Over-vaccinated puppies?

Question

I read an answer from someone that mentioned dogs being over-vaccinated. It had never crossed my mind that this could be an issue- how often SHOULD a puppy be vaccinated? My vet gave me a vaccination schedule for our new pup, but I thought I'd survey you guys, as well.

Answer 1

People have an idea that once a year is too much to be vaccinated. In reality, different disease vaccines last for different lengths. Rabies can last for 3, distemper can last for 3, but Lepto is an annual vaccine. Kennel cough can last for 6-12 months, so if your dog is around others on a daily basis (dog daycare, show ring, etc) he should get it every 6 months instead of annually. Make sure you talk to a reputable vet about vaccination, instead of listening to breeders and owners who are nutty about too many vaccines. My dog gets everything annually (rabies every 3) and nothing is wrong with him. Over vaccination is only a concern with people because they worry about site reactions, or lipoma development in the site of the shot. In cats, some people think tumors develop and the risk of cancer is more important than the risk of respiratory ailments. It's a personal choice, but you need to be properly informed. Listen to your vet. Pups need the round of 3 when they are young (sometimes 4 if they are started too early) and then annually afterward.

Answer 2

Puppies should be vaccinated for distemper/parvo at 8, 12 & 16 weeks of age and then again a year after the last vaccination. Then no more for 3 years (under the current studies that may change soon since ALL studies are showing that distemper/parvo vaccinations are good for at least 7 years) (NO puppy should ever be vaccinated under 8 weeks of age. It interfers with natural immunity, supresses teh immune system, makes the puppy more vulnerable to the very illness the vaccine is suppose to protect against & can cause future issues with vaccinations)
Rabies should be given at 20 weeks (if given earlier it should NOT be given younger then 16 weeks) A booster should be given a year later and then every 3 years after (unfortunately some states still make it mandatory to vaccinate for rabies yearly)

Lepto, parainfluenza, lymes and kennel cough (bordatella) are not recommended for all dogs. It should only be given to those dogs at high risk of exposure.
Coronavirus, adenovirus-1 & Giardia vaccinations should NOT be given to any dog ever.

The above is the current protocol for the AAHA/AVMA and all 27 vet schools.
For more info check out Dr Jean Dodds and Dr. Ron Schultz sites. Also check out articles by Dr. Bob Rogers, Cornell University, University of Wisconsin Vet School, Texas A& M and Purdue. The Nov.2007 issue of the Whole Dog Journal had a wonderful article on vaccinating.

Answer 3

The problem is getting a good enough immune response from a puppy to actually make them immune to a disease. And the immune response is better with age. If possible you should have puppy shots after eight weeks and one after sixteen weeks. If you start earlier then you need to have at least three. If you don't start earlier, then you risk the puppy getting parvo before they reach an old enough age to be vaccinated.

If you happen to get an older dog that has never been vaccinated then one DA2PP and one IMRAB will actually make them immune for life. But states love to tax, so rabies is required more often.

Answer 4

There are breeders who never vaccinate their puppies or adults. Raw fed, un-vaccinated pups have stronger immune systems than vaccinated, kibble-fed pups and can fight off disease challenges much better than their vaccinated, kibble-fed counterparts. And puppies properly vaccinated for Parvo still die of Parvo.
It is a touchy subject in part because we have been told by so many people that dogs HAVE to have vaccines or they will die, and also because we don't want our animals to get sick and die, so most people follow the crowd and vaccinate every time the vet sends them a card.
Vaccines are not without risk, and most people don't know that until their animal or child has a vaccine reaction.
There is plenty of information if you check into vaccinosis.

Answer 5

The idea of over vaccination comes from the theory that once a dog is fully vaccinated as a puppy the immunity to a certain disease does not just go away every year and therefore they do not need yearly vaccines.
There is a lot of debate about this and you will hear pros and cons from both sides, but I tend to think that dogs are over vaccinated myself. There are tests you can do to see if your dog still has antibodies and is still immune, or if they do in fact require further vaccines, but I think that is only for certain ones, not all.
This is one where you kind of have to really research and decide for yourself because there is heated debate and research done to prove both sides.

Answer 6

i take my pups at 6, 8, 10, and 12. some vets does not recommend the 6 week shot - think it's too early. but i've always taken them in at 6 since the mother dog refuses to feed by that time and puppies usually get their immunity from the mother's milk which they're no longer getting. They then get rabies at 4 months, and a booster shot every year. Even then, the vaccinations does not cover all diseases that go around. My dogs are fully vaccinated but one still caught kennel cough (there are so many different forms). Different vets may have different guidelines, of when shots should be administered, I got a puppy from a breeder who dewormed the pups every week - that i think is over-vaccinating. But he came to me free of parasites unlike two my of other dogs.

