Booster... Opinions please !!

Just wondering what every ones opinions are on the yearly booster's that we are told must be given to our dogs...

I recently got my invitation telling me Inca is due her Booster & they give you a free health check along with it... Abit late for Inca to have a health check eh !!! ...

What exactly is the booster for and is it really necessary... Who does give their dogs the booster and who doesn't...

think it is kidna like the boosters humans have.....

iv been getting my 2 done every year,since they were born,but i havent done it this year as yet,and not sure i will as i think they have built up a good defence,and they are 5 human years old now...

none of them have ever been ill really......touch wood...........

I used to get it done yearly until I learnt from here that you don't need to (from Caryll), so no more boosters for my girl as there annual vaccine lasts 3 years (I think) this was a link that Caryll used.

http://www.wsava.org/PDF/Misc/VaccinationGuidelines2010.pdf

Poor Inca doesn't need anymore chemicals

Mine just had their first booster.I've always had my dogs vaccinated and then the first booster after that they have all had long health lives.Vaccines are not all the same though so i suppose you need to research each type.We could check for antibodies? but probably end up costing more.When humans are vaccinated against hepatitis they have jags over a few months, another at one yr then again at five yrs.

You may need to check your insurance policy if you have your dog/s covered.
It is a general condition of the policy we have with Pet Plan that we must keep Rocky up to date with his vaccinations against Distemper, Hepatitis, Leptospirosis and Parvovirus.
The policy booklet states that " If you do not keep your pet vaccinated, we will not pay any claims that result from any of the above illnesses.
Also if you do not follow the vet's advice we will not pay any claim relating to that injury or illness."

Always wise to check the small print on these things, which I just have, obviously hence the insurance company jargon.

Seriously though guys please check first other companies may have other conditions.

janey wrote:

I used to get it done yearly until I learnt from here that you don't need to (from Caryll), so no more boosters for my girl as there annual vaccine lasts 3 years (I think) this was a link that Caryll used.

http://www.wsava.org/PDF/Misc/VaccinationGuidelines2010.pdf

Poor Inca doesn't need anymore chemicals

Cheers janey for the read and your right about the vaccines lasting 3 yrs...

So am i guessing that i should get her 12 month booster done then leave it for another 3 yrs !!!!

Thanks for the info peeps aswell but feel free to leave more comments if you want ....

i suppose you need to be up to date if you use kennels while on holiday etc ? no idea because my last holiday was 1997 :-(

kathytake2 wrote:You may need to check your insurance policy if you have your dog/s covered.
It is a general condition of the policy we have with Pet Plan that we must keep Rocky up to date with his vaccinations against Distemper, Hepatitis, Leptospirosis and Parvovirus.
The policy booklet states that " If you do not keep your pet vaccinated, we will not pay any claims that result from any of the above illnesses.
Also if you do not follow the vet's advice we will not pay any claim relating to that injury or illness."

Always wise to check the small print on these things, which I just have, obviously hence the insurance company jargon.

Seriously though guys please check first other companies may have other conditions.

Cheers kathy for this but sadly i left it too late to get inca insured due to her skin conditions that she went through when she was really young and finance's were really tight ...

stiofan wrote:Mine just had their first booster.I've always had my dogs vaccinated and then the first booster after that they have all had long health lives.Vaccines are not all the same though so i suppose you need to research each type.We could check for antibodies? but probably end up costing more.When humans are vaccinated against hepatitis they have jags over a few months, another at one yr then again at five yrs.

Vaccines nowadays (all of them) have an effective life of 3 years. So, you need to get the first puppy vaccinations, followed by the first booster at 1 year old. After that it's every 3 years.

kathytake2 wrote:You may need to check your insurance policy if you have your dog/s covered.
It is a general condition of the policy we have with Pet Plan that we must keep Rocky up to date with his vaccinations against Distemper, Hepatitis, Leptospirosis and Parvovirus.
The policy booklet states that " If you do not keep your pet vaccinated, we will not pay any claims that result from any of the above illnesses.
Also if you do not follow the vet's advice we will not pay any claim relating to that injury or illness."

Always wise to check the small print on these things, which I just have, obviously hence the insurance company jargon.

Seriously though guys please check first other companies may have other conditions.

If you check your insurance wording, you'll probably find that it says you must vaccinate according to your vets recommendations. If necessary send a copy of the WSAVA document to the insurance company to back your intentions & ask them to keep it with the policy document.
http://www.wsava.org/PDF/Misc/VaccinationGuidelines2010.pdf

stiofan wrote:i suppose you need to be up to date if you use kennels while on holiday etc ? no idea because my last holiday was 1997 :-(

.... Same here not had many holidays !!!! No need to put her in kennels if i DID go on holiday as she would be coming with us... Can't leave my baby with just anyone ...

Vaccinations are not all the same and as it says in the link posted earlier they don't all last 3 yrs.So you'd need to talk to local vet for info on the vaccines they use etc. After reading that i might get my older dog a one off booster.

"Revaccination of Adult Dogs
Dogs that have responded to vaccination with MLV core vaccines maintain a solid immunity (immunological memory) for many
years in the absence of any repeat vaccination. Following the 12 month booster, subsequent revaccinations are given at intervals of 3
years or longer, unless special conditions apply. It should be emphasized that the considerations given above do not generally apply
to killed core vaccines nor to the optional vaccines, and particularly not to vaccines containing bacterial antigens. Thus Leptospira,
Bordetella and Borrelia (Lyme disease) products, but also parainfluenza virus components, require more frequent boosters for
reliable protection.
Therefore an adult dog may today still be revaccinated annually, but the components of these vaccinations may differ each year.
Typically, core vaccines are currently administered triennially, with chosen non-core products being given annually. The VGG is
aware that in some countries only multi-component products containing core and non-core combinations are available. The VGG
would encourage manufacturers to make a full range of single-component vaccines available wherever possible.
An adult dog that had received a complete course of core vaccinations as a puppy followed by the 12 month booster, but may not
have been regularly vaccinated as an adult, requires only a single dose of core vaccine to boost immunity. Many current data sheets 6 Journal of Small Animal Practice • Vol 51 • June 2010 • © 2010 WSAVA
will advise in this circumstance that the dog requires two vaccinations (as for a puppy) but this practice is unjustified and simply
contrary to the fundamental principles of immunological memory. "

My dogs have them every year

My dogs have them until they reach 5 years then I dont vacinate them anymore

This is the bit of Sainsbury's Pet Insurance that covers the vaccinations...

3. Vaccinations
You must ensure that your pet is
vaccinated in accordance with the
recommendation of your vet against
distemper, hepatitis, leptospirosis and
parvovirus for dogs and feline infectious
enteritis, feline leukaemia and cat flu
for cats.

As my vet recommends 3 yearly vaccinations I am covered with Sainsbury's.

It's actually left up to the local knowledge of vets as to which, if any, vaccines need to be given annually. ie if there is a high incidence of distemper or Lyme's Disease for example in the area the vet may recommend a more frequent vaccination.