I need to understand the purpose of shots for dogs?

Question

I recently was given a puppy and really don't think he's going to enjoy getting shot, so to speak. He's a dear little thing and I think he's the sweetest thing since melted butter. As a matter of fact, playing with him is one of the high points of my peaceful existence. I gave him dewormer. I give him plenty of food and water and a nice place to sleep and, and...but the vet is expensive, are they really neccessary?
Further I'm on a 'natural kick' and really am opposed to getting the puppy shots. If he has a problem, I am committed to taking care of it. Are the shots needed, please fill me in. As far as I see, dogs in the wild, (fox, wolf...) don't need shots so what's the big deal?
By the way, he is never exposed to other animals so its not like he's going to "catch" anything. Your intelligent answers are appreciated. Thanks.

I appreciate everyone's response. I didn't know what to do until I asked and boy oh, boy did I get information. I'm practically in information overload. Thanks to all! Hopefully, not only I but other pet owners will also benefit from the question and the answers. Thanks! He's going to the vet...soon!

Answer 1

As I am against hurting animals, I feel that shots are a good thing you never know when your dog might get out of your sight for whatever reason accidents do happen and just happen to get bitten by another animal that has rabies so vacination is a good thing there. Also an animal does not need to be exposed to another animal to catch a virus. Dogs eat things they are not supposed to and they can catch an illness for that as well. I had a dog that missed his parvo shot and caught is and I lost him so to my own negligence so I highly recomend getting your loved one his shots.

Answer 2

No dogs in the wild don't get vaccianted, however they die from diseases such as distemper, rabies, etc.

Yes vacciantions are needed even for dogs that don't get exposed to other dogs (although all dogs should get the opportunity to be around other dogs..it is good for their socialization and they should be around others of their species some).Diseases can be carried into the household on people clothing, shoes, hands, etc. Puppies should get their first vacciantion at 8-9 weeks old.This should be distemper/parvo/canine hepatitis/adenovirus-2.The next set should be given at 12 -14 weeks same as above and the third set should be given at 16-18 weeks as above. At 20 weeks the puppy needs a rabies vaccination. Then 1 year after the date of the last vacciantion they need a booster. After that you can either do titers or go to vaccianting every 3 years.

Many dogs do not need a lepto vacciantion..this is not a core vaccine.

Corona vaccine is NOT recommended for any dog/puppy.

As for deworming do NOT ever use OTC products.They are ineffective and can be dangerous to your dog.It is best to take a stool sample in to the vet to have it tested..if there are worms then the vet wil lgive you a safe, effective dewormer for the type of worms present.

Part of being a responsible dog owner is getting the necassary exams and vacciantions for your dog as well as appropriate deworming.

Answer 3

Yes! Yes! Yes! You definitely need to have your puppy vaccinated. The shots are much less expensive than treating the illnesses that they prevent. The parvo virus can cost thousands to treat and very often is fatal. To catch parvo, you do not need to be exposed to other animals. Parvo is spread through infected animal's poop. It also lives in the ground for at least a year, meaning if you walk your dog over an area that an infected dog has pooped on, then your dog is at risk for parvo. Rabies shots are usually required for the dog license. Rabies can be spread to humans and can be transmitted through contact with an infected squirrel or other animal. The only vaccine that you can skip if you don't intend on ever boarding your dog or attending a dog obedience class is the bordatella vaccine. This prevents kennel cough, which if caught can be treated fairly inexpensively with antibiotics prescribed by your vet.

Answer 4

I work at a dog kennel. I can not stress enough that your dog needs it's shots. Domestic dogs do not have any resistance to diseases like parvo and distemper, wild type dogs do have resistance to them, and yet they can still die from them. Parvo is a very nasty disease that can remain dormant in the ground for several months, it can be transmitted to you dog via your shoes. Contact with a sick animal is not necessary for your dog to catch it. I myself am a "natural" person (long term vegetarian, I don't take over the counter drugs, so on so on) and I would never let a young dog go without it's plus 5 shots (the lepto shots are needed if you live in a place where lepto is common, your vet should know if it is) as far as rabies, I personally do not give any of my 10 dogs rabies shots, it isn't required by law where I live and rabies is an uncommon disease here. However if it were required by law here I would do it. I know that visits to the vet are expensive, but is your puppy worth the cost to you? I personally give my dogs their shots myself and save on the vet bill. Of course I do that for a living so I know what I'm doing. Just please take the word of someone who works with dogs and get yours it's shots.

Answer 5

you don't need to rub noses with another animal to get sick from it. illnesses like parvo can last a long time outside.

so a sick dog poops somewhere shady near your house and your puppy plays there less than 7 months later---he could be exposed, get sick and die.

