A Question For Ginny's Scott........
Moms View Message Board: General Discussion: Archive April 2007:
A Question For Ginny's Scott........
Our long-time vet just left the practice that we have been going to for twenty years. She was wonderful, loved our pets, and even came to the house when our old dog, Bonnie, had to be eased out of this world. She did it here so that we didn't have to put her in the car and take her (she was always so frightened of the car because we think she was "dumped"). The practice has recently been bought out by a corporation, so Dr. Judy decided to leave. She is going to take some time off, and we heard that when she returns to work she will be limiting her practice to equine medicine.
Long story short, we had to find a new vet. The one we chose is my "grandog's" vet, and my DD thinks highly of him. I took my Molly (a 13 y/o Beagle) for her annual shots and check-up. He said that, since Molly is on Interceptor year round, she does not need to be heartworm tested or stool checked, since the med takes care of all worms except tapeworm, and we would see those with the naked eye. And even though her old vet practice said that she was due for ALL of her shots (rabies, distemper, parvo, etc) he only gave her the rabies shot. He said that the new literature states that older dogs, if they have been innoculated all along, are immune to distemper, parvo, etc. He said that, even if we insisted on innoculating her every year, the shots are good for three years, rabies for two years.
I found this kind of disconserting because I had always gotten their shots every year (rabies every two). Parvo can be spread by urine and I KNOW that I have coyotes and foxes passing through my property. He insisted that she is protected.
I'll admit that it is a money saver, and I hate the idea of loading her up with shots that she doesn't need. My question for Scott is, does he agree with this new protocol? I know that he is there on the front lines of animal research, so I wondered if he has heard anything to that effect.
I sure do appreciate anything that he can find out. Thanks.
Not Scott, but I know it is a STATE requirement that our dog be vaccinated for rabies every year and get a new tag. If a dog is caught not wearing a current rabies tag you can get a hefty fine. I didn't notice until after the fact that during her recent annual exam that our dog was vaccinated for kennel cough. She is never boarded with other dogs nor do we take her to a groomer, so she is at no risk for this. We won't be getting that vaccination next year.
I'll be interested to see what you find out Hol.
Our vet gives 3-year rabies shots. We get a certificate from the vet, that we save and just have to bring that with us, to get the license. We don't have to get a new shot every year.
Some people on my dog board don't get vaccines every year, but they do draw titers, to check the immunity level, to make sure that is up to snuff.
Our dog does get boarded, so she does get the bordatella shot every year. Our vet also does a heartworm test every year. I think she gets distemper every year, too. He never has done a yearly fecal test, but she did have worms, when we first got her, but has never had a problem since. She is on heartworm medicine during the warm months.
Pam, we don't usually get the kennel cough immunization either, since our dogs don't get boarded. However, Howdy does go to the groomer twice a year. I never thought of needing it for that, but I guess you are right. From my understanding, it is not a shot but intranasal drops. If you are going to board your dog you have to do it two weeks before. In RI, rabies is good for two years in a dog over one year of age, unless they come in contact with a rabid animal, then it must be repeated.
Dawn, yes, we must bring the rabies certificate when we get our licenses every year also. It is state law. Your vet probably does the HW test every year because you don't give the preventative year round. Vets here feel that the winters are not cold enough anymore to totally kill the heartworm larvae, so they recommend year round.
I have recently discovered Foster and Smith pharmacy (www.drsfostersmith.com). I used to buy all of my heartworm preventative, flea preventative, Soloxine for Molly (she is hypothyroid) and Rimadyl for Howdy (arthritis), from my vet. I didn't want hard feelings by buying them elsewhere. When the practice was sold, I aked Dr. Judy to fax RX's for all of the meds to F&S. I was SHOCKED at how much cheaper they were. I had been paying $22.00 for 60 tablets of Soloxine, now I pay $9 and change, AND I get the brand name Soloxine. The vet was giving me generic. The Interceptor, Advantage and Rimadyl were way cheaper, too. I also buy a supplement called "Joint Care 3" for Howdy. He is doing so well on it that I have been able to cut way back on the Rimadyl which is good because they have to have peridic liver function tests on Rimadyl.
