3 year Vaccinations vs every year?

Studies have proven that vaccinations for viral diseases (ie. rabies, parvo, distemper, etc.) provide immunity for at least 7 years (there have not been longer studies as of yet) and many of these researchers believe that the immunity is lifelong. Immunity against these diseases does not "expire" after 1 year, and vaccinating a dog that is already immune doesn't "boost" immunity; all it does is unnecessarily expose the dog to the harmful ingredients contained in vaccines.

Vaccinations against bacterial diseases (lepto, kennel cough, lyme, etc.) are a different story; they only provide immunity for a 6 months to a year at most. On top of that, the bacterial vaccines tend to be less reliable in preventing disease even during that short period that they are supposed to provide immunity.

Personally, I don't vaccinate my dogs at all anymore. A few years back my puppy (now 3 yrs old) had a terrible allergic reaction to one of her puppy shots, which prompted me to do a ton of research on the safety of vaccines, and I still read up on this subject very frequently. Based on the information I've read I truly believe that my dogs are immune to those diseases which are life-threatening, and I have made the decision to not get them any more vaccines, ever. I believe that young puppies need vaccines to protect against life-threatening diseases, but I don't agree with yearly vaccinations for adult dogs; vaccinating year after year won't benefit them nearly as much as it's likely to hurt them. The damage from vaccines may not be immediately apparent for every dog, like my pup's allergic reaction was, but vaccines definitely take a toll on the body.

Trying to find a vet who will admit the potential dangers of vaccines is like searching for a needle in a haystack. Yearly "boosters" bring in a lot of money for vets, and on top of that, those who have been in practice for 20+ years are so used to the idea of yearly vaccinations that it may be harder for them to accept the new research. Listen to your vet's advice, but don't take it as an end-all be-all. It's always a good idea to do a bit of your own research and make sure that you're comfortable with what your vet recommends.

http://www.caberfeidh.com/Revax.htm

http://www.ebvet.com/vaccines.php

http://www.naturalrearing.com/coda/a_science_of_va...

http://www.puliclub.org/CHF/AKC2007Conf/What%20Eve...

https://www.msu.edu/~silvar/vax.htm

It is pretty much a fact that vaccinations last a lot longer than originally thought, unfortunately only titer tests can show how long and they are more expensive than vaccinations.

However, the 3 year vaccination for rabies is accepted in most States, and my dogs have been getting that for years now - never a problem.

Vaccinations are absolutely necessary for puppies and during the first year, however, most vets over-vaccinate after that.

It's very unfortunately because no one wants their dogs to be susceptible to any actual diseases, so it's hard to know exactly what to do.

I have the 3 year rabies given my dogs, when canine influenza was prevalent in this are, they all had the vaccination and the booster 2 weeks later - but I do not vaccinate for everything under the sun. You just have to do some research and make up your own mind.

Bordatella is the equivalent of the human flu shot -- it does NOT prevent all strains, so you need to consider that also; If you board your dog, he comes in contact with strange dogs, or you foster as I do, that's a good idea -- but some of the other - especiall lepto, which is very dangerous for some breeds (dachshunds in my case) is something I skip.

As I said, do some reading up. Rabies is mandated, so dogs need that - but the 3 year vaccination is perfectly fine - there is some research that indicates it lasts a lot longer than that (7 years or more).

Note: I'd be very interested to know what other dog owners do, so I'll come back to this question.

It never ceases to amaze me how many dogs are not on heartworm or flea/tick preventatives, however - and those are things that are crucial every single month - especially in warmer areas. So many dogs test heartworm positive - that's where the pressure to prevent should be.

There are as many opinions as there are veterinarians and dog owners.

My dogs are on a three-year regimen and have been their whole lives. I have had absolutely no problems with this approach. The three-year rabies regimen is what is mandated in my County. The only suggestion I have heard is that parvo (and parvo only - not the entire DHLPP or DHPP depending on your region) be repeated annually in areas where parvo has been prevalent because new strains have emerged. I heard this from a county vet. My own private vet disagreed. Since my dogs are only exposed to small number of other dogs - all vaccinated, I've stayed with the three year regimen. I know of no one who had had a dog get parvo that had been properly vaccinated, so I think the three year program is fine for most dogs. There are also significant risks of over vaccinating - namely cancer - and the vast majority of vets are suggesting that fewer, more deliberate vaccinations (namely 3 year protocols) are better. I tend to agree.

I believe in vaccinating - but in a thoughtful deliberate way so as not to over-vaccinate. I would really ask your vet why he holds the view he does and if it's because he's always done things that way, find another vet.

I do yearly for dhpp for the first three years, then go to an every three year schedule, and rabies is every three years as well, bordetella I do yearly (I like to take him to parks, the dog park, and pet stores) I do not do the non core vaccines there is no need for my dog.

AVMA did print an article a while back about changing protocols but some vets are hesitant to go to the "new" schedule for a few reasons one is it brings the animals in for a yearly check up (which they are supposed to have every year while and adult and every 6 months as a senior) some it probably is loss of revenue but the one I worked for was hesitant because it brought people in for an exam (we lost money on most vaccines) but it kept them on heartworm since they did a free exam it was either get a vaccine for $20 with a free exam or get an exam for $50 so they could get refills of heartworm prevention.

The side effects are higher chances of arthritis and cancer, although if your vet recommends yearly ask them why? And there thoughts on the new studies.

Dr. Ron Schultz of Wisconsin University published a duration of immunity study on canine vaccines in 1999. Distemper alone is good for 9-15 years depending on the strain used. Parvo is good for 7-9 years. The rabies vaccine was done by blood test and therefore, the results were not excepted. It is being redone and this time, by direct challenge of the rabies virus. They are now 2 1/2 yrs into the study. http://www.rabieschallengefund.org./ If you rummage around in the site, you will find the 1999 study. No one has disproved it yet.

Knowing that vets would not go to the protocol of the study's results, all 27 U.S. vet schools went to a 3 year protocol in 2002. They were hoping that vets would accept the 3 year protocol and then over time, go to the true duration of immunity results. It is said that 80% of a vet's income is derived from giving vaccinations. There is the problem! If your vet is still doing annual vaccines, he is not putting your dog first. He is putting his income first. I'd suggest finding a vet who at least, does the 3 year protocol. Personally, I don't think that 3 years is good enough.

Dogs are getting cancer at a higher rate than ever. Auto immune diseases are also high. I know of several dogs who have seizures. All this and more is thought to be caused by vaccinations. I know that my dog's seizures were caused by vaccines. It is 7 years since her last vaccination. She has gone from having 4 seizures per year to her last one, was 17 months ago.

Think of your dog first. Once cancer has started, it's too late!

Rabies vaccinations for dogs are usually good for three years, at least the make of vaccination my vet gives. A puppy's rabies is good for a year, then the booster and subsequent ones are good for 3 years.

My vet says as long as the dog is an adult, that every 3yrs is fine, aparently it been proven that they don't need a yearly vaccination

It's best to do it every 3 years because then they only have to go to the vet every 3 years instead of every 1. Which means that they get poked with a needle less. Also, that's a lot longer 'til you have to worry about it again.

Your vet just wants to collect the money for giving the shots.

I give my dogs their shots every three years. Probably they could go longer, but I feel that this is a happy medium. They do not get vaccintated after they turn 10, or if they have health issues.