I also follow the Dodds protocol. Rabies is required every three years here in Michigan.

Rabies is not required by law in BC. In fact, I believe Ontario is the only province in Canada that does require it.

I spend $125 or so per dog for their tests, and that includes the fee to send it off to the lab but not the office fee. I worked a deal out with my vet for the office fee so that I can bring all of the dogs in at the same time.

Yes, it is cheaper to get the vaccinations done, especially if you have access to a free or cheap clinic like around here, but I'd rather spend more money and avoid the expense of an ER trip because someone had an adverse reaction or the $$$ to test injection site tumors for cancer.

 Quote: SamanthaTopper

I spend $125 or so per dog for their tests, and that includes the fee to send it off to the lab but not the office fee. I worked a deal out with my vet for the office fee so that I can bring all of the dogs in at the same time.

Yes, it is cheaper to get the vaccinations done, especially if you have access to a free or cheap clinic like around here, but I'd rather spend more money and avoid the expense of an ER trip because someone had an adverse reaction or the $$$ to test injection site tumors for cancer.

I agree completely. Anyone considering titers, just call your vet to get a price ahead of time. It does vary from vet to vet. I think it costs me approx. $90 to get titers for distemper and parvo...

(and many boarding kennels will accept titers in lieu of vaccination records)

I think I'm paying about $100 for titers as well. Money well spent, IMO.

 Quote: Tracy Collins

I think I'm paying about $100 for titers as well. Money well spent, IMO.

Ditto. I feel it is important to protect my pet against disease and against detrimental effects of vaccines as well as the doing my part of disease control/elimination. I do wish rabies titers were accepted, especially with elder pets.

I do believe that on Dodd's website there is a place you can have your vet send the sample to & interpretation should anyone go to a vet that doesn't exactly support titers.

Personally I don't titer yearly, sometimes twice a year and sometimes it may be 2+ years. We base it on the individual dog dependent on their activities, previous titers, health, etc. Just curious what others are doing with titer frequency.

I titer every year until 4 then it is every 2 years depending on results from previous titer.

Titers don't count by law anywhere in the US though, correct?

Things can happen (ie a rabid back flies into your backyard) and any suspected exposure to rabies might mean quarantine or death for your dog. A dog fight between your dog and a loose, uncontrolled dog (through no fault of your dog) could result in your dog being quarantined or euthanized especially if the other dog is not vaccinated.

By law I'm required to have my dogs vaccinated every three years. Same law applies if I want to travel with them into Canada or back into the US (which I do fairly regularly).

Rabies vaccinations are also required for any dogs competing in skijor and mushing races. I'd imagine this is true for other dog sports as well.

For me, the risk of death (rabies is always deadly- except in a very very few human cases where the individuals are serverly debilitated), and the inability to compete or travel with my dogs if they were not vaccinated supercedes the risk of a three year vaccine.

Rabies is still very much around and kicking in the lower 48 states. I've personally seen rabid animals- foxes, coyotes and skunks. One of my friends from my home town raised a litter of orphaned raccons only to have the whole litter come down with rabies. The post exposure shots for his family were no picnic, and not at all cheap. I'd hate for someone to make a life ending decision to not vaccinate their dog for rabies or to minimally vaccinate unless they have all the facts and are able to weigh the costs/benefits for their particular dog and his/her activities and exposure risk.

I've worked with bats and am vaccinated for rabies myself. Rabies kills 55,000 people worldwide each year, with dog bites responsible for 99% of these deaths (through transmission of the disease). Without post-exposure vaccines an estimated 350,000 people would die of rabies worldwide. http://www.who.int/mediacentre/factsheets/fs099/en/

I don't know if anyone doesn't vaccinate their dogs for rabies at all, but just do your research and consider how well you are able to monitor/contain your dog. There is no cure for rabies, and bats can easily fly over fences and fit into a crevice the size of a pencil erasor.

I wish titers were accepted by law. Until then, I'll have to stick to the three year rabies vaccination schedule.

Okay, I think I know what titer testing is now:

http://www.caberfeidh.com/CanineTiters.htm

If I understand correctly, the vaccination dilemma is:

1) risk of over-vaccination causing illness

2) risk of under-vaccination causing illness

Gee. What a choice!

My male Ripper is required to every 3 years in order to go to work with him. Outside of that my dogs get it every 5 years tops. And as soon as the testing comes out every 7 possibly. I don't get vaccinated as often as they do! Neither do my kids!