Vacination on small dogs.....What is your opinion on having a small dog (chihuahua) vacinated every year?

Question

Is it totally necessary to vacinate my small dog every year? I read online that dogs get over vacinated and to much can be dangerous for them. I have a small chihuahua and i have had him vacinated last 3 years, but everytime i do i am so nervous because he has always had reactions to the shots. First year he got so swollen looked like a bulldog. Second year they gave him benedryl right before, so he did not swell up, but he heart raced for almost 24hours and he could not keep still all day and night after. Last year, i decided to talk with the vet about not giving it to him and i went ahead and did the rabies first then waited a month and did the 8 in one shot.
I have just read that for small dogs once is enough that dogs can get to much vacination. Any opinions would be helpful. Thanks.

Answer 1

Depending upon the your state, rabies vaccinations may be required every year. The state I'm in only requires rabies vaccinations every 3 years.

I, personally, think you should have your dog vaccinated when required.

If he's having an adverse reaction from multiple shots, them maybe you can space the shots over a month versus giving him a lot of shots at once.

Also, do you plan to take your dog to dog parks or out in the public? You can make an argument for your position if you only keep him in your house.

Answer 2

Most small dogs have a reaction to lepto and corono vaccines. I always ask the vet to not use them.

You can opt for titer testing instead of shots too. It may cost a little more, but you can find out where your dog's immunity level is at, and decide from there if shots are necessary or not. Its just a blood test.

Some people only do vax's every 3 years. I think its good to separate rabies and the booster and do them at least a few weeks apart.

If your vet is against any of this, find another vet. My last vet is all about "shots every year" and he did not like it that I requested to leave out the lepto and corono. I felt really irritated when I left there. He's an older farm vet, and probably not up to date on newer protocalls.

When I took my newest dog to another vet to get micro-chipped, I noticed he had info about 3-year vaccines and titers, etc in his office. Guess where Im taking my dogs to now.


Rabies is required by law, there's no way around that one. If your dog has severe reactions to the rabies vax, you MAY be able to titer your dog for rabies every year/6 months and get a waiver from your vet showing that your dog is immune. Some counties/states accept that, and some do not, you may want to call your animal control and see if they do or not.

Answer 3

No dog regardless of breed or size needs to be vaccinated yearly..the current protocol by the AAHA/AVMA and ALL 27 vet schools says that they should not be vaccinated more then every 3 years once they have completed their puppy series and this wil llikely change within the next couple of years to even longer.
Also NEVER give an 8 in 1 vaccination!!! This is totally un-necassary and could actually be harmful..the only vaccinations ALL dogs need are distemper/parvo/canine hepatitis and adenovirus-2 and then rabies...some dogs because they are at high risk may need a lepto and/or parainfluenza vaccination but this is not needed for all dogs particualrly toy breeds.
No dog EVER needs a coronavirus or giardia vaccination..these are NOT recommended for ANY dog.

Answer 4

8 in 1 is way too much for such a little dog. DHPP should be sufficient, and if he's small enough he may get by with a half dose, or have it done every other year. If you have vaccinated him every year so far, you should ask your vet to do a vaccine titer, which will show the level of antibodies your dog has. If the antibodies are high enough, he won't need yearly booster.

Answer 5

I have 11 chihuahuas and do get them vaccinated yearly.This is alot better than the stronger 3 year rabies vaccine.Also,I DO NOT give my dogs the bordertella vaccine(you may also skip this one if you don't board your dog or he doesn't frequent alot of other dogs you know nothing about).I do NOT give any of my dogs the Lepto shot either.Too much for their little bodies..my vet always said the less we put in them the better.After reading up on Lepto,I decided the risk of them contacting this disease did out weigh the chances of them catching it.So,ask your vet about the 5 in one shot instead.

Answer 6

i have read that some people believe the booster shots (not rabies) are actually a waste and arent needed. the reason you give them to them as puppies is because when they do not nurse long enough they do not develop the regular immune system that a wild dog would. so as a puppy it is important to get them their shots but after that the dogs are producing their own antibodies and have a stronger immune system and do not need the booster shots. I dont know how true this is so i take my Jack Russell every year to get her shots but she handles it fine.

If you're dog is having reactions try researching it yourself a little bit read books go online talk to another vet and see what they say.

another thing i do know is that if your dog isn't around other dogs EVER their is no need to get any shots as they would not be able to have any diseases transmitted to them.

as for Rabies im pretty sure its mandatory to get.

Answer 7

I did the first puppy shots and the one year booster now I only do every three years with the rabies vaccine.

Its a choice not a cost issue I have a case of shots in the fridge but I do agree we are over vaccinating. Just as I believe we over vaccinate our children.

Answer 8

I would suggest keeping him up on the very important shots, ie: rabies (only need to be done every 3 years after the 1st 2 sets) parvo, etc. i always keep my dogs fully vaccinated cuz we live in the country and you never know how your neighbors care for their pets, in the sticks you have wild animals to worry about too.

Answer 9

You should always get the dog vaccinated when the vet says that it is time to. Dosages of the shots are based on the dogs weight to ensure that the dog does not get too much of the medicine. As for the side affects they are no different than you or I getting a vaccination a tetanus shot hurts for days etc.

Answer 10

The vaccinations are not only important for your dog’s health, but are required by law. Give your baby benadryl starting 24 hours before his shots, and 24 hours afterwards. Talk with your vet about giving him the minimum vaccinations if you are worried about over vaccinations, and if he has ZERO contact with other dogs, and NEVER goes anywhere that other dogs go.