Dog question: Doesn't the parvo shot immunize our dogs?

BusynMember

Well-Known Member
Ok, so I ran into an old friend and asked about her beloved dogs. I found out that her daughter had bought a puppy and it turned out to have parvo. Not only did the puppy die, but so did two out of three of her other dogs. They were up to date on vaccinations! Isn't that supposed to stop the dog from getting parvo?

This fear of my dogs getting sick is why I no longer go to the dog parks. They all got kennel cough there once, but they hadn't been vaccinated against it. Now I'm even more afraid to take my dogs to a dog park because who knows what another dog has and even though my dogs always get the major vaccinations...who knows what other people do or if their dogs are sick.
 

hearts and roses

Mind Reader
That is really sad about your friends dogs, I'm so sorry.

According to wholistic vets in our area, the parvo vaccine is not necessary after the first year and usually should only be given to pups. The more common parasite that puppies bring home to their new families giardiasis. And that is VERY infectious. Here is a link: http://www.petmd.com/dog/conditions/infectious-parasitic/c_multi_giardiasis#.UCOei6N5mSM

It could be that her dogs were misdiagnosed with parvo when in fact it was giardiasis that did them in. It's a very fast moving parasitic infection that quickly depletes the animal of his ability to gain the necessary nutrients from his diet. Our sophie had it when she came home as a pup...I was ignorant and waited to bring her to the vet thinking it was just a reaction to her new food. By the time I brought her to the vet, Nala had to be treated as well.

Just throwing it out there. Hugs to your friend.
 

Hound dog

Nana's are Beautiful
Jo is right, parvo shots don't need to be and should not be given after the puppy shots are completed. The dog should have built up an immunity by that point and be strong enough to fight off the disease. Which is what you're aiming for with vaccines. But in all honesty, parvo shots can and do sometimes (rarely) give the disease to the dog, or aren't enough to protect them. Depends on the dog, depends on the vaccine. Same for any vaccine, just as it is with humans.

I won't do heart worm preventative because if you pin a vet down, it doesn't truly prevent them. Dog can still easily get heart worms. It can, however, help prevent the spread of those heart worms to other dogs after the fact. I won't spend a ton of money on something that doesn't do what it says it's going to do. And I've yet to ever have a dog get heart worms in my entire life.

I don't vaccinate after the first year either. I don't even do rabies because mine aren't outside enough for it to matter, except for Rowdy. I won't tell you to do or not to do, but I've never ever had an unhealthy dog or actually a dog catch something from another dog. Ok.....I think molly got a doggie version of flu once, but she bounced back rather quickly.

We don't have "dog parks" but Molly has spent a lot of time in normal parks where everyone brings their pets......so maybe it's close to the same thing.

I dunno. I'm not a vet. But I've always felt other than rabies (and under some circumstances that one too) vaccines are just money makers for the vets after puppyhood. A healthy adult dog ought to be able to throw off an illness without an issue. Evidently my vet (a husband/wife couple) agree because after puppy shots will say it's an option, but don't tell me I'm a neglectful doggie parent because I opt out. Shoot, I have had vets make me feel neglectful for NOT buying frontline ect every single month of the dog's life. Uh, FYI folks, unless you live in warmer climate, you only need to do it during the warmer months

Just learned the hard way that evidently while Revolution will kill a wide variety of worms too, it evidently doesn't do as hot as they claim. Maggie was infested. It was disgusting. Now this may not have been all the medications fault because she was probably severely infested when I picked her up as previous owner gave me a blank stare when I asked if she'd wormed them.....and well, yeah. So with this dose of Revolution for fleas/ticks and other little critters, she and the other 2 dogs got a hefty dose of a broad spectrum wormer that cost me a pretty penny. (1 dog has worms, you assume they've all been infected or they keep reinfecting each other)

She has one set of puppy shots to go and she's done with shots, period. She'll be fixed at 5 months. (next month)

My mom runs her dogs in for everything under the sun, or did until I had a rather long discussion with her about it. Her vet was milking her for all she was worth and then some. Mom has really not been a dog person prior and was just handing out the cash. omg
 

hearts and roses

Mind Reader
Unfortunately, the rabies vaccine here in CT is mandatory...so it stinks...I would love to skip it altogether. Sophie hasn't had a rabies shot since 2006 due to her autoimmune disease and we had to get a special waiver from the state veterinarian. Boo! And what's even more illuminating is the fact that every year they do a titre on her and it always comes back that she still has immunity to rabies...so wth is with the constant vaccinating if the three year shots last such a long time? It's been six years and Sophie is still protected and she has immune disorders so I really don't feel the rabies vaccine is necessary.

It's just like with our children. We are brow beaten and forced to vaccinate our kids for so many things. I remember taking a pass on the pertusis vaccine because easy child had a HORRID reaction. The pediatrician argued with me over it and I flat out refused.

And I only put frontline on the dogs during the summer, no heart guard. They get missing link in their food as a supplement. Overall, aside from Sophies immune stuff, our dogs are very healthy and happy and energetic.
 

Hound dog

Nana's are Beautiful
I believe rabies is required here too. I just tell them I get it at TSC and give it myself. It's never been an issue because all the farmers do the same thing except for "city farmers". It's cheaper and easier.....and they actually DO give it as where they are it's just smart.

When we had bats in the neighborhood, I never missed one.......because well, c'mon bats tend to carry rabies. The year coons were getting it bad.......they each got one (I gave it). Just in case. Most likely if titered theirs would've come back ok too. Shoot most vets won't even do the titer.

