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Photo of puppy being vaccinated

Vaccinations

Disclaimer: I am not a veterinarian, nor do I have any formal training in any medical field. The information presented here is not meant to replace your vet's advice or prescribed medications, but only to suggest additional options to explore, based on your dog's condition.

Introduction

I no longer revaccinate my adult dogs at all, other than for rabies, as required by law. I am convinced that they have lifetime protection against all the viral diseases (Parvo, Distemper, Parainfluenza, Hepatitis/Adenovirus and Rabies). Challenge studies have been published for most of these diseases (the others have not been studied) showing that protection lasts at least seven years; serology (titer) tests show duration up to 15 years (see Duration of Immunity to Canine Vaccines: What We Know and Don't Know and full text). These studies are ongoing, meaning the duration may be even longer; none of the studies have shown immunity to wear off. I did titers the first year, for peace of mind, but no longer do them, as I'm satisfied my dogs are protected and do not need to test them to reassure myself.

The 2003 Report of the AAHA Canine Vaccination Task Force says, "Dogs have been shown to maintain antibody titers to the core viruses CDV [distemper], CPV-2 [parvo], CAV-1 [adenovirus] and CAV-2 in viral-free environments for many years. In a study reported in 1997, dogs vaccinated with a product containing CDV and then place in an environment without CDV maintained antibody titers for at least 10 years. In a more recent controlled study of puppies vaccinated at 7 and 10 weeks of age (and housed with unvaccinated dogs to ensure CDV, CPV-2, CAV-1 and CAV-2 were not present), it was shown that vaccinated dogs maintained antibody titers for more than 4 years. . . . We now know that booster injections are of no value in dogs already immune, and immunity from distemper infection and vaccination lasts for a minimum of 7 years based on challenge studies and up to 15 years (a lifetime) based on antibody titer."

The vaccinations for bacterial diseases such as Leptospirosis and Bordetella are not long lasting, but I don't give those either. I believe that the lepto vaccine does not offer enough of a benefit vs. risk ratio: there are more side effects reported for it than all the other vaccines combined; it only protects against two to four of at least six serovars that affect dogs; the vaccine may work less than 75% of the time; and protection may only last 3 to 9 months. I do have some concern about lepto, which is found in my area. If one of my dogs ever developed any symptoms, I am prepared to treat immediately with amoxicillin. I also do not give the kennel cough (bordetella) vaccine, as I believe the risk of exposure is low for my dogs, and the danger not that great. And I don't vaccinate for Lyme disease because the vaccine itself is too dangerous (it can induce the same symptoms as the disease, but they do not respond to treatment) and again very ineffective (only protects about 50% of dogs that get it, and doesn't last very long). Note that if you do vaccinate for bacterial diseases, these vaccines should be separated from those given for viral diseases, according to veterinary vaccine specialist Ronald Schultz, and the lepto vaccine should never be given before the age of 12 weeks (see What Everyone Needs to Know About Canine Vaccines and Vaccination Programs, pages 62-64). There is another version of this paper available that offers answers to some commonly asked questions.

It is also best to give rabies separately from any other vaccines.

Note that modified live canine distemper virus vaccines can suppress the immune system for up to 9 days when combined with canine adenovirus vaccine. This does not occur when the recombinant distemper vaccine is used (see below for more information on recombinant vaccines). See Canine Distemper & Vaccination for reference.

I get my dogs as adults and so do not have to deal with puppy vaccination issues. I think that if I had a puppy, I would vaccinated only for parvo and distemper, and would titer two weeks after vaccinating to see if the vaccines were effective. If so, I would not revaccinate. If the vaccines did not take, due to interference by the maternal immunity, I would repeat the vaccinations and testing.

See the following articles for a good overview of puppy vaccinations and revaccination of adult dogs and older puppies:

Also see Vaccinations for Your Dog: A Complex Issue, written by a vet.

Vaccination Protocols

Here are some good websites on vaccinations:

2004 Vaccination Protocols for Dogs Includes minimal, moderate and maximum vaccination protocols from Considerations in Designing Effective and Safe Vaccination Programs for Dogs", R.D. Schulz, May 2000.

New Principles of Immunology-Canine Good veterinary site that talks about distemper and parvo lifetime immunity. See the links they have for recommended and not recommended vaccinations for both dogs and cats. Also see Critter Advocacy and New Vaccination Protocols for more information from the same source.

