I am very concerned about over vaccinating for rabies. I have read that the vaccination site is where they often find cancer. Anyone else heard this?



Vaccine-associated Sarcoma in Dogs

Most types of injectable vaccine and non-vaccine products have rarely been associated with sarcoma development in dogs, but some dogs may develop a site specific sarcoma following rabies vaccination. In fact, reports of a sarcoma (a cancerous mass arising from bone, cartilage, fat or muscle) developing at the site of vaccine injection sites in some animals have led to the suspicion of a link between the vaccine and a disposition in some animals to this type of reaction.

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missing May

I don't understand about not giving the heartworm preventative all year around, truthfully. Even when I lived in Michigan, my dogs were on preventative all year round. That is also what I was taught in the vet tech program in college and it was the norm in the clinics I worked.
About the vaccinations. I also have my dogs get all the regular vaccines. I included Lymes vaccine, because of a huge tick problem.
Just about a month ago, I was asking one of the vets at the clinic I go to about overvaccinating. By law, we have to do the one year rabies, but it is the same stuff as the three year rabies. Since clinics cut cost by buying vaccines that have all the vaccines in one, the pet will get all the vaccines yearly. My vet agreed, that Parvo and distemper last longer than yearly but Lepto is one of those that has to be given yearly, it won't last any longer than that. I live in the country, lots of wildlife and possibility of one of my dogs to drink standing water, so I have to vaccinate against Lepto. My dachshund is one that laps up water and will eat anything.
My lab mix is turning 12 this year and he is due for vaccinations. Around here, titers are not available, sadly.
This year I really have mixed feelings about getting him vaccinated, but again, wildlife, unvaccinated dogs everywhere, what is a person to do? Also, most vet clinics will not admit an unvaccinated dog for surgery or treatment, so said pet will have to be vaccinated prior to being admitted or when admitted.
I have not had my pets vaccinated for kennel cough in a long time, I don't see a point in that one at all.
So, come next week, I guess Thunder will get rabies vaccine for sure and most likely the regular combination booster after that. I will skip the lymes with him this year.

Toby, my golden, is due for lymes vaccine. The surgeon I am in contact with, is also against overvaccinating. He said not to give the Lymes vaccine to the dogs. Toby had tested positive for Ehrlichia this past summer. We have a huge tick problem. What to do?

I really am a bit at a loss right now, as you can tell.

I do trust the vets, I am for vaccinations but having a couple of seniors and thinking about what is best for them, leaves me a bit in a quandary right now.

Like I said, living in the country with constant wildlife around and my dogs probably being the only vaccinated dogs around here, does not make it any easier.

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My boys from left to right:
Thunder Dachsi Toby




http://www.goldenretrieverforum.com/...is-issues.html

My Toby, my heart dog 3/12/2003 - 3/30/2013, I miss you Toby!


Christa

Heartworm preventative is not something you can do for a couple of years and stop. A dog can be infected any time a mosquito that carry the larvae bites the dog; it is basically not a question of "if" but of "when" the dog will be infected. Depending on where you are mosquitoes are potentially present about year-round (my case) or only some months and the incidence of heartworm is higher (my case) or lower but heartworm disease has been reported in all 50 states. There are a couple of ways to reduce the number of times you give the preventative if you want to minimize exposure to but no preventative at all at any time is putting the dog's health in jeopardy. By the time symptoms are seen there is no easy way to treat.

The ProHeart6 that was discontinued is back on the market (after some changes, I think) but is not something I would do.

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The choice between rabies and potentially getting cancer from the vaccine is very clear to me. Vaccinate the animal. Cancer is potentially treatable. Rabies is deadly always, and a rabid animal can pass this disease onto other animals very easily. It's a very painful way to die, and they always die from rabies, there is no cure once it is fully developed. I'll take a remote chance of cancer by using the vacine rather than see rabies spread. So I think it's a clear choice. We have the highest rate of rabies in the nation here in Alaska. It's very sad.