But every time as a preventative? no You're throwing your money away as the dog most likely still has immunity for it.

Children's vaccines? Well, now, that is a different story other than chicken pox. I wouldn't opt out other than reactions because those diseases killed children in vast numbers which is why the vaccines were developed. The chicken pox one is just a money maker and for convenience. It's rare for a child to get really sick with them, and that is usually due to parents taking the illness to lightly....as in oh, it's just chicken pox. Which is why the vaccine wasn't developed along with the other childhood vaccines at the time.

But still, they don't like to tell you that the shot can and sometimes does give the child the disease. Maybe much less now that they tend to use dead viruses (they don't always and don't kid yourselves that they do). This is in addition to reactions to them which can range from mild to severe. Race can also affect how one reacts to certain vaccines, especially live vaccines. Native Americans tend to actually get the virus, which is how Nichole got german measles......it was a live vaccine and at the time I didn't know that helpful little fact. We had to hunt all over for somewhere that had a dead virus vaccine available for her kindergarden shots.......then she reacted to the preservative and that was that. But often even the vaccine does NOT mean your child can't get the virus and get ill, it just helps the body already have a head start on immune cells to fight off the disease.....and often that means they never even get the chance to produce symptoms, if they do produce symptoms, it's a much much milder case than it would have been without the vaccine. That is how vaccines work.
 

hearts and roses

Mind Reader
What is tsc...where do you get the medications/vaccines so you can it yourself at home? I've looked into it online and couldn't find anything.
 

DammitJanet

Well-Known Member
Here we have to get the rabies shot to get the dog neutered. While I do all my puppy shots at home, I will have to get her rabies shot at the vet. Normally I wait for one of those clinics they do once or twice a year offering low cost rabies shots but I dont think I have time. I need to get them neutered before Sept.
 

BusynMember

Well-Known Member
Wow. I am a dog person from more of a small town area and I give my dogs all the shots. Can you break it down a little and explain why I shouldn't? In simple, first grader language? LOL! And why not heartworm? I only give heartworm and the flea and tick stuff from June-Dec, but I'd be afraid not to. My dogs aren't outside much, but it only takes one misquito...right?

Rabies are mandatory. If you don't have a rabies tag/documentation you can have your dog taken to the pound. If perchance it bites somebody and you don't have rabies, you're really in trouble. The child will be put through t he rabies shots as well as the dog be removed. Once some kid wandered into my yard while my dog was out for her 1/2 hour on her tie out. The kid got mean with her and before I could run out and stop it, the dog nipped her. Fortunately, he had his rabies shot or we would have been in BIG trouble.

My kids get all their vaccines. That's not something that hub or I even wavered on. We have an outbreak of w hooping cough in the daycare I work at every year because not all parents vaccinate. It's supposed to be mandatory. I wouldn't want my kids in school with unvaccinated kids.(Is unvaccinated a word? I don't think so, but you get the idea). I even do chicken pox. They don't need to get it, if they don't have to. JMO.
 

Hound dog

Nana's are Beautiful
MWM, I don't know if I can break it down for you. Because after that last set of puppy shots, the rabie shot, I'm done for shots. Unless we have like an issue with rabies going on, like I said. Mosquitoes don't transmit rabies to my knowledge. Fleas can I *think* transmit worms, but I dunno if it can the heart worm. I know it can tapeworm because that is how Precious got them. One has to be bitten by a rabid animal, and to be honest, my dogs don't have much opportunity for that given the fence in the yard. But since they had a rabies shot about 3 yrs ago at the latest, they would probably titer positive and it's still effective. I could probably haul the dogs in for a titer instead of just giving the rabies shot, but for me it's just easier to give the shot when the risk is higher than "normal".

Here I dunno they may be more lax due to the farmers. It's common practice. My dogs would be hauled to the pound but that would be because I never remember to get their license, not over rabies vaccines. When I pick them up, I'd just pay for the license. If they ask about the vaccine, I just tell them I did it already. (but then none of mine have wound up at the pound either)

Janet, the only time I officially do the rabies shot via vet is right before spaying for that reason. Makes the vet feel better. But I gave Betsy hers, vet didn't, and spayed her anyway.

I did tell Nichole that since she's moved Betsy needs to rabies again. She's in a wide open yard on a lead (until they can put in a fence). Makes her vulnerable to whatever wanders into the yard.

I'm not against vaccinations for people or pets. (and don't ask me about cats cuz I haven't got the slightest clue) Just over vaccination. I've had at least 3 reputable vets tell me that other than rabies (which can be titered) vaccines are not necessary in a healthy adult dog. These were all the type of vets I have now that don't milk their clients. While in dayton it seemed every time I turned around they wanted to vaccinate my dogs for something that I never heard of.......let alone the ones I had and they didn't need.
 

InsaneCdn

Well-Known Member
Around here... rabies is every 3 years after they are 2 years old (i.e. they get it 2x before age 2, then every 3 years). Deworming isn't a vaccine. Kennel cough has to be done yearly ONLY IF the dog is boarded or goes to doggy day care. Heartworm is transmitted by mosquito, they tell us - and we are in mosquito territory with heartworm all around us, so we do that one.
 

TerryJ2

Well-Known Member
Gosh, that's so sad!
I was thinking either they got a bum dose, or that the parvo was misdiagnosed.

In our area, we also get rabies shots every 3 yrs after they are full grown.
 
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