Vaccination plays an important role in protecting our dogs from infectious diseases. Puppies are vaccinated approx. at 6-10 weeks & 2-4 weeks later with a booster again at 12 months. Studies show immunity from these can last between 5 to 7 years!!! I – like a lot of other guardians I suspect – still vaccinated our fur babies every year – why? Because we didn’t know otherwise! Fortunately, there have been significant changes in recommendations on how vaccinations are given in recent years. As mirrored in other walks of life – vaccinations have provided a steady cash flow for vaccine companies and certain medical professionals.
Why is vaccination an issue?
Well, revaccination can overstimulate the immune system causing it to malfunction. There have been studies on the correlation between vaccinations & joint disorders/diseases passed down through over-vaccinated breeding dogs. Some dogs experience side effects after a vaccination that include allergic reactions, infection, sneezing, lumps/bumps, and mild fever. This is without even thinking about whether they need to be vaccinated every year or not in the first place!
My top tips for this week are:
- Research for yourself and have an informed discussion with your vet about your dog’s vaccination schedule.
- Request a Titre Test for your dog for certain diseases– you will establish if your pooch has the necessary antibodies already and if they actually need to be vaccinated for those diseases. Therefore, reducing the frequency of some of the vaccinations.
- Check out the datasheets for the vaccines/brands that are being used by your vet. Each vaccine has a different duration of immunity and some core vaccines have a long duration of immunity, e.g. 3 to 4 years.
- My dogs though do not stay at boarding kennels or go to daycare facilities – these fine establishments have rules – so check with them before stopping any vaccinations.
Thank you for reading today’s article.
Louise James, Momentum Clinical Canine Massage
