Should I be vaccinating my dog yearly?
Not Necessarily!
Vaccination antibodies can last from one year to many years. In the past the only way to know if your dog had atibodies toward diseases that we vaccinate against was to run an antibody titer test for each disease through the lab. This process was very costly to the owner and in lieu of these costs Veterinarians and vaccine companies suggested to err on the side of caution and vaccinate every year. To decrease the burden of over vaccination many Veterinarians have now adopted a three year rotating vaccine protocol, but this doesn’t ensure protection.
Recently, a cost effective in hospital antibody titer test was created, which tests for the antibodies of Parvovirus, Viral Hepatitis and Distemper Virus, three of the most common and debilitating of diseases currently affecting our dog population. This test confirms the level of antibdody presence to ensure that your dog has adequate protection against these potentially fatal diseases.
This test should be run every year when your dog is due for their vaccinations and their annual physical exam. Do not assume that your dog has long-tem immunity to these diseases since many antibodies last no more than one year, especially during a dogs younger years. In addition, yearly examination is most important since dogs age 5 to 7 human years per year and many illnesses and diseases can be prevented or be detected early before serious problems arise.
For more information on antibody titer testing see the Vaccicheck website at vaccicheck.com
