leptospirosis vaccination?

can I ask do you all get your puppy's vaccinated against leptospirosis and has anyone's puppy/adult had any reaction after having it? been reading some really bad things about it and not sure what to do now

Yes, the vaccine for leptospirose is part of the regular vaccination bundle here. Not had any adverse reactions here at all

Katy has had a couple with no reactions.

It's a bit of a knotty problem in the UK.

Some say the new vaccine (Leptospirosis) is dangerous, others that it's okay.

Personally, I'd be guided by the vet. Some areas are known to be high risk for Leptospirosis (Weil's disease in humans) & in that case, you'd be advised to have it.

If you're in an area where Leptospirosis isn't seen, you could probably be safe to NOT have it done.

Here, in Northampton, we have a high rat/water course ratio & I would therefore get it done.

Is this a separate vaccination you request like kennel cough or do they give them this as part of their booster? I don’t know what they gave hank when he had his booster my OH took him and I didn’t think to ask.

Paris1990 wrote:Is this a separate vaccination you request like kennel cough or do they give them this as part of their booster? I don’t know what they gave hank when he had his booster my OH took him and I didn’t think to ask.

In the UK it isn't part of the core vaccines & where it is given because of circumstances, it's given annually rather than 3 yearly.

You don't have to have it done, and even in high risk areas you'll have to be unlucky for your dog to get it. However, it's a truly nasty illness which, den if your dog survives, leaves its mark for the rest of the dog's life.

I’ve just seen that there is a new lepto vaccine here, treats 4 strains instead of formerly 2. Vet sign says new vaccine is more efficient, will ask for more information.

Dig deeper. I can't verify it, but many people have said that their dog became very ill after the Lepto4 vaccination.

Vets are saying there is no correlation but there do seem to have been a lot of illness (some serious) after having it.

We have a couple of vet visits lined up so will ask.

Interestingly, at the moment there is a big equine EHV epidemic here. I’m convinced it’s consequence of the vaccination shortage 2 years ago.

Nifty staffy wrote:
Interestingly, at the moment there is a big equine EHV epidemic here. I’m convinced it’s consequence of the vaccination shortage 2 years ago.

It could well be.

I've been reading up for weeks now about the lepto vaccine particularly the L4 , read all the bad stuff of how its killing dog or leaving them with life long problems...then about the injection its self and what its meant to do, which ive come to the conclusion is not a lot...the risks of letting my dog have it and the risk if I don't.... and my conclusion without doubt is I will not be letting my dog have it

Saw one of the head vets this morning so asked about the L4 vaccination. It’s actually been available for over a year and I’ve just seen that Nifty was done with this vaccine last year. Therefore I can really confirm the lack of side effects for us anyways.

Vet said there are over 150 (or was it 250) strains of leptospirose but research in those affecting dogs has narrowed it down to the 4 major ones in the vaccine, the new strains that have been added account for 15% of affected dogs.

Vet told me that many animals can have reactions to all vaccines as it’s a living culture so it’s a bit alarmist to target only this vaccine. He also told me that vets are campaigning to inform owners to make sure the message gets through, should you decide to act or not.

He told me a story of an owner who took her vet to court claiming he had not told her that cat should be wormed every few months and her son caught a parasite in his eye as a consequence.
That really is a shame to treat your vet like that

At the end of the day it really is a question of your own personal choice. I feel that if you decide to vaccinate, it’s a shame to only give a “half vaccination”.

sorry but still not convinced this is a safe vaccine, ive read a lot into this and nothing has convinced me to have it done. for one the leptospirosis is a bacterial infection.. unlike the core live vaccines, the lepto vaccine is made using dead bacteria and has no response in the body, so had to be mixed with heavy metals to force the dogs immune system. to me that is a big red flag... also there are 20 different species of lepto and more than 200 different serovars, so if you do vaccinate you have to hope theve covered the one in your area, other wise your giving a risky vaccine for nothing.. also vaccinated dogs can shed lepto in there urine, this means they can infect other animals and even you and your family..in a survey 100% of dogs with leptospirosis caught it just after there lepto vaccine...some of the side effects are deadly and happen within days or weeks after the vaccine. some happen over time, so every year your adding the risk...saying your only giving your dog half of its vaccines if you don't include the lepto one is not right, the lepto one has never been a core vaccine it was one you could ask for if you felt your dog was at a high risk, its something that's started to be given along side the core vaccines funnily enough just as people are waking up to the fact that core vaccines don't need to be given yearly, in fact yearly vaccines can actually be harming your dogs health... and guess what!!! oh the lepto vaccine only works for a year so has to be done yearly, isn't that a big coincidence...the funny thing is an awful lot of info I've read say it doesn't even last a year...sorry at the end of the day vets and vaccine company's are there to make money end of...so the choice is totally yours, all I would say is to really look into it before you make your decision and I mean properly like I have the last few weeks...don't just take the word of the people who are making money out of these vaccines...

I have also looked carefully into L4.

My area is high risk for Lepto, although the ones that affect dogs don't affect humans.

I think you're being incredibly unfair to label all vets & all vaccine companies are only 'out to make money'. Of course they want to make money - they'd go out of business otherwise! But it has been proven that the core vaccines have dramatically reduced the incidence of Distemper & Parvo. I don't know how old you are, but certainly when I had my first dog, Lepto jabs were routinely given alongside the Distemper jab,so it was, at one time, considered core. The fact that it isn't now is due to research by those same companies & vetts you seem to detest so much. Most vets (the decent ones, anyway) will recommend three yearly boosters and will offer the Lepto if, in their considered (and knowledgeable) opinion, they feel there's a need. You don't have to have the Lepto4 - a good vet will gladly get some of the previous one in if they feel the need in your area is great.

What have you read? People's heartbroken rants about their poorly, or even dead dog, or scientific journals based on actual, researched facts? I don't doubt that people have lost their beloved companions after having this jab, but a) it has never been PROVEN to be the cause, and b) there are side effects to most drugs, in animals and humans, but compared to the number of shots given, these are rare.

Whilst I've never had first hand experience with Lepto, I have had first hand experience of a dog with distemper. Believe me, after that, I will ALWAYS vaccinate the core vaccines. Lepto? I don't know. IN THIS AREA four dogs contracted Lepto last year (at my vet practice) and none had been vaccinated.

As you say, it's very much a personal choice, but please don't run 100% of vets & vaccine companies down because of your own personal choice.

I fully agree with gilly’s post.
When I was talking about half vaccination, I was thinking to the older lepto 2 vaccination vs the new L4. Not the vaccination program in general.

When it comes down to it, it is very much up to personal choice and convictions.
The label you put on vets and pharmaceutical companies is very unfair and yes, they do need to make money somewhere along the line but you don’t take into consideration the cost of getting the vaccination (or any other medication for that matter) on the market and into your first aid kit in the first place.

My personal opinion of those just out to make money on your back is more directed towards insurance companies which, strangely enough, you appeared to be in favour of. However, yet again, each to his own.

This is not a personal attack in any ways and very much a thread (in general) that has a strong “personal convictions” undertone by the subject under discussion.
I just wanted to contribute with my experience and promised to ask a bit more information from my vets, thing done. I’m not forcing anyone to do anything here and respect everyone else’s point of view, even if it isn’t one I share.

I think that we can all agree that we’re just trying to do the best for our canines under our care. How we go about that will vary and no-one can tell the future. It’ll always be a bit of a gamble but we’re just hoping that our chosen way will work for us.

Very true.