tell the truth...do you vaccinate your animals

Sequeena

uolypool wrote: »

I worm and flea my rottie every month (he is 20 months) amd he has his injections too.Love him way to much to concider even putting him at additional risk by not doing so.People have said including the vet we see that he only needs to be wormed every three months now but I do it at same time as do flea treatment find it much easier. Also have now seemed to have "adopted" a pup that we were only meant to have for a week whilst owner had a op done but she seems to have staid :eek::eek: so if we do keep her then she'll get the same treatment.

Every single month? I'm surprised the products still work on your dog :eek:

hethmar

I dont like the idea of pumping flea and worm treatment into dogs at such close intervals. Ive been lucky as the boys havent had a single flea in the last 3 years (and we had one summer week about 10 years back where it was like a horror film in the house, fleas leaping about everywhere and me nearly killing myself with flea spray in my bed every night). But when I think how drops of stuff on their neck must travel all through their little bodies to kill any fleas, well, it seems a bit worrying to me. Unless they get fleas I certainly shant use the stuff.

foreign_correspondent

I tend to agree Hethmar!

I also think there is a difference between not flea treating, not worming and not vaccinating.. the risks and probabile outcomes are very different.

my thoughts are -

- if you don't routinely flea treat, you can always treat them if and when they get fleas - temporarily having fleas is not likely to pose any great risk to the dog, and flea treatment works on dogs that are already infected, so you can treat when there is a problem.

- if you don't routinely worm, your dog may be adversely affected before you realise they are infected. Often infestations are not easy to spot until there are a lot of worms present. Lungworms are not passed out in poo, so you cannot rely on stools looking ok. However, once infested, you can still treat them... I decide to worm twice a year to be on the safe side.

- if you don't routinely vaccinate, and your dog contracts an illness such as lepto (Weil's disease) you cannot then just vaccinate to sort it out once the dog is infected... vaccines are a preventative, not a treatment. The risk is potentially the death of the dog.

I know a lot of people are concerned about the safety of vaccines, but personally, I know of one dog who died of lepto, and I had a dog who almost died of distemper.. I don't know any who have died from vaccinations.

There is probably some 'herd immunity' from certain conditions - eg. if 95% of the other dogs in your neighbourhood have been immunised against Parvo, there are less sources for your dog to catch it from, but with something like Lepto, which is carried by rats, wild animals and found in standing water the risk is as great as ever, and the lepto virus offers very short lived immunity.

As I have a dog who snuffles about in long grass, and paddles in puddles, and drinks water from ditches, ponds and puddles I would not dream of neglecting to vaccinate her against Lepto (as a bare minimum) annually.

cyberbob

Jellicat wrote: »

At the risk of getting shot down in flames I have actually read that yearly vaccination is not always necessary. Some people do think its an exercise in getting money off responsible pet owners, much like the vets pushing vet-approved food (invariably Science Plan) on the customers. Most of the injections we get as humans last a fairly long time (except perhaps flu) we don't have to get tetanus etc jabs every year. I don't have dogs or cats but I would possibly vaccinate them every other year if I did. As for my ferrets, they are prone to getting seizures and fatal bad reactions to vaccinations, so I chose to get them jabbed as babies and not again for a while at least, a lot of ferret owners do this. Its a bit of a catch 22 with ferrets. BF's bunnies get their jabs due to where they live, lots of wildlife so myx would be a big risk for them.

My first question would be did you get this information from a reputable source or was it someone with another agenda? Most information I have read about not giving vaccinations when recommended has come from sources with other agendas or hearsay from owners. My advice is question everything you read and research the author and check what other things they have done and any affiliations.

