I haven't vaccinated since 6 months. One thing I have been wondering about is which of the typically vaccinated diseases are deadly if contracted by an adult dog. keeping mind that our dog is a very closely watched 2 year old house dog, would not be left sick without going to the vet, etc. But I have had one vets office tell me that he could die from any of the puppy diseases if he wasn't vaccinated. Most of te einfo I have come up with is of course, vaccinate vaccinate vaccinate.

What I am wondering is if he came down with, say parvo, would be likely die even with vets care? I know some things are deadly for a young animal but mild for an adult. Can anyone shed some light here or point me in the direction of where to find good truthful info on them?

I have been thinking about it quite a bit since our neighbor got a puppy that we allow our dog to play with. I am sure she is not vaccinated, but she is also neglected and does not get good care. If she got sick, it could be days before someone knew, and probably longer for her to get care. A previous year old dog of his was allowed to be bred by neighborhood dogs, and her litter and her died or parvo. i will feel better being better educated on the matter.

 Quote: Julie Sloan

I haven't vaccinated since 6 months. .... our neighbor got a puppy that we allow our dog to play with. I am sure she is not vaccinated, but she is also neglected and does not get good care. ....

To gear the discussion more toward your dog: your dog had a series of puppy vax but has not had what they call annual boosters?

Ask your vet about titer testing. It will tell you if any of the vaccinations the dog was given in the past are still effective. If they are, then you don't need to re-give the vaccines that are still protecting. You can do the titer tests annually.

That said, I'm a big believer in the value of vaccines. They save lives and suffering. Even if your dog didn't die from parvovirus or rabies, treating it would cost you many times what the vaccine would have cost. And why risk it?

Vaccines are safe (as safe as can reasonably be expected with any medical procedure) when administered under the new protocols.

OVER-vaccinating is bad too. Titers are the answer to that. But under-vaccinating is probably worse. IMO.

yes, Connie, that is correct. And since I found out at about one year or so that he had a minor infection from almost day one, I have had my doubts as to how well even those vaccines worked in terms of getting a good response, plus they were given in group shots, me not knowing better at the time.

I am not a fan of vaccines, in general, after having read about them. I am not concerned about what is the best way to save money, but what is the best for the dog.No offense to your response Tracy. My dog had serious joint issues from puppy that we had fixed, plus allergies, so I don't feel like he is a good candidate for vaccinations in general. He does get Rabies.

I am looking for better info on how serious any of those diseases usually vaccinated against would be if he contracted it as an adult.

I lost an adult dog to distemper when I was a child and the memory is as vivid now as it was then. She suffered.

This is a link to adult parvo

http://www.vetinfo.com/dparvo.html#b

I just re read your post and your neighbor lost a litter to parvo? Parvo will live in the environment for some time. I've read anywhere from 6 months to over a year depending on the source.

It has been probably 8 years since the litter died. I actually read it can live 5 years unprotected, and up to 20 in a protected area.

I was under the impression, i think, that most people who were on this board were mostly anti-vaccination? Maybe not? Are most of you vaccinating? I was not really asking to decide to vaccinate or not, but this is the first dog that I have not vaccinated after puppy, so yes, I still hesitate at times as to whether I am doing the right thing.

Betty, I read that link and that is just the info I am loking for. SO parvo is rare but possible in an adult dog. And I think the info I go to n how long parvo can live was exaggerated. Thanks. I will continue to read about the other diseases. That may be a good place to check it out.

Still open to hear form anyone and everyone here on this post. Thanks!

See distemper has me worried after reading about it even in older dogs. What is the right thing to do? It is so hard to know.

Tracy has an excellent suggestion on the titers. You can get the best of both worlds if the test shows sufficient protection. You know the dog is protected and you don't have to have the shots administered.