Our puppy will be 5 months old next month and is scheduled to be spayed (I would love to have bred her, but we adopted her and promised to do this.) The vet we are bringing her to requires a Lepto shot. Has anyone heard of this shot and does it have any side affects. What excatly is it for - I was told bacteria. Should I be afraid of this? I want to know everything about this before they give it to my perfect puppy.
Thanks

I would consider another vet.....

and read this......

http://www.leerburg.com/pdf/vaccinosis.pdf

http://www.canismajor.com/dog/lepto.html

I don't know much about this kind of stuff, but this might help. Google lepto vaccine. The words "problem" and "controversial" come up alot in your search results.

The biggest worry that I have with Lepto is that it can be transferred to humans, especially children.

HOWEVER, it's really not very common in most areas. (Unfortunately, it is really common where I live).

I would check out the Lepto situation where you live but I would guess that it's something that you really don't need to worry about vaccinating against.

Even in most areas that are high in Lepto cases, if you stay out of the areas that wild animals travel, and prevent your dog from drinking out of puddles and such, you should be fine.

It is a risky vaccine, so there should be a REAL and HIGH risk to even consider the vac, IMO. The risk is higher for small dogs (and I don't know but I would assume it's therefore high for puppies).

I did get my dog vaccinated for Lepto because there are people I know personally in my area who have contracted it and been hospitalized, and I have a young son.

However, I think I am the exception to the rule, and it was a tough call to make. My guess is that your dog would be much better off not getting the shot.

PS- I understand a vets office having "recommendations" NOT "requirements." I agree with James: Find a new vet!

Good luck!

I guess I should give a little more information.... We live on a farm, surrounded by woods and lots of wildlife. I spoke to my parents after posting to this site, to ask if they have heard of this Lepto shot because they have dogs, cats and livestock. Apparently, they had a GSD at one point that got the bacteria and he died. Now all their dogs get this vaccine every year in their yearly shots.

I realize that there is a treat to this bacteria and it sounds like it is not treatable, however I am still nervous about it. I asked the vet receptionist if the shot was really required or if I could opt not to give it to our puppy and she said that the vet strongly reccommends getting it because she'll be in contact with other animals. I have three small children (10 months, 2 & 4), and I don't want to do anything that will harm them either. Everything I have read about this shot scares the heck out of me.

I read the links you suggested James and Michael and really would rather not get the vaccine. I am just torn with the history of a lost dog and my childrens safety.

Thank you so much for your comments. Any more thoughts would be greatly appreciated.

I didn't want to scare you. I also just saw in the link that I gave you that there was a problem with lepto in NY in the past. Ask your vet and call around and ask other vets in the area how many cases of lepto they have had in the past year. Some of the other folks can help you weigh the risk of getting the shot or not. Again, I apologize for any alarm.

Please don't apologize. That is why I am writing. To get others thoughts on this and all my other issues I've written about. I truly appreciate yours and everyone elses input. Thank you again!

Exposure does not mean transmission to your dog.

To compensate for not vaccinating, you should promote a diet that will support a strong, healthy immune system......Go with a raw diet or use a premium quality all natural dog food that Ed reccomends on this site.

Don't feed crap kibble.

No Vaccines + Proper Diet = Happy, Healthy Dog with an immune system prepared to handle anything that Nature throws your way.

Read this....

http://www.leerburg.com/pdf/feedingrawdiet.pdf
http://leerburg.com/honestkitchen.htm

Our Vet does not recommend the Lepto vaccination for his clients…. However he does insist that all of the PSD’s that he sees be vaccinated for it. With all of the nasty basements and buildings we search in and the swampy areas we track in, he feels it is a necessity.

He has never lost a “pet dog” to Lepto but has lost two PSD’s to it. I think you need to look at your surroundings… weigh the benefits vs. the risks. I think a working farm would put your dogs at a higher risk. Having grown up on one, I remember lots of mice and rats running around…. Never thought I’d say it but… We had some great cats!

I can tell you from experience – DON’T get this shot. My daughter has a 6-year-old black lab and was also told to get the shot 2 years ago because of the “bad weather conditions contributing to the increase of lepto in our area.” Not knowing any better, she did get the shot for Kira in August of 2005. In November, I noticed that Kira was not feeling herself. This is normally not unusual because she also has mega-esophagus, but this was a different behavior I was seeing. As the day progressed, she got weaker and weaker. When I called her to come in from her third potty trip in the afternoon, I saw she was lying down in the grass. When I called her to come to me, she tried to stand, but couldn’t.

Fortunately she is smaller than a normal black lab because of the mega-e, and I was able to lift her into my car and get her to the vet’s office. The vet who saw her said she was in shock and her kidneys were shutting down. She suspected lepto right away. She called the emergency hospital while I was on my way.

Kira did, in fact, have lepto and it was touch-and-go for a week. Miraculously she did recover, but she is still on low-protein kibble to keep her kidneys functioning properly.

Not only do I believe she did not contract lepto from the environment, I believe she suffered the attack as a result of the shot. And I do not believe it was because of her mega-e – she is not immune deficient in any way.

Please, please do some more research if you must, but take my word that this is truly what I believe happened to Kira. Our pets are priceless, but $3,000.00 for emergency and recuperative care, let alone the worry and feelings of helplessness, that could have been prevented…