As FC and others have said vaccinations are preventative when they get the illness its too late. You can't really compare a Human Tetanus vaccine with any one for an animal. Vaccines for different illnesses and different species work
differently. It could be like comparing the Human Flu vaccine (yearly as it changes) with an MMR vaccine. Unless you have qualifications in Immunology and biochemistry you cannot really make the decision based on rumour and assumptions. The best decision is by going with the biggest body of evidence for the vaccinations you are looking at doing. Also speaking to professionals which in this case are the vets

hethmar

Do you know FC, I hadnt realised lepto covers weills disease (thick or what?) I get frantic when I take the boys out and find them both wading and drinking in still water (where the river slows to almost standstill) - I shall relax slightly now.

uolypool

Sequeena wrote: »

Every single month? I'm surprised the products still work on your dog :eek:

Yep every month ,dog never had fleas or worms so I don't know if it is because of the very regular use of dewormers and flea preventment treatments or just luck but am simply not prepared to take the risk of either.

hethmar

Id cut it down personally uolypool. They are strong chemicals you are putting into the dogs system at a rate not recommended.

EmptyPockets

Wow, every month is very excessive to be using such strong stuff on your animals - does your vet know how often you use these treatments? If they do, what did they say about it? I can't imagine them recommending it...

Regarding the original question... Our cats have always been indoor cats due to living arrangements, so they have never been vaccinated. But now we have moved to a bigger house and have our own garden where they are able to go out, we have just had them spayed and they will be vaccinated every year also.

Our dog Suki, had her puppy vaccinations and her first lot of boosters, but then from the age of 2-5 she didn't have boosters. As it turned out we lost her to cancer at a very young age.

Our new pup, arriving on Sunday, has had his vaccs and will be having his boosters each year as our vet recommends.

blabberwort

Never had previous dogs vaccinated. Neither of them died from related illlnesses and my current oldest dog was never vaccinated and is 9 at the moment. My youngest dog was vaccinated before we got him, and for some reason I have decided to get his boosters when needed. The vet has already a reminder to let me know when it's due.

Flea treatments, yes have always flead my pets but usually in the summer more than any other time of year. I do often forget to worm them though. Saying that my youngest was given advocate so im trying to be more responsible with him. Not that this has made any difference with previous pets. All have lived to good ages and on the whole been very healthy up until their deaths.

Paradigm

cyberbob wrote: »

My first question would be did you get this information from a reputable source or was it someone with another agenda? Most information I have read about not giving vaccinations when recommended has come from sources with other agendas or hearsay from owners. My advice is question everything you read and research the author and check what other things they have done and any affiliations.

You seem to have missed post #58 by kvet? The vets are bound by the drug co guidelines which are themselves tied to the licensing authorities.

The fact is that many vets & experts agree that there is evidence that certain vaccines provide long term protection & for these diseases annual boosters are unnecessary!
Unfortunately there isn't anyone prepared to spend the money on the required research & most of the knowledge is coming from the US.

Published in 2004 http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk/3588457.stm

I don't think this guy can be classed as a "quack" or someone with "another agenda", in fact his research formed the basis for the changes in vaccination policy issued by the AVMA & AAHA in 2006 (I think)
http://www.news.wisc.edu/8413

cyberbob wrote: »

Vaccines for different illnesses and different species work differently.

Yes vaccines are more/less effective for certain diseases. Distemper protection is thought to last many years, maybe for life. Whereas study suggests the Leptospirosis vaccine may not even last 6 months!

To say that vaccines on other species work differently may or may not be true, the fact that vaccines work at all in dogs/cats must mean their immune sytem functions in a similar way to ours surely?

cyberbob wrote: »

It could be like comparing the Human Flu vaccine (yearly as it changes) with an MMR vaccine.

But you're not comparing like with like... the flu virus (any species) mutates rapidly & with every strain a new vaccine is produced. It would therefore be sensible to vaccinate annually against parainfluenza for example. MMR (much like distemper) doesn't mutate & is why the vaccine is so effective over a lifetime.

cyberbob wrote: »

Unless you have qualifications in Immunology and biochemistry you cannot really make the decision based on rumour and assumptions. The best decision is by going with the biggest body of evidence for the vaccinations you are looking at doing. Also speaking to professionals which in this case are the vets

Sadly, in this country, the dudes with the qualifications don't seem to be interested in research to dispel "rumour & assumption". The outcome may possibly be like taking a 12 bore & pointing it at your own foot.....