I can't speak to titering- I don't do it except on the veterans and 'may' be a little negligent on that too... but I do know rabies is not a titer vaccine. Most states will not accept titer for rabies, and most states also have a 1 year initially and as long as you get it within that year to the day, you can usually get a 3 year after that.

 

You can Titer Rabies and some states accept them but you have the be certain if your state does.

I've been titering for about 20 years now and have not needed to vaccinate after 4 months old. The first dog I was titering I felt I should vaccinate once the immunity didn't show after about 4 years but realize now it wasn't needed actually. With Titering, you give all your shots up till they are 4 Months and you can titer a month after that if you wish after the 1 year booster shots and titer 1 month after that and then titer 1 year later. Generally if you showing any level of immunity after 1 year of the last booster shot (so 2.5 years of age) you will likely achieve lifetime immunity. You can proactively check every year or 3 years with a titer and sometimes nothing shows and the vets what to vaccinate again but that doesn't mean your dog lost immunity it just means your dog just isn't making the antibodies currently because there isn't anything to fight off. The immune system just doesn't keep making antibodies if it doesn't need them.

 

If your vet doesn't titer, you can ask them to do the blood draw for you instead.

 

My State is one that does not accept Titers for Rabies, they are required every 3 years after the initial 1 year shot.

You can either look up your State's requirements or check with your Vet.

 

VT is ok with titering and we need more golden retrievers in VT so come join us! It puzzles me why one would continue to give rabies shots if the titer indicates immunity. Our vet is very holistic in his approach. We went from a vet who we considered to be "shot happy" to our new provider and never looked back. Oscar gets nothing but rabies and once we titer him in February (and if immunity is present) that will go away, as well. Obviously a personal choice and I am not interested in convincing anyone of the wisdom of our decision. At the end of the day you try to educate yourself as much as possible and also choose a vet who is not so rigid as to disregard your input.

 

We follow Dr. Dodds' vaccine protocol (a quick Google should bring it up for you). We do the first two puppy shots for Parvo and Distemper only, then titer to see if the third "booster" is necessary (started this with the last puppy and he did not need the third booster). Then, out of an abundance of caution, we titer again at a year just to make sure things are "holding," and then roughly every three years after that (although if the levels are staying strong we eventually don't bother to test anymore).

In NH where I live, per law, they get a rabies vaccine at 4 months (I think), a booster at one year, and then boosters every three years. I know a few states are still requiring annual revaccination, so you'll need to see what your law says, but if your law says every three years and your vet says yearly, then your vet is trying to make money over what ANYONE, including the drug manufacturer, is recommending, and at the expense of your dog's health (and I'd find a different vet). There is an ongoing rabies challenge study that has shown that the current rabies vaccine lasts for at least 5 years, and they're hoping to show it lasts for 7 years. They are also trying to establish what titer levels can be considered protective, but that number hasn't been established yet, and most states still require the rabies vaccine by law (won't accept titer at all, or only under very specific circumstances).

Based on my level of comfort with the risks involved, I personally do not do bordatella (even though my dogs do daycare, training and trials), nor do I do things like leptosprirosis or Lyme (since I feel the risks of these two vaccines outweigh the risks of the diseases they supposedly protect against - but that's a judgment call each individual should make for themselves. However, if you decided to do them, please do not give them at the same time as other vaccines - spread them out by several weeks at least!). I also don't vaccinate with "5 way" vaccines unless I absolutely can't locate a parvo/distemper-only shot.

FWIW when I run titers I usually have the vet draw and prep the blood sample and then mail it myself to HemoPet so they can run the titer. The current price for a distemper/parvo titer at HemoPet is $52. Even if you pay your vet to do the blood pull/prep, I would bet that's a LOT cheaper than you'll get a quote from your vet for!

EDIT: I found this helpful document which indicates that you should be good for three years in CA (which your avatar indicates is your home state?). Note however that I believe this applies only if your dog received a three-year vaccine at his one year booster. If he didn't, you may have to revaccinate one year later, but insist that the vet use a three-year vaccine at that point (note that there is NO difference between the one year and the three year other than how they are labeled, but the law will go by that label re when you need to revaccinate. :-( ).

https://www.avma.org/sites/default/files/2020-01/Rabies%20Chart.pdf

 

I've been getting them titer tested yearly ( checks for distemper, parvo & canine hepatitis). so far Lily is 4, and hasn't had to have vaccinations since her 3 core puppy vaccinations.

I don't want to over vaccinate. You won't need to do a booster before the titer- the titer will show if Barkley needs the booster or not.

I can't advise on rabies though, Singapore is rabies free so it is not part of the core vaccinations- you might want to check the regulations on that.