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Our two haven't had vaccinations in a few years except for rabies in

Tamsen's case. Our vet didn't want Tamsen's immune system to fight

anything more than the cancer she had!

valerie wrote: Click Here!!



Our two haven't had vaccinations in a few years except for rabies in

Tamsen's case. Our vet didn't want Tamsen's immune system to fight

anything more than the cancer she had!


This is interesting and perfect timing.

The beau was informed the other day that his ex had to put down one of their 4 cats because it developed cancer, possibly from the rabies shot.

A number of years ago, my big old dog had to be put down due to having cancer, the tumor grew on his leg where he received all his shots.

Hmmmm things that make you say hmmmmmmmmmm

minks wrote: This is interesting and perfect timing.

The beau was informed the other day that his ex had to put down one of their 4 cats because it developed cancer, possibly from the rabies shot.

A number of years ago, my big old dog had to be put down due to having cancer, the tumor grew on his leg where he received all his shots.

Hmmmm things that make you say hmmmmmmmmmm
Uhh....WHAT??! There is an easy way to avoid that, and it is practiced by every vet I've worked for: Vary the locations of the injections. With the exception of a bordetella vacc., all injections are subcutaneous, (given under the skin) and can be administered almost anywhere on the dogs body. I'd be highly ticked off if my dog developed a tumor because of the way the vet gave it's shots.

In fact, in your dogs medical file, there should be notes taken where each vaccine was given so as to avoid this very thing.



*edit* After reading the article, I wonder where the 3-year rabies vaccine went. We have had a 3-year rabies vacc., at least in Michigan for more than 12 years.

BabyRider wrote: Uhh....WHAT??! There is an easy way to avoid that, and it is practiced by every vet I've worked for: Vary the locations of the injections. With the exception of a bordetella vacc., all injections are subcutaneous, (given under the skin) and can be administered almost anywhere on the dogs body. I'd be highly ticked off if my dog developed a tumor because of the way the vet gave it's shots.

In fact, in your dogs medical file, there should be notes taken where each vaccine was given so as to avoid this very thing.


Get out of town, I had no idea.

Well a wee bit of history on the big fella, he was a science experiment, a foundling and they took him to the local Ag. College and the students there who were training to be Vets worked on him. So perhaps that had something to do with what all went on.

Minks, I suppose there could be a difference in practices between here and Canada, but I see no reason not to insist on this practice in the future.

Are you aware of a rabies vaccine that lasts for 3 years? I'm not sure if you have it there, but the States have had it for a long time.

BabyRider wrote: Minks, I suppose there could be a difference in practices between here and Canada, but I see no reason not to insist on this practice in the future.

Are you aware of a rabies vaccine that lasts for 3 years? I'm not sure if you have it there, but the States have had it for a long time.


Oh BR I know not much about rabies shots. My current dog is way behind on all shots.

Well, if you're going to get your dog updated, ask about the 3-year rabies. I'd also see if your vet is of the mind that lots of vaccines do last longer than 1 year. We had lots of clients who, even years ago, got only the rabies vaccine, and suffered no ill effects. I don't recommend this for all owners, as this is still in the "could be" stage, but it's definitely worth looking in to.

BabyRider wrote: Well, if you're going to get your dog updated, ask about the 3-year rabies. I'd also see if your vet is of the mind that lots of vaccines do last longer than 1 year. We had lots of clients who, even years ago, got only the rabies vaccine, and suffered no ill effects. I don't recommend this for all owners, as this is still in the "could be" stage, but it's definitely worth looking in to.


And what is that cost roughly I know here it will be different. Pooch had his last rabies shot 2 years ago.

I make sure Raspberry has her booster every year and i've always thought it was a big con!

At £40 for the injection its a sizable outlay if it's not really needed.

minks wrote: And what is that cost roughly I know here it will be different. Pooch had his last rabies shot 2 years ago.
Pooch is probably good for a while yet. The vaccine that is given as a 3-year is NO DIFFERENT from the ones we were giving annually.

