on how much research they want to do on the subject.

Interesting thing this. I've just had my new pup down to the vets today for his second jab. They are now routinely doing a blood test two weeks later to check all is well. I mentioned performing a repeat blood test at booster time to check if a booster was necessary and he was all for it. they didn;t do this last year.

He also told me that they are encouraging owners to routinely vaccinate for Kennel Cough. They are finding an increase in cases because dogs are still not allowed out in the countryside here yet, N Yorks, so are being walked and exercised on the streets and in parks so in closer proximity to other dogs and as a consequence Kennel Cough is spreading. Wonder if MAFF would pay any compensation;-)