Quote: Kevin Mobley

Ed,
why 3 out of 6 children of mine that have NO family history of asthma end up struggling with it throughout early childhood.

I know this is a k9 site but when we did our daughters immunization last, 2 weeks later she was diagnosed with JRA the worst kind (sysmetic) at a year and a half,she is 5 now. When I did research on JRA I found that her immunization could have been the trigger, yet no doctors will agree(that we've spoken with) We have always thought that her vaccines had triggered something.Maybe a conincidence that it started after her immunization but nonetheless you have to wonder how much of it do we really need.How much do pet really need theirs too.We had decided ever since not to immunize our dogs or cats, our cats have never had a single shot of any kind, (they're indoor cats) and they live a healthy life.Our dogs have the minimum.Rabies only if we have too, like whe we board them .In Las Vegas they do not control or enforce Rabbies immunization.I have never been asked by anyone if our dogs have rabbies tag either..

 Quote: Sarah_Morris

I just poked around and found this:

http://www.vaclib.org/exempt/animal-exemption.htm

I'm out of luck where I live

Good link Sarah. At the top of the web page it says the page is under construction so there's probably other states where the law isn't listed on that site yet.

What struck me about those laws that were listed is that they realize a rabies vaccine shouldn't be given when the dog is sick, so they KNOW it can have a negative effect.

Am rather ticked off with vets - one gave a 4 or 5 way shot when I only asked for parvo/distemper for my pup's 2nd (and last) vaccine, then he got ticked at me and very insulting when I asked him about it. Another vet wanted to give FOUR series of 5 way in case the breeder had lied about having given the first parvo/distemper. Needless to say I haven't found a vet I trust.

I am at a place now where I will never vaccinate another pup/dog that I get, and am rethinking the whole rabies vaccine. At this point I may not even vaccinate my pup for rabies when he reaches 1.5 yrs, which was my initial intent (going a year past what was required by law already). Am still undecided about no rabies vaccine, since it's a law mandated shot.

Hi Sandy,

I'll bet your average vet probably only keeps the "bundled" vaccine on hand. I know, too, that the average owner calls the 5-in-1 "distemper" or "parvo". Very few people ever ask for the parvo-only or distemper-only vaccine...so few, in fact, that our hospital does not keep it on hand.

If having the single vaccine is important to you then you need to make it crystal clear to the vets and the techs. You'll probably also have to give them a head's up in advance so they can order it in time for your appointment.

Expect objections from your vet, who will not want to order a vial for one person that will probably sit and expire. This is purely a business decision for the average vet...it has nothing to do with the health or well-being of your dog.

I know you don't want to vaccinate further, Sandy. This is more an FYI for others.

Hi Sarah,
I knew you were posting this info for others and I'm glad you did. It's exactly what both vets told me about vaccines. They don't carry just the distemper/parvo.

And definitely for others' info as well, you DO have to mention you don't want the 5-in-1 and just want the distemper/parvo, and you have to mention it several times, especially before the vet injects that shot that you assume is only distemper/parvo cause that's what you asked for. So ask - "is that a 5 in 1 (or 4 in 1)" before the injection.

mine had the 4 in 1 and I had no choice in the matter except not to buy the puppy...I hated that but once she started on them I wasn't comfortable leaving her with a live bug and a developing immune system.

my vet has tried to get me to do boosters every 2 years but Brenna has had her last shot except for rabies...

I know it's a dog forum, but vaccines, I believe, are doing alot of damage to our kids, too.

pharmacutical companies only make money when they can sell their shots...I'm not much into conspiracies, but there is definitely not something right about the whole industry...it's all about money and almost zero about health.

My two males will be 2 years old next month. Their last shots were their puppy shots at ? months, and their rabies shots last year (good for 2 years). Since the articles in this thread basically discount the purpose or effectiveness of titers, does anyone just take their dogs in yearly for a ‘wellness’ visit? Or do you only go back whenever (or if ever) their rabies shots are due?

 Quote:

My two males will be 2 years old next month. Their last shots were their puppy shots at ? months, and their rabies shots last year (good for 2 years). Since the articles in this thread basically discount the purpose or effectiveness of titers, does anyone just take their dogs in yearly for a ‘wellness’ visit? Or do you only go back whenever (or if ever) their rabies shots are due?

I also have a two year old that has not had any shots since puppyhood. I will not revax. That said, I did get titers done, my orginization requires them if not vaxing.

Since i stopped vaccinating my dog and swithced to raw food, i have had no real reason to visit my vet. I should mention that from 6 months to a year, he experienced some neuro type undiagnosable "episodes". They have been gone for over a year now.

Because of this, I decided I would do annual bloodwork, just so I could have something on record from when he is healthy, should we ever have any issues in the future. Raw fed dogs blood values can be different from kibble fed dogs so I also wanted to see what my dog's values are over time as well.

So .... bloodwork and a once over from the vet makes up our "wellness" exam. It is what I am comfortable with.

Cheers,

 Quote: Jan Williamson

.... does anyone just take their dogs in yearly for a ‘wellness’ visit? ....

I do.

 Quote:

Raw fed dogs blood values can be different from kibble fed dogs so I also wanted to see what my dog's values are over time as well.

Could you elaborate on this, Jennifer? I'm new to raw feeding and would be interested in knowing what to expect from a blood test. Thanks!

Want to add here that annual well exams and blood work are an especially good idea for seniors. Things can change quickly with older dogs and cats.

 Quote:

Quote:
Raw fed dogs blood values can be different from kibble fed dogs so I also wanted to see what my dog's values are over time as well.


Could you elaborate on this, Jennifer? I'm new to raw feeding and would be interested in knowing what to expect from a blood test. Thanks!

I didn't get the link for the origional Dodds/Wynn study with my first google search, but this should explain things pretty well:
http://www.mountaindogfood.com/RawHelp/Raw_Food_Study.pdf


Cheers,

Jennifer C