Answer 7

RABIES Rule ARTICLE Kennebec Journal 10/6/04
>
> Greetings!
> The following article by Susan Cover on the upcoming rabies rule change
> appears in today's 10/6/04 Kennebec Journal at:
> http://kennebecjournal.mainetoday.com/news/local/1040808.shtml
>
> Wednesday, October 6, 2004


> AUGUSTA -- Dog owners take notice: The rules on rabies shots have changed.
>
> Effective Oct. 14, dogs are required to get a rabies shot every three
years,
> not every two years.
>
> The state Bureau of Health recently approved revised rules to clarify what
> had been a confusing law to some pet owners. The way it was written, some
> interpreted the rules to mean dogs had to be immunized every two years.
>
> But people such as Kris Christine of Alna complained to the state that
their
> pets were being over-vaccinated. Christine said her dog Meadow, a
7-year-old
> yellow Labrador retriever, suffered a cancerous tumor where he had
received
> a shot, which sparked her interest in making sure the state law was clear
to
> pet owners and veterinarians.
>
> "I really felt I had to do something about this because the law was
wrong,"
> she said. "It was medically wrong."
>
> After the new rules take effect next week, pet owners will simply have to
> prove to the local town office that a dog has had a vaccination that is
> still in effect at the time of the license renewal. Dog licenses go on
sale
> Oct. 15, the day after the new rules kick in.
>
> Dr. Philip Haines, a deputy director in the Bureau of Health, said the
> clarification will help dispel some misunderstandings about the rules.
>
> "The main thing is it makes clear something that actually was true all
along
> " he said. "The rabies vaccination didn't need to be given more often than
> three years."
>
> The old rules required dog owners to prove that the vaccination would be
in
> effect for the entire yearlong license period. The new rules require only
> that the rabies shot be current at the time of licensure.
>
> The last human case of rabies in Maine was in 1934, Haines said. It's no
> longer a major problem for dogs because most pet owners get their animals
> vaccinated on a regular basis, he said.
>
> Although she achieved one goal, Christine said she still has some
unfinished
> business. She also wants the state to allow dogs that are sick or allergic
> to the rabies vaccine to be exempt from the rules. The state will begin
> working on that soon, Haines said.
>
> "You don't want to give a sick dog a vaccination," Christine said.

Answer 8

CANINE RABIES CHALLENGE STUDIES BEGIN !

One of the most important vaccine research studies in
veterinary medicine is underway at the University of Wisconsin
School of Veterinary Medicine in Madison. Dr. Ronald Schultz, a
leading authority on veterinary vaccines and Chair of the
Department of Pathobiological Sciences, has begun concurrent 5 and
7 year challenge studies to determine the long-term duration of
immunity of the canine rabies vaccine, with the goal of extending
the state-mandated interval for boosters. These will be the first
long-term challenge studies on the canine rabies vaccine to be
published in the United States.

Dr. Schultz comments that: "We are all very excited to start this
study that will hopefully demonstrate that rabies vaccines can
provide a minimum of 7 years of immunity."

This research is being financed by The Rabies Challenge
Fund, a charitable trust founded by pet vaccine disclosure advocate
Kris L. Christine of Maine, who serves as Co-Trustee with world-
renowned veterinary research scientist and practicing clinician,
Dr. W. Jean Dodds of Hemopet in California. The Rabies Challenge
Fund recently met its goal of $177,000 to fund the studies' first
year budget with contributions from dog owners, canine groups,
trainers, veterinarians, and small businesses. Annual budget goals
of $150,000 for the studies must be met in the future.

Dr. Jean Dodds, DVM states: "This is the first time in
> my 43 years of involvement in veterinary issues that what started
as a grass-roots effort to change an outmoded regulation affecting
animals will be addressed scientifically by an acknowledged expert
to benefit all canines in the future."

Scientific data published in 1992 by Michel Aubert and his research
team demonstrated that dogs were immune to a rabies challenge 5
years after vaccination, while Dr. Schultz's serological studies
documented antibody titer counts at levels known to confer immunity
to rabies 7 years post-vaccination. This data strongly suggests
that state laws requiring annual or triennial rabies boosters for
dogs are redundant. Because the rabies vaccine is the most potent
of the veterinary vaccines and associated with significant adverse
reactions, itshould not be given more often than is necessary to
maintain immunity. Adverse reactions such autoimmune diseases
affecting the thyroid, joints, blood, eyes, skin, kidney, liver,
bowel and central nervous system; anaphylactic shock; aggression;
seizures; epilepsy; and fibrosarcomas at injection sites are linked
to rabies vaccinations.

Study co-trustee Kris Christine adds: "Because the USDA does not
require vaccine manufacturers to provide long-term duration of
immunity studies documenting maximum effectiveness when licensing
their products, concerned dog owners have contributed the money to
fund this research themselves. We want to ensure that rabies
immunization laws are based upon independent, long-term scientific
data."

More information and regular updates on The Rabies
Challenge Fund and the concurrent 5 and 7 year challenge studies it
is financing can be found at the fund's website designed by
volunteer Andrea Brin at: www.RabiesChallengeFund.org.

Answer 9

I agree with Esther on this one. I believe my previous dog was overvaccinated bc she was always sickly. And she passed at 9 1/2 years old. I go to a Holistic Vet now.

Answer 10

I think it was me that posted that answer. Overvaccination is a big problem not only in dogs, but in humans as well (Honestly, do you REALLY need that Gardasil vaccine?)

I myself plan to do only my dog's 1st year booster and no more after that, except for rabies (because it's required by law). I don't see the need for annual or 3 year boosters.

Check out these links:

http://www.cedarbayvet.com/duration_of_immunity.htm
http://www.caberfeidh.com/PuppyVax.htm
http://www.caberfeidh.com/Revax.htm
http://www.caberfeidh.com/Titers.htm
http://www.caberfeidh.com/VaxNone.htm