I sometimes hear 'unsettling' advice about boosters being given to dogs EVERY YEAR. The suggestion appears to be every OTHER YEAR is more appropriate.

What do other folk here think? Are boosters really needed yearly?

Anne

When my mum took our GBGV to the vets to get his booster as he was going to be staying in kennels for a few days, she asked if it was better to have him done every year and the vet said that every two years was fine. My Miniature Poodle never had any boosters, all he had were his puppy jabs, and he never got ill or anything and died when he was a few months short of his 16th birthday. It depends alot on what you do with your dog. If you work them or show them or bred them then I think they should be boostered, but if they are only pets and don't mix with a huge variety of different dogs, like at shows, then I don't think it is neccessary. But then that's my opinion, others will probably disagree :)

I'm strongly of the opinion that boostering every year affects the autoimmune sustem.
The current feeing in America seems to be - to do the puppy jabs; boost at 14 months or so, then about every three years, and then in response to the results of antibody titres.
You may find
www.doglogic.com/vaccineinfo.htm interesting, but you have to get it all in perspective

Jo and the Casblaidd Flatcoats

I have worries about all vaccinations some years ago I bought two puppies Merlin and Katie they were vaccinated at six eight and twelve weeks when Merlin was ten months old he started to limp on and off so I arranged for the vet to Xray him we picked him up after he was so happy to see us we brought him home in the evening he started to be unwell the next day he was worse we took him back to the vet who said he was avery poorly dog when he carried him through the doors I knew I would never see him again, he died in the night he had a massive dose of Parvo Virus,he must have got it in the Vets,anyway my Vet said to have Katie blood tested as they were vaccinated at the same time with the same vaccine the test came back immune dog.I contacted the vaccine firm and they couldnt explain why we had done all things right with a most beloved puppy and lost him we know vaccinate,blood test then if not immune vaccinate again and when they come back immune we do not vaccinate again ever my William is now eleven and he has only had his initial vaccines. I know now that pet insurances insist on boosters but I dont believ in them

I don't believe that boosters are necessary every year but my problem is that I occasionally have to leave my dogs in kennels and they insist on an up to date vaccination card. I'm going to try and not leave them so that I can leave some space inbetween vaccines. My mothers Lhasa Apso is 15 years old and she has only had her vaccinations for the first 3 years of her life.
Siobhan