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Rabies is the vaccine that I hate the most but it is necessary by law and even with a rabies exemption if there is a problem the dog is treated as any other unvaccinated dog... it is to risky for me so I do abide the law.

Heartworms are not endemic in my area as they are in other parts of the country ie. the south so I don't worry about them all that much... that having said we test half the dogs every other year and I use ivermectin every other month from the time I see the first mosquito for a month after I see the last... it works retroactively so it is killing any worms that exist at the time of the dosage so I do this until after I see the last mosquito... last year was a warm year and i saw mosquitos all year long so we treated with the ivermectin all year long... that is not the norm where I live

I do not routinely vaccinate for anything other than the distemper parvo ... I will not vaccinate for a disease that the vaccination does not completely protect the dog from the risk of that disease to me vaccinating for lyme when my dogs can still get lyme even after the vaccination is not something I want to do ... if someone comes up positive for lyme we run the C6 find out hte numbers and track it from there.. my feeling is the same for lepto and bordatella... the fact is that even with the vaccination the dogs can still get these illnesses. Luckily I am not in an area that lepto in endemic. I am constantly re-evaluating my protocol based on new research, new vaccines and new recommendations.

I DO NOT blindly trust my vet without doing my own research for years vets were routinely over vaccinating dogs. Even with the new protocols I still see vets routinely vaccinating every year... I think it is foolhardy to not do your own research when it comes to vaccines or any other medical decision that needs to be made for your dog/pet

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Shalva and the Milbrose Retrievers and Irish Wolfhound
Milbrose Retrievers and Irish Wolfhounds

I guess "Claudia M" means proheart injection when stating vaccine? It is not a vaccine,there is no vaccine for heartworm disease. It is just something that is suppose to kill and prevent heartworms from forming for six months. I don't trust that either and would not use it in my dogs.
I am all for the monthly heartworm preventative, all year round, no matter what.

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My boys from left to right:
Thunder Dachsi Toby




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My Toby, my heart dog 3/12/2003 - 3/30/2013, I miss you Toby!


Christa

Wow, thanks for calling everybody foolhearty that has a vet they trust. Yes, a lot of vets still go by the old vaccination protocols, I agree with that. But, having been in the veterinary field for many years, I can understand it, because of the number of sick pets seen with those diseases. And yes, we need more research and it will take more time for vets to go with the times and try to change the vaccination protocols.
But, as long as there are enough irresponsible pet owners out there, diseases will continue to spread and vaccinations will be given and have to be given
.
Of course, I wish I would not have to vaccinate my dogs for everything all the time and I would very much like to cut back on vaccinations with the old dogs.
If it was a perfect world, every pet would be disease free, diseases erradicated and there be no need for vaccinations.
But, there will always be people with unvaccinated dogs spreading diseases.

And I don't want to gamble with my dog's health. I doubt that makes me a stupid person.

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My boys from left to right:
Thunder Dachsi Toby




http://www.goldenretrieverforum.com/...is-issues.html

My Toby, my heart dog 3/12/2003 - 3/30/2013, I miss you Toby!


Christa

Oh talk about putting words in someone mouth.... I did not call anyone stupid... what I did say is that not doing your own research and homework is foolhardy when you are making medical decisions... those are two completely different things!! honestly!!

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Shalva and the Milbrose Retrievers and Irish Wolfhound
Milbrose Retrievers and Irish Wolfhounds

I live with Chronic Lyme Disease. Due to that I was so happy there was a vaccine for Lyme for dogs. But the more I read the more I stayed away from it. I will be on watch for them and if any is found on her I will most certainly have her checked. I would hate to lower her immune system only to be bitten by a different disease carrying tick.
Also the human Lyme vaccine has been withdraw off the market which puts me in a quandary as far as giving it to my dog.

I forgot to mention Nyah developed a sarcoma from the pain med needle from her spay. This is why i am so anti vaccine. We also gave her the Lyme shot as one of our cats not a tick this past summer. Our new vet doesn't even carry this vaccine and says it is prevented in the heartworm/tick topical and says the vaccines like that are really bad. I regret it now.


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