If your grey-faced lab isn't immune to the agents in DHLP-Parvo after all the injections that he has had he never will be.
Find your old Rabies vaccination certificate. The product used and serial # will be listed. We can help you to determine if this was a 1 yr or a 3 yr vaccine. Most rabies vaccines are 3 yr.
A check-up is valuable for an old dog, to look at his teeth, listen to his heart, check his ears, feel his lumps and bumps to help figure out if they are cancers or just lipomas, fatty masses that do no damage.

Seriously? We're talking about continuing annual "boosters" on the adult or senior dog in the picture?

Betty says "If your grey-faced lab isn't immune to the agents in DHLP-Parvo after all the injections that he has had he never will be." and Betty is of course 100% correct.

The dog needs a physical.

Please don't vaccinate an ailing (and undiagnosed!) dog.

I TOTALLY agree with Betty and Connie's last posts!

But let me comment on if it DOES go down.

So your Mom and Dad said you have to. If it happens, it happens. Can't change it. So please, at the very least if Mom makes you follow through with overvaccinating an old man that deserves a break.....don't feel sorry for him. Don't fret over what happened, and rest easy knowing you got another day with the regal lookin' old fella.

See if you can get him a new, better food, and throw a ball for him, or a good belly rub. His call.

 Quote: Michael_Wise

I TOTALLY agree with Betty and Connie's last posts!

But let me comment on if it DOES go down.

So your Mom and Dad said you have to. If it happens, it happens. Can't change it. So please, at the very least if Mom makes you follow through with overvaccinating an old man that deserves a break.....don't feel sorry for him. Don't fret over what happened, and rest easy knowing you got another day with the regal lookin' old fella.

See if you can get him a new, better food, and throw a ball for him, or a good belly rub. His call.

I totally agree with this too! Focusing on the present (not the past) is something out dogs will teach us if we listen.

 Quote: Connie Sutherland

 Quote: Caitlin Beaumont

.... Chronic Ear infection in both ears, .... he is fed horrible food (Purina, Beneful, Pedigree) ...

You can do better than these foods for the same money. I would do the research and present your mother with the comparable prices of better foods.

How frequent are the ear infections, and how treated? What did the vet say about whether they are yeast, bacteria, or a combo? Do you have the Otomax-type drops to use at the first sign of inflammation (way before a full-blown infection starts again)?

There is an underlying factor when there are chronic ear infections, but at the very least, until that factor is determined (allergy, other chronic problems), you can be vigilant about examining the ears with a flashlight regularly. Ear infections are miserable for the dog.

Iv'e tried. I have gone through coupons and selected an Iams one just because I know they would not want to spend anymore on him. I did my research and found the best Iams you could get at Walmart. I wanted to go to the store with them but I needed to take a shower, so I explicitly told them to NOT buy anything other than what I gave them and to call me if it was not there. Guess what? They came home with another dog food like Benfeful and I was out of words to say. I asked them why and they said Cailitn we just can't (spend 10 more bucks). I don't even consider that the food may be why he ahs infections. It is so obvious it is the reason why he does. I will be getting a job very soon. The second I get my paycheck Gunner we be taken to the vet and started on Raw.

His ear infections are horrible downright pitiful. He has had them for 8 years straight.. my parents never cleaned tehm the right way, maybe once a week. Even though every time we went back tehy told us to clean twice a day for 2 weeks and if no improvement come back to the Vet. Eventually I got fed up with it adn I did it. Well I only did it once a day then I realized you have to do it twice a day and started doing it and was ALMOST done when we ran out of solution. I told my parents countless times to take him to the Vet to get him his cleaning stuff before it ran out....That was November. My poor baby has only had his ears cleaned ONCE since then, I am saving the last drop for emergency ven though at this point it is. Aww man I feel so bad for him I feel horrible. He cries and whines and stratches until he bleeds. I have told them AGAIN that he WILL go def and get even worse, more expensive, infections. They just say OK and never do anything. They keep telling me it's "not important". As you can tell this casues me a lot of anger. My mom told me he has Yesat infections. They are REALLY stinky will tons of black gunk. We use this bottle of green cleaning solution then the Otomax drops afterwards.

 Quote: Connie Sutherland

When you say "again." how many vax has he had?


Here is a minimal-vax protocol that's widely followed:
http://www.weim.net/emberweims/Vaccine.html

About vax for a dog who is not well:
In order for a vaccination to provide effective protection, your pet must be in good health when the vaccine is given. If they have an underlying disease process or illness, their immune system will not generate the appropriate response to the vaccine, therefore, rendering it useless. In a worst case scenario, vaccinating a sick pet can make them worse. It also is a waste of your money. It is critical that a complete physical examination be given prior to vaccinations. In certain circumstances, we advise to not vaccinate your pet. In these situations, it is still crucial they continue to have regular physical examinations.
from http://www.coppellvet.com/vaccinations.htm as well as vet med handbooks and the actual vax package inserts.


See step 6 here for testing rather than automatically re-vaxing:
http://www.dogs4dogs.com/blog/2009/04/22/no-unnecessary-dog-shots/

About rabies vax law in Georgia:
http://health.state.ga.us/pdfs/epi/zvbd/Rabies%20Manual%202007%20Final%20with%20Cover.pdf
Dogs, cats, and ferrets. All dogs, cats, and ferrets should be vaccinated
against rabies and revaccinated in accordance with the Compendium of
Animal Rabies Prevention and Control (See page 58).

Page 58 lists several triennial vax products, by Merial, Pfizer, etc.

In fact, EVERY STATE now allows a three-year protocol.
http://www.happytrailsandwagntails.com/RabiesGoodFor3YearsInAll50States.html

“Georgia does recognize the 1 year and 3 year rabies vaccination as long as the vaccination is current for the time period.”
QUOTE from http://www.aphis.usda.gov/import_export/animals/animal_import/downloads/ga.html

Not sure I just know he gets everything whenever we go once a year. I will look at the links.

delete duplicate post

" He cries and whines and stratches until he bleeds. I have told them AGAIN that he WILL go def and get even worse, more expensive, infections. "

This is agonizing to the dog. I'm typing this because I suspect that your parents may not know how painful and dangerous this is.

Neither the flush nor the Otomax is expensive, but a cleaning under sedation will be. An untreated infection can actually lead to tissue necrosis.

BTW, a full-blown infection can be (could have been) avoided with daily flashlights exams in the ears.

Please get the flush and the drops asap. This is the absolute minimum you need (and have been needing).


I'd go along for that annual vet visit and make sure the ears are looked at, and I'd urge that it be soon. I'd make that a really top priority. If I can give you any info/material that might help, please tell me. This dog is living in constant pain.



PS
Please delete your sig pic until you can re-size it. It forces scrolling. Thanks!

" I just know he gets everything whenever we go once a year. I will look at the links."


For an adult or senior, this is way over-vaccinating. There's no way he still needs annual "boosters."

And we have shown you beyond a doubt that your state allows for a 3-year rabies vax.

 Quote: Connie Sutherland

" .... lumps all over his body that may be cancerous .... "


What has the vet said about this, or has s/he seen them? Want to link us to pictures?

Nothing. I did not notice it until after his yeearly checkup. When we go to the vet this April I will make sure it gets looked at and see if we can get that shot thing to see if it is cancerous. I will upload a video and some pictures tomorrow morning of the bumps.