Yearly Vaccine Boosters For Dogs

[sewer rat]

If my puppy did not get his intial jabs and then the annual booster and had his vaccination book stamped, no kennels up here would touch him with a long pole used to shunt boats about !
Pays yer money, takes yer choice.

[Bephlam]

That is very true - you cannot board your pet if you are unable to prove that they have had their initial vaccination course and yearly booster programme...plus K.C vaccination, 3-6 monthly worming cycle, and appropriate preventative or spot on flea treatment!

I take my dogs with me...or don't go!! lol Unless I can beg a friend to come to the cottage and look after the entire gang!

[amandaandherveg]

We're the same here, both our dogs and cat have to be up to date before the kennel/cattery will take them - we have to give them a photocopy before they are checked booked in. We also have Pet Passports for our puss and pooches.

This year our neighbour (who's an Animal Aunt) moved into our place whilst we were away but he may not always manage to cover our holidays,not that we go away that much, lol.

[BarleySugar]

Way back, when I had my first cat, I was told by my then vet that certain diseases were more prevalent in some parts of the counrty than others, and therefore it was not always necessary to have the full set. Not knowing the situation in the various areas I've lived in, I've always taken the 'safe' route and gone for the works, although my friend has never had any of her cats vaccinated over the past 30 years or so, and none have contracted any of the diseases. This might be because of the number of vaccinated animals though, a similar situation for some human vaccines having virtually eradicated diseases in some parts of the world.

[Bephlam]

I always have my cats vaccinated - mainly because of FIV & FELV (Feline Aids Virus). I was shocked at the number of cats I have routinely blood tests who's results come back positive - it often goes undetected. With three cats, who all have access to outdoors (indoors aren't at risk), I feel it's the 'right' thing to do.

[amandaandherveg]

Like your avatar Bephlam.

[lynda66]

i got 2 kittens a few years ago, they were the most gorgeous things, looked totally happy, healthy eating well and no signs of illness ....... in 6 days one began with diarrhoea, and within 3 hours fell into a coma, took her to the vets who put her down straight away, 2 hours later the second one started, and started going downhill straight away, and i had to have him put to sleep too...... the vet reckoned they were from un-vaccinated parents, and being so little had no chance of fighting it off, as it was already in their systems when i got them.

it's heartbreaking when it happens, and i've always made sure my cats are vaccinated as babies,including the felv and if they were to have babies(not that they do, cos they are neutered) would get them a booster,to help protect the babies. my dog has to be vaccinated every year as a pat dog, otherwise she wouldn't be allowed to do her job.

[Bephlam]

Thanks Amanda - they are our babies. Plunkett, Alfie & Macleane! Posers, or what??

[Bephlam]

That's tragic Lynda!! I have worked with lots of cases like the one you mention in work, but I don't know how I'd cope with it if it were to happen to one of my own! It's funny...how you find ways of coping daily when it's essential to your job, but how you cannot find a similar coping mechanism when it's your own pet!

When we got Alfie, our dog went for him. It was a real shock, because he's been raised with cats...but it was an oversight really, the kitten got under his feet when he was eating and got himself bitten...the bite pierced his nasal canal, etc. The poor wee thing looked touch and go for a few hours, but...he's perfect now...and scared of NOTHING!!

[squashysu]

I am with James on this one, when we had Rosey, we had all the initial injections, but we were actually advised by our vet NOT to have yearly boosters, as they dont count for anything!!! So she had one when she was 6, but she died with she was 8.5 (nothing to do with injections or illness caught because of vaccine!)

As for pumping our kids full of vaccines, i did the initial MMR and booster with all of mine and my son has High Function Autism, i dont blame the MMR whatsoever, I knew from when he was a baby, something wasnt quite right!

My kids havent had any other drugs pumped into them yearly, apart from vitamins in the winter time. They are rarely ill, my son has asthma, but he doesnt even get a flu jab, but he takes his inhalers as he should and touch wood, we have been very lucky, especially as my MIL had severe asthma, which brought on a heart attack and killed her!!

[terrier]

I'm not saying I agree or disagree with Jamesp's stand on this one but how can having a dog vaccinated every year have any effect at all on it's ability to be a PAT dog?

[lynda66]

yeah, but i should have known better, cos she must have had about 15 cats, plus the six kittens, and the house wasn't too great, i very much doubt she'd had all of them vaccinated, considering that none of them were neutered, and how many fleas were on them as well ........ i just had to get them out of there, i only went for 1 .... but could manage to care for 2 so had to take both.

she loves her job ..... so the fact she has to have the jabs, i couldn't stop her doing it, she gets dead excited when she's going.

so are you saying, we should stop using police dogs, and rescue dogs, and drug dogs now because they have to be vaccinated every year?

[lynda66]

I'm not saying I agree or disagree with Jamesp's stand on this one but how can having a dog vaccinated every year have any effect at all on it's ability to be a PAT dog?

it's just the rules, you have to provide their vaccination certificate to register, i don't make the rules.

[terrier]

it's just the rules, you have to provide their vaccination certificate to register, i don't make the rules.

But has anyone challenged them as to why they would want to apply this rule? No one's blaming you, Lynda

[lynda66]

to be honest it isn't something i'd really thought about challenging before, i guess unless every owner said we aren't having our dogs vaccinated, then they would just say, ok sorry to see you leave.