I am glad this subject came up because I am not sure what I should be giving Zuki if anything. She is "overdue" for her shots but since we are still here in the US. She had 4 puppy shots(might not have if I would have found this site sooner) and a three yr Rabis. In Guatemala and Mexico there is Lots of chicken, pig and duck poop and a lot of animals are loose. If you do vaccinate how often is reasonable? I never had a problem with our last dog and vaccinations but there is always a chance and I would rather not take a chance.
I used flee stripes on our last dog but found that Zuki gets sick from them so I just give her a bath more often. I would really feel bad if I lost her over a unnecessary shot.

I am in Virginia, do not vaccinate for lepto, and do not recommend it. From my understanding, there are many strains not covered by the vaccination strain, and any immunity it DOES provide is very short in duration.

Tracy

 Quote: lori gallo

My dog had lepto two years ago.

He is raw fed, did have the lepto vac as a puppy then no further boosters except for rabies.

I live in rural Southern NH where I was tracking him almost daily.

The disease is around, however after interrogating the vet she acknowledged that the vaccine that is used for lepto in my area is not effective on the strain that he contracted. So even if I had given him the lepto booster with all its risks, it would not have protected my dog.

At the diagnosis the vet said "wow" "I have never had an owner spot the symptoms so quickly, and I don't anticipate any residual issues for your dog after treatment."

Small consolation for someone who loves sport tracking! The fields around here are loaded with small streams and wildlife.

I have racked my brain trying to figure out where he possibly contracted this but I doubt I will ever know.

Yes, this has been my research also: "The vaccine is not effective for the strains..."

I would be curious when/where he contracted it also, or rather, was his recovery quick, as in regard to his general health being raw fed; did he contract after maybe, shortly after, a rabies booster? Or when his immune system was compromised?

I guess my thoughts are, a raw fed/minimal vaccine dog, may get an illness, but I believe they "bounce" back more quickly due to their optimum health, & immune system not being compromised with vaccines.
Again, Just my thoughts.

Theresa, he had a quick recovery, and the onset was not near any rabies vac.
It is a mystery to me, but very scary. There's just so much out there that can harm our dogs.

 Quote: lori gallo

Theresa, he had a quick recovery, and the onset was not near any rabies vac.
It is a mystery to me, but very scary. There's just so much out there that can harm our dogs.

Thanks Lori, for reply!!
I agree, lots out there that can harm our pups!!

My dog had, what would appear to be, pancreatitis (sp)
but, on a "rush" to the vets, perplexed them as well, as symptoms disappeared, as quickly as they appeared!
So, upon exam, they were more or less, scratching their heads!
Especially, with what I was telling them she had been doing (vomiting, non stop) ten minutes earlier!

If it was, pancreatitis (sp, again!), it resolved with minimal vet intervention; & reason, I strive to keep her in optimum health!

Best to your pup!

 Quote: Lori Gallo

Theresa, he had a quick recovery, and the onset was not near any rabies vac.
It is a mystery to me, but very scary. There's just so much out there that can harm our dogs.

Lori, what signs/symptoms did you observe?

The Lepto vaccine I use (Fort Dodge) in the dog has the serovars L. Canicola, Lepto
icterohemmhoragica, L. Pomona, L. Grippotyphosa. My understanding (which could be off) is that there is only one other major serovar, Lepto Bovis. L. Canicola is a strain isolated from the dog. Pomona is common in pigs. The other serovars I don't know the origin of.
So, I'm not certain what "strain" people are referring to when they say that their vaccine doesn't cover -- though I do know that lepto protection is not long lasting, at least not in cattle who will drink from any puddle they happen to come across.

 Quote: Lynne Barrows

 Quote: Lori Gallo

Theresa, he had a quick recovery, and the onset was not near any rabies vac.
It is a mystery to me, but very scary. There's just so much out there that can harm our dogs.

Lori, what signs/symptoms did you observe?

Excessive thirst and urination.

The shot I'm considering giving is the Canine Spectra (Spectara? Don't have it in front of me now) 7. The protocol is give the 5 in 1 first, and then the 7 in one the next 2 times. Never had a problem with it before. Never really tore myself up over-thinking it either. But now the breeder made me paranoid. And losing my dog last year unexpectedly is also making me overly cautious about everything. I don't want to be inscure like this forever. I've given that shot many times and never thought about it. I don't want to make myself sick over which vaccines I should or shouldn't be giving. Ugh. My nerves are so wrecked over every little decision regarding this puppy, its making me physically ill.

Jessica,
First, take a deep breath and relax. There are many, varied, and diverse opinions about vaccines. IMO, less is more.

Are you giving the shots yourself, or is this what your vet offers?

My favorite puppy shot, per Jean Dodds, is ProGuard Puppy DPV. Problem is, it is hard to buy this in single doses (for self-administration), and most vets do not carry it.

Many vets will have a 4-way as a minimum. DHPP (Distemper, Adeno/Herpes, Parvo, and Parainfluenza). This is what I recommended to my puppy buyers as an absolute MAX combo shot.

For my recent litter, I bought single vaccines from Neotech and separated the vaccines by one week. NeoPar (parvo-only) and NeoVac (Distemper/Adeno). These are available in single doses (from Revival vet, or directly from NeoTech) if you want to do them yourself.

All that said, the absolute MUST is that Rabies always needs to be separated from any other vaccines by at least one month!

This is my own protocol, taking into consideration the recommendations by Dr. Dodds, while at the same time trying to protect puppies, who need early and frequent socialization, from the killer diseases. I give them one round/separated of high-titer vaccines myself, and then try to influence my puppy buyers to follow up with the most minimal combinations possible.

In the end, I can only try to educate. People are going to do what they are going to do, but hopefully they will be able to be insistent with their veterinarians if armed with the proper info.

Tracy