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After the mention of this in the morning coffee thread, I thought I'd share a very good, informative article on the subject:

http://www.whole-dog-journal.com/issues ... 036-1.html

Good article Beth thanks. My vet is wiling to do the titers but has always advised me that the rabies vaccine is required every year unless you do the three year one. So even if they still have a high immunity level the state law does not accept that nor can I get the city dog tag without the rabies shot. Should I not get the shot and the dog bites someone they will, if it is reported ,impound the dog for the 10 days it takes to see if active rabies to manifest. Seems like there is also another penalty but can't remember right now. For three years they were accepting the rabies titer, if you did several other steps, and issuing their tags in Illinois but the state vet board met recently and changed the law back Or at least that is what the woman who teaches the obedience class I'm going to told us.

II like that the article suggested to separate the vaccinations and not do all at once. I also wait two weeks after giving their monthly heart worm medication for any vaccines. Lepto is the one they are most likely to react to and I noted that Soos said in FL they give it in two doses. I haven't been giving the lepto but was told it is on the increase.

I have had three different vets confirm with me that the one year or two year or three year rabies vaccine are all the exact same vaccine ... just called whatever based on their location. Costs the same, also ... interesting. But the law is another story. Which is why in some states, they give the same vaccine and do it annually. In others, the same is done every two or three years. The vet I went to in TX worked with people from different counties. The county I was in was ok with three year vaccines. The one next to it required two year. He charged the same to everyone for the vaccine, they got the identical vaccine, but in one county he gave two year certificates, in the other he gave three year certificates. Interesting, eh?

Do vets ever get together!? I talked to my vet about this when I took Andy in and the story he related made me think there is a difference in the 1 year and the 3 year shot. He said in Texas where they have a real problem with rabies ,vets are giving the 3 year shot either every 6 months or every year. Can't remember whether it was the 6 mos or a year but if they are doing that I thought there was a difference in the shot.
Oh, he did say there was a quantitative titer that could be done that would tell how long before a new vaccine was needed. He was willing to do the titer but he said that vaccines are much safer now than they used to be that unless he finds a dog that does have a reaction he suggests just doing the shot. He said few now ever have a reaction.
He did suggest that we do the three year distemper shot for Toby as he only had his puppy shots and no record of him having the 3 year. Outside of that and the rabies I don't do any of the other like lepto or lyme disease.

Don't get me started. My vet agrees with me that they only make a THREE year vaccine so you are giving a 3 year every year if your City requires it like Kerrville does. If you have a small dog you may be over-medicating it. I don't license my dogs in the city - refuse. Carry my rabies certificate with me and it shows its a 3 years vaccine. IF one of the dogs was around a rabid animal I would get a booster shot. Of course the vets want to give a shot every year - THEY GET PAID for it. My vet and I have talked about this a lot because the City requires one every year but the county only requires one every three years. He totally agrees that yearly is unnecessary.

Guess many vets are like doctors, their opinions are based on the $$$ involved. This just doesn't make sense, make you wonder if parents are being given false information about children's vaccines!?

Our dog license isn't city, it's for the whole Parish & requires vaccines yearly.