Full vacs or lepto only?

foreign_correspondent

Just to clarify, I am not asking for medical advice here, just wondering what other people choose.

Having read a bit about dog vaccines, and gathering that the other vacs in the combined vaccination last for at least three years, and that Lepto is the only one that only offers protection for 12 months (or less) I rang my vet to ask about a Lepto only vaccine - my dog is about seven years old I think, and has had the full course several times at least. When I asked, they seemed quite surprised at the question, and said they can do a Lepto only shot, but it would cost the same as the combined vaccination. Costs are not my motivation here, but I would prefer not to over medicate if it is unnecessary.

The vet nurse I spoke to said she always has the full course for her dogs, even though they are 13.

So, I am wondering, for those of you with middle aged, or older dogs, (as this does not apply to young dogs, who should have the full course to build up immunity) do you go for the full course, or lepto only?

Paradigm

Like you I'm concerned about the effects of over vaccinating! One of mine is coming up to 7 yo & has had one "full" booster in 5 years... & that was only because the kennels required it!

She has however been vaccinated against Lepto every year (as have the other two) due to some studies showing that, in some cases, the effectiveness of the Lepto vaccine can start to diminish in as little as six months!

Having said that, I recently contacted all the vets within a two mile radius of my home & no cases of lepto had been seen for around 2 years.

Now this could be down to vaccination or the fact that I don't live anywhere near prime rat "country", as one vet put it, or both.

I still have them done though for peace of mind

Silveralice

Our practice alternates the full vaccine one year with lepto and parainfluenza (because it comes in the same bottle as the lepto) only the next; we charge a little less on the lepto only years. We do this in order to provide adequate cover without overmedicating, and do the same with our own dogs.

Agutka

I have to give the full course because kennels require it. And she goes in a few times a year. Shame really.

Silveralice

We have never had any problem with dogs vaccinated according to the protocol I described being admitted to kennels, because our protocol complies with the manufacturer's data sheets. Most vets will only recommend vaccine regimes that comply with the data sheets, because that's what the manufacturers will stand behind and that means we aren't liable if there should be a problem. I don't want to say what brand we use, in case that counts as medical advice, but if you can find a vet who uses the protocol I described, they should be willing to give the kennels a call for you and explain that the manufacturers have authorised it. Hope that helps.

Shoshannah

Our practice does DHPPiL every 3 years and PiL in the years in between, but I have given Lepto only many times and do not think it a strange request.

albacookie

We also do a full booster every 3rd year and PiL (parainfluenza and lepto) inbetween. There is also the option to take a blood sample and test your pet's antibody levels and see what needs boosting and what doesn't.

We charge the same price each year because there is very little difference in what our wholesalers charge for the full or part vaccines so it is averaged out.

UKTigerlily

Lepto yearly & the rest three yearly here afaik!

foreign_correspondent

Thanks folks, that is interesting... it seems to be common practice in many areas to have the full course every three years, and Lepto anually... when I rang the vets and asked, the vet nurse actually said "you want what?" - with some not inconsiderable degree of incredulity - she then said "no, they all come together", so I asked if they could obtain them seperately, and she said they do come in 2 shots, but the other one would just be thrown away - and it wouldnt cost me any less...

I got the distinct impression she thought I was rather odd for asking... I feel reassured after asking on here that it is not just me being eccentric (for a change) and that it is not an outlandish request!

~Chameleon~

I'm surprised nobody has mentioned parvo, is this no longer considered a high risk disease? I recall a time when we were vaccinating dogs against parvo every 6mths due the vaccine breaking down before annual booster. Is it really adequate to vaccinate only every 3 years now?


ETA: a little research tells me that a new vaccine protecting against both the CPV-2a and CPV-2b virus is now available, offfering 3 years immunity.

snowman2_2

Lepto and parainfluenza annually, distemper, parvo and adenovirus (hepatitis) every 3 years but this will vary by brand. Several of the most popular brands use this scheme. I can see us moving to 4 years soon. Parvo is still the disease most vets worry about but vaccination is pretty good these days, unvaccinated it is a killer. We have had a couple of cases this year. Vaccination against coronavirus is also meant to reduce the mortality rate of parvo.