Vaccination Protocol by W. Jean Dodds, DVM as of 2009

The Vaccination Website for Dogs and Cats New Vaccination protocols and lots of information from a panel of veterinarians

Here are the current vaccination recommendations from several veterinary colleges and the American Animal Hospital Association (still too much in my opinion but better than the annual vaccines that are still being used by many vets):

Three-year vaccines

Intervet is now marketing three-year vaccines under the name Continuum. To the best of my knowledge, there is no difference between these vaccines and any others, except that the maker has tested them for a three-year duration of immunity rather than just one. This may make your vet feel more comfortable about giving vaccines every three years rather than annually, even though all viral vaccines will provide this longer immunity. Continuum offers individual vaccines for parvo, rabies, Lyme disease, leptospirosis and coronavirus (note that vaccination for coronavirus is unnecessary and the vaccine for Lyme disease can cause symptoms of the disease, so I don't recommend either of these). The Lyme vaccine uses recombinant technology that may be safer than older vaccines. They also offer some simple combination vaccines that would be better than the 5-way (and more) vaccines that are often given, but I recommend vaccinating for rabies separately. Also, the combination respiratory vaccine must be administered yearly due to the inclusion of bordetella, a bacterial disease, even though revaccination is not needed for the other two components, adenovirus and parainfluenza, which are viral and therefore immunity is much longer-lasting.

Titer Testing

High Titer parvo vaccines are now available that have been developed to override maternal immunity by using especially large amounts of the virus and thus offer protection at an earlier age. I have no information as to whether these vaccines are as safe as the regular kind. See Parvo Vaccinations Options/Prevention for more information.

There is an in-office 15-minute blood test, called TiterChek, that can help determine if a dog is protected against two of the most common, life-threatening diseases: canine parvovirus and distemper. The kit is made by Synbiotics Inc., a San Diego veterinary-products company. Ask your vet to check into using it instead of annual vaccinations.

Most labs now offer titer tests as well. For example, Cornell charges $15 each for Adenovirus-1 (Canine Infectious Hepatitis), Distemper and Parvo titer tests, or $45 for all three (Canine Vaccine Panel 2), or $25 for just Distemper and Parvo (Canine Vaccine Panel 1). They also offer titer tests for Coronavirus, Parainfluenza (kennel cough), Herpesvirus and Influenza. Note that Hemopet (Dr. Dodds) also offers titer testing  ($36.50 for distemper/parvo, $75 for rabies, which is the most expensive of the titer tests, according to their test request submission form). Note that these are what the lab charges; your vet will charge additional fees for drawing and shipping the blood, and may mark these prices up as well.

See the following articles for more information on titers:
Titers: What do they tell us?
Titers and Canine Vaccination Decisions
Take the Titer Test
Vaccine Titer Testing Update (Antech)

Thimerosal (mercury) free vaccines

Thimerosal (also sometimes spelled thimersol, thimerosol or thiomersal) is a form of mercury used in most  vaccines as a preservative. It is possible that thimerosal may contribute to adverse vaccine reactions. A few companies are making rabies vaccines that do not contain thimerosol. Merial makes a thimerosol-free rabies vaccine called IMRAB 3 TF (the 3 designates a 3-year vaccine, and TF stands for "thimersol free"). There is also a 1-year version, IMRAB 1 TF. Fort Dodge makes a thimerosol-free rabies vaccine called RABVAC 3 TF (while it is not listed on their web site, I did confirm with them that it is still available).

Thimerosal is used in other vaccine products, but I don't know of any specifically thimerosal-free versions.

Recombinant Vaccines

Merial is now marketing several recombinant vaccines that are safer than either killed or modified live vaccines. The trade name is Recombitek for dogs (distemper, parvo, coronavirus, kennel cough), Purevax for cats (rabies, FLV and more). These recombinant vaccines do not use adjuvants, which are responsible for many of the side effects of vaccinations. Canine Distemper and Vaccination by Ronald Schultz, DVM, indicates that the recombinant distemper vaccine is just as effective, or even more so in the case of overcoming maternal antibodies, than the traditional MLV (modified live) vaccine, and quite a bit safer. There is also a recombinant Lyme vaccine, but I am unsure if it is recommended, although it should be safer than the traditional Lyme vaccine (Lyme vaccines can cause a form of the disease that cannot be treated with antibiotics, and so should usually be avoided). See the following websites for a little more information:

What is a recombinant vaccine, and how does it work?
http://www.veterinarypartner.com/Content.plx?A=524 scroll down to the section on What is a Recombinant Vaccine and is it really better than the other available vaccines types?
The Production & Types of Vaccines
Dog Vaccines and Vaccinations
Merial's Highlights of the 2006 AAHA Canine Vaccination Guidelines

Links to more info

Articles on why there is no need for annual vaccinations, and some of the problems they can cause:

General Information on Vaccinations

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If you have any questions or comments, please contact me. My name is Mary Straus and you can email me at either or


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