Usefulness of titers?

[4everaloneoutcast]

I am curious, what is the benefit of a titer vs. more vaccinations? I have heard in the U.S. we tend to go through more rounds of vaccines for our pups than in the U.K.

Thanks

 

[imagebeastmarkbeast]

@4everaloneoutcast I think titers can be beneficial. I had it done on Apollo when I first adopted him because the Animal Control claimed he was vaccinated on intake but there were some doubts about the care the animals were receiving. Turns out he most likely was not vaccinated at all.

I've considered doing it again on him because he has such a bad reaction to most vaccines. He just got the 3yr rabies, so he's good on that for awhile, but all the other vaccines really wipe him out for a day. If he doesn't get an antihistamine with any vaccine he spends the rest of the day vomiting.

For my other dog though, I just get her vaccinated. She's fine and I'd much rather err on the side of caution. Out of the two other people that I personally know who titer one has a dog who has bad reactions to vaccines, and the other shows her dog and is worried about side effects.

Unless there is a health concern I don't think titers are for everyone.

 

[normalguy0930]

@4everaloneoutcast I would look into research by W. Jean Dodds, DVM. They have put out a large amount of information about vaccines and titers over the past many years. Here are some links to further your research:
http://www.itsfortheanimals.com/Adobe/Clinical-Mgmt-Treat-Adverse-Vaccine-Reactions-Dodds2009.pdf

http://www.itsfortheanimals.com/DODDS-CHG-VACC-PROTOCOLS.HTM

http://www.itsfortheanimals.com/HEMOPET.HTM

(I take no responsibility for the atrocity that is the organization of the aforementioned website. It has good information that you can research further to develop questions and concerns you can then discuss with your vet.)

 

[jewelpet]

@4everaloneoutcast Personally I would prefer to get my dog vaccinated when required and not need it. The vaccinations much like human vaccinations are recommended for a reason. I looked up the difference and it looks like DHPP is required more and Rabies is required by law.

It's up to you personally but get advice from actual professionals, you can try several vets in your area. Keep in mind it's for your dogs health, future and now.

 

[davidcn]

@jewelpet Not only your dogs health but also the health of other people's puppies and older dogs as well!

Just like humans there needs to be enough to maintain herd immunity.

 

[4everaloneoutcast]

@jewelpet Yeah, I've just heard conflicting views and wanted to crowd source opinions before making a final decision.

 

[jewelpet]

@4everaloneoutcast I got that but with this sort of decision it's best to go with professional and scientific research than standard opinions. Anecdotal experience isn't the best when it comes to health choices, as it's personal experience

 

[christian4059]

@4everaloneoutcast I would err on the side of caution, i.e. get the vaccines. While titers make theoretical sense, there are no studies whatsoever to establish which titers levels are protective and which ones aren't.

Not to mention that your dog's immune system fights off more antigens every single day than are contained in the vaccine.

 

[tlt]

@4everaloneoutcast The benefit of a titer rather than a vaccination is to check whether the dog needs more vaccination boosters, rather than giving a yearly vaccination when it's not needed and possibly over vaccinating a dog.

The AAHA vaccination guidelines since 2006 have said that dogs only need to get the DHPP shot every 3 years. It's protective for at least as long as that (probably longer) and after the 3rd booster (9 years in), the dog should be fine for the rest of its life.
So for DHPP and the 3 year rabies shot, I wouldn't even bother getting a titer, the dog should be fine getting them every three years. Although the dog should still be brought to the vet annually for check ups.

Dog vaccinations are a little different than human ones because of how much time and resources are put into ensuring the safety of human vaccination and protocol (how often the vaccination is given). This is because the liability of over vaccinating a human is way more than that of over vaccinating an animal, and because cat and dog lives are much shorter than a human's, and so the effects of over vaccinating are less likely to catch up to them within their lifetimes.

But think about it--other than the flu vaccine, which we need to get annually because the virus keeps changing, there's no vaccine that's recommended for humans annually. And dog vaccines don't change from year to year, they just keep giving the same booster shot over and over.

 

[dukedesu]

@tlt This is kind of how I feel about things, some vets still give them yearly, too. Mine has reminders for yearly updates, but the dogs certainly don't need the DHPP yearly.