All three of our dogs are 12+ years. Maybe they ARE immune. I'll be interested to see what Scott says.
I will ask Scott, who will probably ask some of his instructors (he is presently in the formal Veterinary Technician program at Manor College - he has his Vet Tech certificate through various ALAS programs, but needs the two year formal program for career advancement). He is in school all day today, so I don't expect him to reply until tonight or tomorrow. Certainly your state's licensing laws should be a factor, and you can probably check that on the internet.
I know we have at least one Vet Tech or former Vet Tech on the Board, and I hope she responds also.
I worked as a veterinary assistant about 5 years ago. At that time the vets were beginning to change the vaccination schedule because the literature showed that basically we were over vaccinating. At that time many of the vets were still using the normal schedule but offered the option and suggested a titer be drawn. I have not followed the current literature but it seems more common to skip some shots. I know that vaccines that were done yearly 5 years ago for my cats are now being given to them every other year.
In my state (NY) the first rabies is given followed by a booster one year later. Then it's every 3 years after that. Since it is required by law there is no changing that schedule. Although I do believe that if you could prove immunity by titer you could skip the vaccine. (Most clients would just vaccinate because the titers were very expensive).
I am suprised that as a new patient they did not check stool and heartworm. Simply because they do not know you or if you are compliant with medications.
"The January 2001 issue of The Veterinary Clinics of North America (Small Animal Practice) featured vaccinations and discussed the need for
reconsidering traditional annual vaccinations. A chapter author, Dr. Ronald Schultz, Professor & Chair at the University of Wisconsin, says that their Veterinary Medical Teaching Hospital has been on an "every three or more" year vaccination schedule for cats and dogs for over four years. "The goal for the future should be to vaccinate more animals than are now vaccinated but to vaccinate those animals less often and only with the products that the animal needs," says Dr. Schultz. Another advance came in April 2001, when the American Veterinary Medical Association Executive Board approved the Council on Biological Therapeutics new "Principles of Vaccination." This statement was published in the Journal of the American Veterinary Medical Association on September 1, 2001. The principles state that "unnecessary
stimulation of the immune system does not result in enhanced disease resistance and may increase the risk of adverse post-vaccination events." It recommended that veterinarians create "core" and "non-core" vaccination programs (see below for examples), and that vaccine schedules be tailored to the needs of
each specific animal."
This is not the greatest source but it is in simple language and does list its references. The above information is from: http://www.cavaliersonline.com/health/vaccinenew.htm
I agree with Kelly that I'm surprised they didn't do the test for heart worm, even though you are compliant.
[Scott]
Rabies is a mandatory shot. Ask your vet about formulations that last longer than one year. I know there's a three-year shot, but a lot of practices don't like using it since it cuts back on vax revenue.
The vax for Lyme Dz is problematic, according to some of the literature I've seen lately. Tick control seems to obviate that one: keep away ticks and you won't need a vax against Lyme Dz.
Vax for distemper appears to be increasingly unnecessary after the dog has received a few shots of the vax or has been exposed to the pathogen. I wouldn't do this shot more than once every few years, depending on the dog's particular immune response.
Parvo is still a high-priority vax. The modified live virus vax appears to be more effective than the killed virus vax.
Vax for Bordetella (kennel cough) needs to be re-upped every year IF your dog is routinely exposed to other dogs at a dog park or boarding kennel. That said, the vax isn't all that effective and the disease isn't all that bad, so choose accordingly.
Vax for leptospirosis is somewhat controversial. Ask your vet if it's needed in your area. Lepto can be transmitted to people, so it is a public health issue in some places, notably Hawaii and the Southwest around seasonally flooded oases, and it's a matter of concern for dogs that like to play in natural bodies of still water such as ponds and small lakes.
Bear in mind that a lot of vax products (like Progard and DA2PLP) are cocktails of multiple vaccines.
[/Scott]
Hol, I did a little googling, and Rhode Island appears to take rabies very, very seriously. I suggest you check with your township/local municipality to see if they accept proof of the 3 year rabies virus when issuing licenses. I know PA does, but it is written in PA's statute that it can be 1 year or 3 year - from what I saw of the RI statute, it may require 1 year shots.
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