http://healthypets.mercola.com/sites/healthypets/archive/2011/10/27/new-canine-vaccination-guidelines.aspx

I've been doing titers for three years instead of over vaccinating. I'm really glad to see the AAHA put this out, and plan to circulate it around!

I agree, what a wonderful thing for them to actually put in print.

I’m not sure what the journals say up here and my vet doesn’t push vaccinations with me but I know it’s still common practice with some.

I plan on printing it out for a few folks I know.

Thanks for posting this.

i'll continue to booster every year my dogs never have a problem

John, you know that you don't make your dog more immune by vaccinating yearly, right?

JMHO, take the time to read through the link, it is full of very valuable info on vaccines.

It is your prerogative to vaccinate yearly, but in light of this information, it seems not only a waste of money, more importantly, you could be creating future problems for your dog.
Again, JMHO.

 Quote: john axe

i'll continue to booster every year my dogs never have a problem

Why?

I will discuss it with my vet i believe in vaccinations . i also have my horses vaccinated for everything.

Just because your dogs don't have problems now doesn't mean they won't after years of unnecessary vaccinations. It's a personal choice, since dogs are property and you can chose to maintain your property how you see fit, but it's still pointless to change the oil in your car every 100 miles.

Discussing it with your vet will most likely end up with your vet encouraging you to continue on the path you're already on. Yearly boosters insure cash flow and the chance to visually inspect the animal at least once a year. Most dog owners are too lazy to take their dog in for a check up every 6 months, so vets 'scaring' their clients into over vaccinating pets is the best course of action in getting the animal into the clinic.

I believe in vaccinating animals against illness and disease, as well. That's why I have titers done yearly, and if they ever come back telling me I need to vaccinate, I'll do it.

Your correct, dogs are property and it's my choice. in the 35 + years, i haven't had any trouble with my dogs concerning vaccinations. ( i do not feed raw either.)

"Vets love their children, but they have not been vaccinating their kids for measles, mumps, rubella, smallpox and polio every year, have they?
No.
And why not?
Simple: because they know that over-stimulating the immune system of any animal can trigger auto-immune disorders and increase (however slightly) the chance of a cancer occurring at the point of injection.
And so vets do not over-vaccinate their own children and neither do any other doctors.
But many veterinarians over-vaccinate dogs and cats brought into their practice.
Why?
The short answer is money."

Above is a quote from this short but informative article:

http://terriermandotcom.blogspot.com/2009/09/over-vaccination-is-bad-medicine.html

My two cents: More is not better. Once a vaccine has triggered the apprpriate immune response in an animal, giving it more doesn't make it more immune.

It makes no more sense to give an unneeded yearly vaccine that to vaccinate every month or every week. Yearly shots became the norm simply because responsible pet owners bring their animals in for a yearly exam. But responsible vets have known for decades that yearly vaccinations are a bad idea.

I understand that vaccines give people "peace of mind" that their animal is protected from disease. But the better way to spend your money (and better for the health of the animal) is to pay the vet to do a titer test. Same cost as the vaccine. The test will tell you whether or not the animal is still being protected from a vaccine given years earlier. Same peace of mind. Same cost. Better outcome.

Vaccinations are wonderful things--probably the greatest invention ever created. They have saved untold millions of lives of people and animals. Their power to protect from disease is truly amazing. But that's a power that needs to be understood and used responsibly. Vaccines are not the same as relatively harmless supplements or simple medicines (aspirin a day...handful of vitamin C when you feel a cold).

This isn't one of those things (like raw feeding) that one should put in the category of a "choice" that only crazy dog people make because they think they know better. (I feed raw but am the first to admit that many kibbles are just as good.) It's also not questionable science that one can decide to ignore because "the jury's still out." It's completely within one's right to over-vaccinate their dog. Or pour sugar in their own gas tank.