Missed yearly booster- advice needed

caro100

Hi, hope someone here can advise me as I have tried to research on the internet and there seems to be conflicting info.

One of my dogs should have had her yearly booster vaccination on 25/11/10. I have just realised and phoned the vets to book an appt to be told that she needs to start over again from scratch. I queried this and was told that our practice follows some kind of guidelines (cant recall exactly which) which says to start again if booster is more than 4 weeks late. I have booked an appt for tomorrow afternoon, but having looked up on internet, I'm worried that it is unnecessary to start again and could be bad for my dog. I want her to be uptodate but dont want her to be over-vaccinated if there's such a thing.

I have 2 other dogs who have their boosters at different times of the year but are uptodate, its just this one.

Hope someone can ease my worries, thanks in advance.

tango

I have been told by a vet that they last for at least 16 months,they say every year so people can keep track of time,I would say you only want to have the booster

sarabe

Insist that you just want a booster or go to another vet.

The only vaccination that needs doing annually is lepto and 4 weeks out is no biggie.

julianashcroft

When I missed my dogs appointment for his Booster a few years back, the vet told me he had to start again, I didn't question it. His booster date is now in Outlook to remind me (even though the vet does send me a reminder card).

PudseyDB

You're only just over 2 months late, so the booster alone should be enough. I accidentally missed one of my dogs boosters and had to start from scratch again, but that over 4 months late and I was told 2 -3 months late was fine.

jm2k

enter the branding name of the vaccine (on his card) on google and see if it comes up in the search and look for its contr-indications etc for lenght of cover. ALL vaccines and manufacturers are totally different so this cannot be used to give advice. Vets can also use their own discretion regardless of what the manufacturers state/advise.

Usually, i would run my boosters over by 3-4 weeks as i knew the vaccine was valid for 14mths, i knew my vet very well and it would save a few quid over the life of the dog (life of the dog is always worth more than cost of booster). If the vaccine guidelines state an extended cover period than print it out and take it with you to the vet. Dont be afraid to use a different vet just to get this vaccine done. also, every year, it wont hurt to 'shop-around' your local vets to check the prices as this can vary wildly between practices!
If the vaccine company guidlines state 12mths, 14mths cover then unfortunately yes, you do have to start from scratch, but again, shop around for the prices!

caro100

Thanks for all your replies.

Good idea jm2k, I have am in the middle of searching for info on the vaccine she had last (Vanguard) so hopefully will find more about it. Cheers

caro100

I cant find anything which states other than yearly

Not specific enough for me sadly.

Kittendreich

If you are insured - check with your insurance that they will accept the gap. My insurance states they he must be vaccinated in line with my vet's recommendations or he will not be covered for any of those conditions, or the consequences of them. If you don't follow their regime you might be in difficulty if you end up in the unfortunate position of needing to claim for a related condition.

We had no records when we got our boy although had been told he was up to date - so he got a full set after a year and then just boosters after that.

devildog

Agree with Sarabe but Kittendreich also makes a very good point. Would be wise to check your insurance policy if you have one.

albacookie

There are a few things to I'd consider

How old is your dog? If she's 15 -18m (i.e. 1st booster) then I'd restart as she doesn't have the 'back up' immunity from previous vaccines.

What breed is she? Some, especially black and tan breeds like Rotties, don't respond as fully to vaccines so restarting is probably a good plan.

If neither of those apply and she's fit and well and not on any medications then 1 dose should protect an adult dog against the core diseases (distemper, parvovirus and hepatitis) for 3 years. The non core diseases (parainfluenza and leptospirosis) require yearly boosters - there is no clear evidence how long immunity lasts - it could be more or less than 12m depending on the individual's immune system. You could ask for a blood test to check her antibody levels and then vaccinate based on the results - probably the most accurate way to go but also more expensive.


For anyone interested - current World Small Animal Veterinary Association vaccine guidlines.
http://www.wsava.org/PDF/Misc/VaccinationGuidelines2010.pdf