How often should the adult and elderly dog be given boosters?

Answer 1

Annually the same as any age of dog your vet will advise you on this.

Answer 2

There is currently much debate over this. It is the practice in some clinics to give vaccination boosters only every two or three years. Sometimes it depends on the risk level of the animal (does it go to shows, does it travel, is it in a high-risk area, does it board frequently, etc.)
If a veterinarian wants to vaccinate yearly as has been the usual practice, it is not because they are trying to get your money. The vaccine manufacturers only guarantee the effectiveness of their vaccines if they are given yearly. When the vaccine manufacturers can devote the money to research for vaccinating every two or three years (which is doubtful, after all they are losing money that way!) and then guarantee their product for that interval, veterinarians will be more than happy to vaccinate less frequently. However, if they do vaccinate at a 2-3 year interval and the animal develops a disease, and the owner sues for malpractice, the vet's license and clinic are at stake because they did not follow the manufacturer's guidelines.
Many veterinarians, including those who are willing to vaccinate less frequently, are afraid to do so because many owners won't visit the vet except for those annual shots. It's not because of money, but because of the health of the animal. Veterinarians are all about prevention. If they can catch a problem in the early stages, it is so much easier to treat! They are afraid that if they only see the critter every 2 to 3 years, a problem could develop that would be difficult or impossible to treat by then. This is hard on the animal, of course, and also creates emotional and financial hardship for the owner. In fact, many vets recommend a wellness exam every six months for senior pets. It may seem like they want your money, but that is not the case. (I'm sure there are many money-grubbing vets out there, but the vast majority are not in it for the money! If they wanted to get rich, they'd be plastic surgeons or something! Vets and their staff usually operate by just barely getting by.)

Answer 3

A lot of studies have been done at universities which have found that dogs are way, way over-vaccinated. Since I had a dog get auto-immune from his annual shots, I've stopped giving boosters every year. A lot of people I know give shots only every third year. It would make it simpler if the veterinary medical associations would get off the fence and give a definitive answer, but until then, it's a judgement call. If you have a vet whose honesty you can trust, follow their recommendations. My vet has agreed that shots every year are not needed, but an annual exam is.

Answer 4

An elderly dog if he/she has been vaccinated properly over their lifetime, has pretty good protection against most of the viruses we vaccinate for. If your state and county allow it a three year rabies vaccine can be given to avoid over vaccinating. DHPPV or also known as distemper parvo vaccine can be given every other year if they have been getting it regularly throughout their life. Bordetella or "kennel cough" vaccine must be given yearly if your have your dog boarded or groomed. This is only for the injectable form of the vaccine- the nose drops are given every 6 months. If your vet rec.a Leptosporosis vaccine for your area it should be given yearly. Lyme vaccine is yearly for prevalent areas, not needed in the southeast. Your best source would be to talk to your vet to see what they rec. for your area of the country. They will be happy to answer any of your questions about anything. Also make sure to keep your dog on a heartworm prevention every month- this is just as important in elderly dogs as it is in young dogs. It not only prevents heartworms but it deworms them for intestinal parasites as well, and they can get those any where at any time of the year. Good luck and I hope this answered your question.

Answer 5

Every three years for the boosters, but ask your vet on the telephone, because it depends where you live and what kind of diseases are prevalent in your area for the correct vaccines. A couple I like to skip as the dogs here never get them and mine are house dogs and I do not like to over vaccinate older dogs if I don't need to

Answer 6

your vet should advise you on this. If its a puppy it's a couple of times a year but as the dog gets older it's something like once a year. Your vet should send you a booster reminder when your dog needs it.

Answer 7

research is showing that annual vacines as in yearly is not needed as pets are getting over vacinated

if the booster is to last for ten years think of it in dog years
now do you get the message hope it helps you to understand more

i think a annual health check is far better than a jab...

Answer 8

For adult and elderly dogs, our vets recommend vaccinating every three years for rabies. They also recommend vaccinating every three years for the core vaccines DAP (distemper, adenovirus-2, and parvo) using the modified live virus (MLV). Although they can be given at the same time, we're actually doing the rabies one year, and the DAP the next year. We don't give Lepto on a regular basis, unless it is specifically requested, as we have seen more reactions to this vaccine than any other. Lyme is given only if clients live in/near wooded areas, walk their dogs in the woods, or vacation in areas where they may have exposure. In our area, there is not a huge exposure to ticks, but they're out there. Bordetella is required only if the pet comes in for surgery, grooming, boarding, dog parks, etc. We use both the intranasal or injectable and give them yearly, although sometimes it's boostered every six months depending on the requirements of places they frequent. Heartworm tests and fecal exams are recommended yearly, as is monthly heartworm preventative. Our heartworm tests are run in-hospital and also include tests for Lyme and Ehrlichia, both tick-borne viruses.

Yearly or twice yearly comprehensive physical exams are recommended, as well as, a Wellness Panel (bloodwork) to check kidney function, liver, etc. I found out one of my dogs was in the early stages of kidney disease by doing this bloodwork. By changing his diet, I'm convinced I extended his life many years. He was almost 16 when we lost him to something unrelated to his kidneys. By the way, he showed absolutely no symptoms when we happened upon his kidney problem in the first place.

Many of our clients opt for titers for distemper and parvo, which is a blood test to measure the antibodies found in the blood. This is somewhat controversial, but I usually do titers on my dogs instead of automatically vaccinating for distemper or parvo. You may find, as I have, that your vaccines last a lot longer than you thought. Like I said though, it's controversial. Our vets follow the "less is best" philosophy with vaccines. There are a lot of very serious problems stemming from overvaccinating, as someone above mentioned.

I know of a very large nationwide chain of vets who will sell you a package that contains every vaccination under the sun. Every time your dog is vaccinated, you are stressing his immune system. Believe me, it's the last thing you want to do to keep your dog healthy. Since your dog's particular exposure to any of the above-mentioned viruses may vary from dog to dog, this should be discussed thoroughly before any vaccines are given. The best thing you can do is to ask a reputable vet whom you trust in your area. They know what diseases are most prevalent and can guide you to the right vaccine schedule for your dog.

Answer 9

Depends on the vaccination. Most of them need a booster every year.

Answer 10

Annually

Answer 11

yearly same as any dog but theres allot of ppl out there who think dogs don't need boosters at all as they don't have them in the wild but in the wiled there with there mother longer from birth witch helps to boost there immune system