What vaccine does my dog need to visit elderly relative in care home

longwalks1

unforeseen said:

Because that is the care home rule. There doesn't need to be any other reason.

Totally respect that.  Was just asking on here what danger a small dogs vaccination status could be to an elderly person.  I genuinely had no idea.

Pollycat

You say 'fully vaccinated to be allowed in'.
Would the care home consider an outside visit? Maybe in the garden?
During COVID we used to visit Mum in the garden.

longwalks1

sheramber said:

Their house, their rule.  Just like you can say what is allowed in your house. 

if they are part of a group you could contact the parent organisation to ask if they would give permission.  But it might be them that have put the rule in place.

Leptospirosis can be transferred to humans. While rare, an elderly person in a care home is likely to  have an reduced immune system and be more susceptible to infection.

While the other diseases cannot pass from dogs to humans it is possible for contamination to be passed form one dog to another by humans who have been in contact with an infected dog.

the care home owners are playing safe to avoid any problems.

Personally, I would not be vaccinating a 13 year old dog that has not been done annually.

Could you video the  dog to show her?  it is not the same but  might be a substitute.

Thanks sheramber - we would never vaccinate our dog, especially now at 13 years old.  Personal choice.  We’ve never regretted it.  Some may scoff and tell us to vaccinate her, but we made the choice not to.  

We can video our dog on our iPad for mum and show her, great idea. The last few days mums been sleeping pretty much 24/7 due to her meds so wouldn’t really know if doggie is there or not sadly 

sheramber

Remember if they allow one small unvaccinated dog in they have to allow every other unvaccinated dog in, large or small or inbetween.  There is a preconception that people who vaccinate their dogs are more responsible owners.

longwalks1

Pollycat said:

I think it's unreasonable for a care home to say dogs need vaccinations without being willing to specify what vaccinations are required.
Having said that, my cat always had the recommended vaccinations during his lifetime.

I thought it strange they wouldn’t specify what vaccinations our dog needs. 

Vaccinations have always been personal choice, in humans too.  I work in healthcare and have done for 25 years, I see fit colleagues of 40 years old queuing up for their 4th or 5th vaccine and they are still testing positive for the very condition they are vaccinated against.  

sheramber

MalMonroe said:

What if other dogs also go in there and they are vaccinated but your dog isn't?  Your dog could maybe spread diseases which other dogs could catch even if they have been vaccinated. And even if they have left the building. (So to speak). And also, as the document that sheramber has reproduced, above, diseases could be passed to humans.

It doesn't seem worth bothering about really - why not take your dog to receive the vaccinations as requested? She'll probably need to have the full course, i.e. the initial vaccines and then a booster. If the care home is acting responsibly about the care of its residents, including your mother in law, that's something to be grateful for, as far as I can see.

Even if it seems daft and they won't give you a definitive answer, it doesn't matter if your dog won't be let in unless she's vaccinated.

It is more likely that the vaccinated dog could carrying a disease without symptoms and pass it onto the  unvaccinated dog.

Pollycat

longwalks1 said:

Pollycat said:

I think it's unreasonable for a care home to say dogs need vaccinations without being willing to specify what vaccinations are required.
Having said that, my cat always had the recommended vaccinations during his lifetime.

I thought it strange they wouldn’t specify what vaccinations our dog needs. 

Vaccinations have always been personal choice, in humans too.  I work in healthcare and have done for 25 years, I see fit colleagues of 40 years old queuing up for their 4th or 5th vaccine and they are still testing positive for the very condition they are vaccinated against.  

Yes.
Vaccinations are personal choice.
But personal choice can come with restrictions.
For humans, it may be not being allowed into another country.
For dogs, it may be not being allowed into a care home.

Undervalued

sheramber said:

Remember if they allow one small unvaccinated dog in they have to allow every other unvaccinated dog in, large or small or inbetween.  There is a preconception that people who vaccinate their dogs are more responsible owners.

Well actually they don't. Unless they are discriminating on legally protected grounds (e.g race, religion gender etc) there is no legal obligation to treat everybody the same. It might not go down well but that's another matter!

tacticalbanjo

Beliefs about vaccines to the side. Leptospirosis or as you may have heard of it, Weil's Disease, can cause kidney and liver failure even in a healthy adult. Dogs are gross and lick all kinds of stuff like the rat pee that is a big spreader of the disease. Once a dog has been infected it can colonise the kidneys and will be spread every time the dog passes urine. Dogs don't wipe and wash their hands so the dog itself will be contaminated. Dog gets a bit of splashback on its fur, grandma cuddles the dog, grandma eats without washing her hands, bye bye grandma.

Lepto vaccines protect against dogs becoming a carrier 88% of the time. When dealing with elderly folks, you want to minimise risk wherever possible due to weakened immune systems. Requiring a lepto vaccine does this. Lepto vaccines have been quite controversial so I understand not wanting to vaccinate an elderly dog but it is reasonable for a care home to have this as a policy. 

Undervalued

tacticalbanjo said:

Beliefs about vaccines to the side. Leptospirosis or as you may have heard of it, Weil's Disease, can cause kidney and liver failure even in a healthy adult. Dogs are gross and lick all kinds of stuff like the rat pee that is a big spreader of the disease. Once a dog has been infected it can colonise the kidneys and will be spread every time the dog passes urine. Dogs don't wipe and wash their hands so the dog itself will be contaminated. Dog gets a bit of splashback on its fur, grandma cuddles the dog, grandma eats without washing her hands, bye bye grandma.

Lepto vaccines protect against dogs becoming a carrier 88% of the time. When dealing with elderly folks, you want to minimise risk wherever possible due to weakened immune systems. Requiring a lepto vaccine does this. Lepto vaccines have been quite controversial so I understand not wanting to vaccinate an elderly dog but it is reasonable for a care home to have this as a policy. 

Indeed.

As much as I respect the right of people to have their cherished pets, sadly not all of them respect the rights of people who want no direct or indirect contact.

A fit individual with a healthy immune system will shake off the vast majority or diseases carried by dogs (and cats plus other animals and humans too!) but for some it can be fatal. Contact with other humans is, in all but the most extreme isolation hospital situations, unavoidable. The added risks that pets can bring can be avoided, or at least mitigated, and certainly shouldn't be forced on the unwilling.