My dog was sniffing and rummaging though some bushes on a walk. not long after his coat began to look terrible. the vet asked if he had been in contact with any porcupines or skunks. Not that i knew of---then i asked what about if he;s rubbing/pushing his way through bushes these other animals have been through/ Bingo. He had an infection from one of those other critters.

are we vaccinating too much? maybe? but unless you live in Antarctica your dog will be exposed to other critters no matter how careful you are.

Talk to your vet and see what the risks/benefits of each individual vaccination are.

Also keep in mind that if you ever have to kennel him in an emergency and you are not up to date on some vaccinations no kennel will take him and some things like kennel cough have to be given weeks before he can go to the kennel.
Good luck.

Answer 6

Okay, let me straighten out a couple of things here. First of all, rabies is a lawfully required vaccination. No way around it.

Many people don't have their dogs vaccinated, but in lieu of, you need to have titers done on him at least once a year. A titer is when they draw blood and check his antibody levels for diseases that you need to be concerned with.

If you feed your dog a species appropriate, all natural raw diet, you are giving his immune system a natural boost that it needs, because it won't be taxed by trying to fight off the bacteria colonies in his belly and intestinal tract caused by the slow moving undigestable carbs in processed foods. I don't care what they say on the label, rice, wheat and corn are NOT part of a natural dog's diet. You should never have to brush your dog's teeth, nor should he require "doggie breath mints". My dogs are a shining example of what a housewolf should look like.

If you e-mail me privately, I can get you to some great websites and yahoo groups. I respect you opinion regarding not vaccinating, but please remember that the life expectancy of a gray wolf, who shares 99.8% of your dog's DNA, has an average life expectancy of 3 to 5 years. Wild dogs frequently die of starvation, disease, exposure, etc. If you don't vaccinate, do the titers. You should be able to find a holistic vet that will support your decisions and be able to guide you. Otherwise, like i said, e-mail me and I will give you all of the info that I have.

Secondly, by not bringing your puppy around other dogs, you are doing him a grave disservice. Since none of us can predict the future with 100% certainty, you have no way of knowing that your little dog will never be around other dogs. You've got 12-20 years ahead of you with this dog, and having an undersocialized pet can be anything from nuisance to downright dangerous. Get your puppy into a kindergarten class, and follow through with the obedience classes. Make some puppy friends and get together for playdates on occasion. It will only benefit both of you in the long run.

Answer 7

I really dont think he'd enjoy getting parvo and having vomiting and diarrhea to the point of death, or distemper and having seizures until death, or rabies etc. If you think the shots are expensive, you cant begin to imagine how expensive the treatment of those illnesses are, when treatment is even available. Sure dogs in the wild dont get shots, they also have half the life expectancy. Try your natural kick on yourself, you have a responsibility to give that puppy the best possible chance in life, and not preventing perfectly preventable illnesses is one of those.

Answer 8

first off, your dog NEEDS social interaction with other dogs, pure an simple, or when he gets older and a friend of yours brings a dog over, or if you take him to the pet shop with you and you encounter another dog, he can get "mean" (not really mean, just he doesn't understand other animals).

Even if he DOES NOT come into contact with other animals, he can still get fleas, simple as you walking through the grass and carrying them in, or letting him go potty outside, and the fleas can carry diseases that he will not be protected against. Rabies shots are mandatory. As if he gets old and grumpy and there is no record of his rabies shot and an up to date shot and liscense, then they will take a rabies test from him, and the only way to get one is to take a sample of brain tissue, which means he has to be Put to sleep. Just because he comes in contact with no other animal does not mean he can not "catch" something.

There is no way to combat parvo, I had a puppy that had this, and we couldn't get another one for a year, had to have all the furniture cleaned and the rugs and walls steam cleaned. It was a horrible thing to watch that poor pup go through all that misery and pain until we finally had him PTS..........

If you truely love your pup, then get him his shots, as you will be protecting him from a huge amount of diseases out there.

Answer 9

I think the rabies shot is mandatory , as well as the license fees, in NYS you have to get one, I am not sure about your state.

As for the other vaccination shots, it's against rubella and other diseases that a puppy is more susceptible in getting. For the safety of the puppy, whose immune system is developing, you should definitely go to a vet. There are some that offer free clinics or discounts.

You can also get pet insurance that will offset the costs.

Take your puppy to the vet though because anything he catches now is going to be very debillitating. Also do not take him to a dog park or near any dogs, as they might give him something.

Answer 10

I just got my puppy back from the emergency vet today. She had parvo virus which is absolutely awful and she ended up in the hospital for 4 days. She is 11 weeks old and had her first set of vaccinations and was due to get her second on Tuesday but couldn't b/c she was so sick. She came down with parvo b/c she hadn't gotten all the vaccines. Believe me, you do not want to have to go through the experience I just went through. Get your puppy his shots...it's well worth it.