Great info on vaccinations. My dog got her boosters as well as rabies last summer and the lump from the booster took months to go away. Needless to say that I'm not going to do that again! I'm just wondering about Lyme Disease and if anyone here has vaccinated against it? I live in the 1000 Islands area of Ontario and last summer there was a major breakout in the area. Since I'm in a rural area most of our walks our in the woods, where there are lots of deer and other animals. BTW my two indoor cats had their first boosters and nothing since, they're 3 and 7 and perfectly healthy!

I did Pavo/Dist modified live at 11.5 and 16 weeks. I will put off doing rabies for as long as possible!

I agree with whoever said they are more worried about what the vaccine will do to their dog than the dog contracting rabies!

I think it's important to think about the risks involved in your area when considering whether you want to vaccinate your dog for anything.

I live in a rural area, where rabies and lepto are actually a big concern. I did get my dog vaccinated for lepto. The reason for that is because not only is lepto well documented in my area, but it is also contagious to humans. I personally know someone who has been hospitilized for it in the last few weeks.

For me, the risks of contracting lepto are greater than the risks associated with the vaccine.

As for rabies, here's the situation where I live: Originally, Cape Cod had a high rate of rabies infection due to the high population of frequent transmitter species such as skunks, coyotes and, especially, raccoons.

Then they started putting out vaccine laced bait and, for twenty years, the Cape was rabies-free. So, they decided to stop doing the vaccine baiting.

Viola! We now have rabies on the Cape again. Within one year. And not just one case, either. It spread like wildfire.

I understand everyone not wanting to vaccinate against rabies, I really and truly do. But I wonder what would happen if everyone stopped vaccinating their dogs?

In my area, admittedly wooded, a wild animal could attack and transmit rabies very easiy, even if my dog was on leash. I used to think, "Well, I don't let my animals near wild animals or off-leash so he'll be fine." But then, during a walk on leash, he got sprayed by a skunk that we just didn't see. And I thought, good thing he didn't have rabies. It could happen just that easily around here.

So, I just wanted to put out a reminder that sometimes vaccines are a good idea. I know they're overdone and risk-heavy and I'm not saying people should follow the vet's recommended vaccination schedule. And I'm not even saying that people should vaccinate their dogs at all, if there's not a good reason for it.

I just wanted to say that it's my personal advice that every dog owner should do research on their area before deciding not to vaccinate. Sometimes there is a very real risk associated with not vaccinating as well, and that deserves consideration.

I totally disagree that vaccines are a good idea. What did the universe provide animals with an immune system for? Think about it!

We are pumping vaccines (that are full of some dangerous and nasty stuff) into our animals and kids because we want them to be "healthy".

If you really understand immunity and how it works, and how a vaccine can not make your animal or child MORE immune to something that their body is prepared to fight naturally, you will at least question the whole idea.

I will no longer EVER buy a dog or puppy for my breeding program from anyone that vaccinates their breeding stock or puppies, no matter how much I love the bloodlines. It has taken years of witnessing vaccine damaged animals have a multitude of issues that most people think are normal for a dog... skin problems, allergies,thyroid problems, autoimmune disorders, behavioral disorders (many times following a rabies vaccine), etc.....

Health is obtained through clean air and water, species appropriate food, exercise and chemical free rearing. I have way too much experience with generations of dogs to deny a difference (for the better) in our dogs since we made some huge shifts in our rearing practices.

everyone needs to do their research, but actually DO the research. Don't blindly follow anyone's ideas without questioning it, when it's something this important. this includes listening to me! The difference between me and most of the posters on this forum is that I not only have quite a bit of veterinary experience, I have a LOT of experience breeding, whelping and raising dogs.

I'll be quiet now. LOL

I completely understand what you're saying and why. But nature provides immunity, in part, through natural selection. Those with the immunity survive to breed and those with less or no immunity do not.

In the case of pet animals (and people, for that matter) we have prevented nature from weeding out the weak in many cases because, through vaccinations and antibiotics, we can prevent the death that would naturally occur in some people and some animals. While that might not be good evolutionarily speaking, I don't necessarily want my child or my dog to be one of the ones that is "weeded."

I know what you're saying, Cindy, and I've read everything on your site, and elsewhere, and I do agree with you about the harm that can come from vaccinations. For the majority of people in the US, I think that vaccinations should be avoided. I don't vaccinate yearly, I don't vaccinate for Lyme or Bortadella, I do titer counts, and my puppy only had the shots that he got at the breeder.

What I am saying is that when there is an active outbreak of rabies and lepto in an area and a very real risk of contracting the disease(s) then sometimes the risk of vaccination is worth it. I wish I didn't have to vaccinate for rabies and lepto, but I had to make a judgement call. I had to weigh the chances of my dog having an adverse reaction to the lepto shot with how I would feel if my 7 year old contracted lepto. It is not a paranoid fear in what is essentially an island, with both canine and human cases on the rise.

I hope you understand that I am not disagreeing with your general policy on vaccinations. I just believe that there are often exceptions to every rule and there is nothing wrong with people making sure that they don't fall into that small catagory.

Rabies is not required where I live either. The later you can do it the better. Don't do it in combination with ANY other vaccine and make sure your dog is perfectly healthy. I go to a homoeapthic vet so I get a remedy after the vaccine. I only need the vaccine due to going across to the U.S. So, I wait til the dog is 1 1/2 -2 yrs before I take them and need it.

Another question, I was looking up requirements for puppy classes (attending puppy class is in my contract, sigh)...and they require up to date DHPP - but I was only planning on doing distemper and parvo.

The extra two are hepatitis and parainfluenza - are they safe?

If not, I'll talk to my breeder. She might be able to figure something out for me, since she's anti over-vaccination and knows I have extensive puppy-raising experience.

Or perhaps you can talk to your breeder about waiving that stupid puppy OB class crap so you don't ruin your dog

Good point!

Cindy, I agree with you 100%. My dog is 4yrs old now and has never been stuck with a needle. But how do you work this around the law? Let's say you've got an adult dog that someone purchases from you. Don't they require written documentation of certain vaccinations before they board a plane? And not just on planes, but anywhere you take your dogs that might require this.