Our new dane puppy will be coming to live with us on 7 January.  She will be exactly 8 weeks old.  I have her booked into the vets for a health check and her first vaccination.  I have always had my dogs vaccinated in the past and have never had any problems or worries relating to vaccines.  But, after reading many articles on this board I am now becoming increasingly concerned that I am doing the right thing.  Obviously a dog must be vaccinated but how do I know if she is having the safest type of injection.  I am so worried about this now I would appreciate info that may help.

Thanks

Ask as many questions as you can, read as much as you can and don't do anything until you are happy with your decision.
I do not vaccinate my dogs any more after having had a very sick GSD for many years due to vaccine reaction. Do use the noseodes and have titre tested in the past.

Hi Lynne we get our mastiff puppy on the same day as you .We still have him to be booked in for his vaccination didn`t think much about it but after reading your post will be asking alot of questions.thanks Lynn

I have had a similar problem, I have two salukis one who has been very ill for a while, I spoke to saluki hound club and two people expressly told me DO NOT vaccinate, as they can get auto immune diseases,so ,problem.
All I know is that there are diseases out there that can kill in a matter of days, I spoke to my vets who didn't argue and left it to me, I have no doubt in my mind that I will continue to vaccinate.
You just have to decide that you do all that you can to protect your animals,but I know that doesn't take the worry out of any decision that you make,I continualy ask my vet about any side effects any drug will have(and I have had a lot of that recently)so you have to try and trust your vet, and don't forget that vets would only want to do the best for your animal.
But most of all trust yourself.
Ash.

my dogs were both fine with vacs and so are everyone elses i know. loads of pups have vacs everyday  and i would think the chance of a reaction are slim- the same as a child might have but i had all my children done too! you need to keep it in perspective. the dog diseases out there could kill your pup in a few hours- i wouldnt take that risk!

I get the first course for a puppy but never booster an adult.  I have heard too many stories with regard to my breed having their immune system damaged after boosters to make me even contemplate getting a yearly booster done now.   Unfortunately I have to have my cat boostered yearly even though she is an indoor cat becuase the GCCF stipulate that if you show your cat needs to be fully vaccinated & up to date.

Thanks for everyones replies.  I still don't know what to do.  I obviously am going to have our puppy vaccinated as I wouldn't like to take a chance and not have her done at all.  I will speak to our vet - whom I trust dearly - and see if he can help put my mind at rest.  Having recently lost our 5 yr old dane Shadow to cancer my vet knows how uptight I am feeling about getting the best possible care for our new girl.  I just don't want any unnecessary heartache at the mo.

I have the first ones done but also don't booster.  Lost too many Pomeranian's after their first vaccination many years ago.

These breeds that have problems have they ever tried the dead vaccine rather than the live one~?  I was advised to do this with our Pomeranian's and have not lost one since.  i think that Nobivac have the dead vaccine or they used to?

I believe that vaccinations are essential for insurance purposes (or atleast they are with PetPlan, Sainsbury's, Tesco's and M&S - look at the 'small print ).  Also if you require your dog to be borded at any time (most) bording kennels require proof of vaccination :)

If you insure with the Kennel Club they will accept titre testing so long as you forward a copy of the lab report.  No exclusions on policy.

Peewee, Vaccinations are not essential for Pet Insurance. I don't vaccinate, I have my own reasons and experiences.

I insure with M & S now, (can't speak for other Companies) having depleted my "pet fund" some time ago and they state that they will cover any illness as long as the illness is not a result of the dogs not being vaccinated.

I had a discussion with them about it on the phone before I went ahead with the policies.

Hi shads
Have your first vac done, if no reaction then have the 2nd done at 12 weeks.  The general perception is then to have your first booster done 12months hence and therafter to have titre testing to check the immune resistance.  However, much depends on your personal circumstance and whether you require to place your dog in kennels.........that will determine your strategy.   Also, be aware that some vets claim not to do titre testing as they perceive ( or so the cynics amongst us reckon) that this limits their income!  ;-)  

Actually, titre testing actually increases a vet's income! The owner pays for the regular consultation as normal, pays for the titre testing, and pays for any necessary boosters.

Others simply pay for the consultation and the boosters, without the cost of the titre test - which of course includes paying for the taking and handling of the sample ... ;) :D

It's entirely your decision. Some people don't have them done, others have them done every year with no ill-effects.

Sometimes too much knowledge can be a dangerously unsettling thing and I say this as someone who managed to read everything about adverse reactions to vaccination before having the pup vaccinated! Having managed to get myself into complete Prophet of Doom mode I still went ahead with his course of puppy vaccs because I considered that the potential risk from them was outweighed by the consequences of him being unprotected. He suffered no ill effects whatsoever and I rather wish I hadn't done quite so much reading beforehand. However, I remain thoughtful about his booster jabs and will try and take an objective view before having them done when the time comes.