Hi I have a german shepherd pup. Marley is nearly 5 mths old. He had 2 vaccination to date. First one was at weeks old (distemper vaccine). Second was 9 weeks old (lepto bacterin vaccine). Since reading about vaccinosis i decided to not vaccine him again. Is this adequate enough in terms of vaccines and when should i take a rabies vaccine.

all advice will be appreciated.

This is a good resource.
Jean Dodd Vacination schedule

thanks alot for your opinion

While I'm not a fan of vaccines, its my opinion that if you *start* the puppy series of vaccines, you should finish it.

At this point, the dog has had viruses introduced into his system. Do we know what that might have done to his ability to fight those viruses naturally? Did it make him more, or less likely to fight off those viruses, should he encounter them in his environment?

In other words, continue the vaccines per the Dodds schedule until the dog has full immunity for those things he has already received vaccines for.

Well i went through, the leerburg basic training DVD and one suggestion was to give canines 2 shots as a pup then a rabies shot at 24 weeks/6 months old. I just wondering if anyone else had to so, to hear some results.

my dog has been vaccinated with no ill effects

I have 3 adult dogs and 1 puppy that have received the following:

Parvo/Distemper - 2 sets, 4 weeks apart

One (my male) got a 3 year rabies at a year old because we had to cross the border into the US. Where I live rabies (or any other vacs for that matter) are NOT required. We have almost no occurences of rabies, so it is not something they even question if their is a dog bite.

To me 6 months is a little young for rabies, but then again, if it is required by law, then it is required by law, nothing much you can do about it. I know that some people wait until they have been warned to get it, or until a year old, whichever comes first. Not suggesting it, just an FYI.

I have told this story before: my puppy was 3 months old (and not yet vaccinated). We found a bat in our yard, called animal control. The bat was tested positive for rabies. The puppy had to be quarantined (they wanted us to euthanize her). 3 months at an acceptable kennel ($30 per day - add it up) and then 3 months of home quarantine where she could not leave our property. Rabies is a deadly disease and nothing to mess around with. It is not rare in the lower 48 US. Again, check CDC for specifics.

 Quote: Aaron Myracle

While I'm not a fan of vaccines, its my opinion that if you *start* the puppy series of vaccines, you should finish it.

At this point, the dog has had viruses introduced into his system. Do we know what that might have done to his ability to fight those viruses naturally? Did it make him more, or less likely to fight off those viruses, should he encounter them in his environment?

In other words, continue the vaccines per the Dodds schedule until the dog has full immunity for those things he has already received vaccines for.

Yes, we know. The introduction of a vaccine is an introduction of outside antigens to the body of the person or critter who receives it. At that point, the person or critter initiates the production of antibodies specific to those antigens. There is a memory component- the next time the body experiences those specific antigens it will begin to ramp up the antibody production to fight them off. So even one dose helps.

Sometimes, one dose does not provide complete coverage. For instance, in my state, children received the chicken pox vaccine and after a few years it was evident that a certain number of children would get chicken pox anyway, so a second dose was mandated.

A full course of vaccines does seem to give good protection, and the protection begins several weeks after the very first dose.

The problem is, is that it is now beginning to be recognized that multiple vaccinations over the course of many years creates in some cases unintended and undesired side effects that we do not yet understand.

I work with children and there are some parents who do not want to have their children vaccinated at all. I personally do not think this is the answer. Children used to die of whooping cough (pertussis) and some of the other diseases we vaccinate for.

But there are definitely unintended and undesired effects from years of multiple vaccinations that we do not understand. I do not think that yearly vaccinations at the vet are necessary or desirable after the first schedule is completed, but there IS a memory component and we do not fully understand how that works and for how long. For instance, a rough rule of thumb for adult people is that one should get a tetanus booster every 10 years but if one receives a puncture type injury after more than 5 years one should go get vaccinated immediately, presumably to wake the antibody memory.

So I think I would defer the opinion of exactly when adult dogs should get another dose of vaccine to those who work with dogs, but my own personal opinion is that any of my own puppies should receive their puppy series.

You can have titers done to check and see if your pup has responded to his previous vaccinations. Below is what one of the world's leading veterinary vaccine research scientists does for his own dogs.

Regarding the rabies vaccine, if your state requires a rabies immunization by the time a pup is 6 months old, I would wait until the last minute allowable under the law to immunize my own pup.

This is what Dr. Ronald Schultz had to say in his 2007 presentation to the AKC Canine Health Foundation entitled,What Everyone Needs to Know About Canine Vaccines and Vaccination Programs: http://www.puliclub.org/CHF/AKC2007Conf/What%20Everyone%20Needs%20to%20Know%20About%20Canine%20Vaccines.htm

"My own dogs, those of my children and grandchildren are vaccinated with MLV CDV, CPV-2, CPI, andCAV-2 vaccines once as puppies after the age of 12 weeks. An antibody titer is performed two or more weeks later and if found positive our dogs are never again vaccinated. I have used this vaccination program with modifications (CAV-2 replaced CAV-1 vaccines in 1970's and CPV-2 vaccines were first used in 1980) since 1974! I have never had one of our dogs develop CDV,CAV-1 or CPV-2 even though they have had exposure to many dogs, wildlife and to virulent CPV-2 virus. You may say that I have been lucky, but it is not luck that protects my dogs, it is immunologic memory.

The vaccines in the quote above are CDV (distemper), CPV-2 (parvovirus), CPI (canine parainfluenza), and CAV-2 (hepatitis), and Dr. Ronald Schultz is the Chair of the Department of Pathobiological Sciences at the University of Wisconsin School of Veterinary Medicine. His challenge and serological studies on canine vaccines form a large part of the scientific data base upon which the 2003 and 2006 American Animal Hospital Association's Canine Vaccine Guidelines are based, as well as the 2007 World Small Animal Veterinary Association's Vaccine Guidelines.

---

Kris L. Christine

Founder, Co-Trustee

The Rabies Challenge Fund

http://www.RabiesChallengeFund.org