Are Yearly “Booster Shots” Necessary
Vaccinations do not magically lose their effectiveness 366 days after the last shot. In fact, previous studies have shown that the vaccines for parvovirus and canine distemper provide extremely good, long-term protection from the diseases for 8 to 10 years or more. “Booster shots” do not increase a dog’s immunity, but they do increase the risk of adverse reactions. There are no benefits and many risks to re-vaccinating for a disease your dog is already immune to. The good news is, the American Animal Hospital Association (AAHA) Canine Vaccination Taskforce, in their 2011 revised guidelines, finally acknowledges that yearly re-vaccinations are not necessary. Specifically, the Taskforce has done studies to confirm that, in case of core canine vaccines, immunity lasts much longer than one year. It has been found that for distemper and parvovirus, immunity lasts for at least 5 years; whereas for adenovirus, at least 7 years. The Taskforce therefore advises that dogs can be re-vaccinated at 3-year or greater intervals for all core vaccines (except the 1-year rabies vaccine). If your vet still insists on giving your dog yearly “booster shots”, show him the revised guidelines! Instead of automatically giving booster shots to your dog, insist on getting titers first. (A titer is a blood test that can show if your dog’s antibody levels for parvovirus or canine distemper remain high enough to resist infection). As regards rabies shots, a study is currently being done by Dr. Schultz who is an expert in the field of veterinary vaccines. The study is to try to determine the duration of immunity conveyed by rabiesvaccines. It is Dr. Schultz’s goal to find conclusive evidence that immunity duration of rabies shots is longer than the current limit, so that state and local laws can be changed to extend the required interval for rabies boosters to 5 and then to 7 years.
You can find more info on this topic and may others at this site http://www.natural-dog-health-remedies.com
We are in a new age, when it comes to treating our furry kids and need to be the best advocate for them armed with knowledge and facts.
Should your vet not aggree show him the revised guide lines https://www.aahanet.org/PublicDocuments/CanineVaccineGuidelines.pdf