The cost is generally around $30, but varies from clinic to clinic. I've seen them as low as $18 and as high as $45. When the 3-year came about we raised our price only $3.

What people should keep in mind when deciding what vaccines to get for their pets is A) how much time does the pet spend outdoors, B) how much time does the pet spend around other animals. If you have one indoor cat that is never exposed to other animals or allowed outside, it's initial series of shots (when it's a kitten) should be sufficient.

Conversely, if you have several dogs that go everywhere with you and socialize with strange dogs or are boarded frequently, the full spectrum of vaccines is usually a good idea, including the bordetella (kennel cough).

Until this speculation is proven, I still have to go with getting boosters, but that's because I have seen many puppies and even older dogs die from parvo and distemper. It's a slow, painful way to go.

Also, I question the wisdom of people thinking this means their pets

can get by without ANY tests. Which is not the case.



Tamsen is old and probably has lifetime immunity of a sort. Gracie is

a total house cat.



You can also do something called a "titer" which tests the amount of

antibody in the blood to a given disease agent. But they aren't

always the most accurate especially given the possible length of time

between shots.



While there is such a thing as "injection site sarcoma" I want to make

clear that neither of my 2 pets has/had that. Tamsen's cancer was

in a site completely unrelated to where she received her injections.



Best thing to do is talk to your vet, express your concerns, and work

with him/her from there.



Death from one of the diseases that could have been prevented is

ugly and a horrible thing to do to your pet!

There are studies involving the effectiveness of vaccines in dogs ongoing as we speak. To my knowledge one must test the dogs level of immunity through bloodwork however this process is costly. Generalizations cannot be made as there are too many factors involved including but not limited to breed, age, sex, and type of vaccines administered as well as food.

In my opinion most vaccines are 'good' for 3 years aside from the kennel cough vaccine which we have the option of administering w/o injection and is much safer that way.

Val, that's what worried me, too. Articles like this come out, and people think, "Cool, I can stop visiting the vet." I know that wasn't YOUR intended message posting the article, but it's how some will take it.

As you (and dogmom) said, there are tests that can be taken to determine the antibody levels, but they are costly. Just like technology though, things like this decrease in cost as new procedures are developed. Soon it will be standard practice, just like a pre-op blood screen.

Val, what sort of cancer did/does Tamsen have? It's been beaten, though, is that right?

It's been beaten by our courageous girl... by the very drastic measure

of having her right front amputated. (A little over 2 years ago) We were first

told osteo sarcoma, then benign chondroma (which we were elated as you

can imagine!) and then the final diagnosis was low-grade chondro-sarcoma.



I'll let Paul give his thoughts on the whole thing if he wishes, but I

personally have fairly recently come to the conclusion that I wouldn't

do it again, especially not a front leg and especially not on a (at the

time) 10 1/2 year old dog. It was an awful lot to put her through, and

although I KNOW she has had a very happy life, the aging process for

a four-legged dog is bad enough, let alone the additional disability.

Yet, you should see her do stairs!! She is the most phenomenal girl-pup

EVER.



:)

Good for Tamsen!! :yh_clap

I remember now hearing about her being a 3-legged pup. To be honest, I think more guilt goes along with this sort of life-saving surgery than is warranted. Being YOUR dog, you're bound to be heaped with guilt, but from my perspective, having saved the lives of many dogs by taking a limb, as long as their quality of life is still good, it's very gratifying. The dogs do so well on 3 limbs, it's amazing. I have even seen one case where 2 limbs were taken, from the same side and the dog did surprisingly well. I had thought, originally, that a dog with only 2 legs, and on the same side, would never be able to stand. I was proved wrong and that dog lived to 14. They are truly resilient!

I'm glad your puppers beat the cancer, and she was really blessed with great parents like you and Paul. :-4

Interesting you should say that about a 2-legger, I saw one on an Animal

Planet program and they were both on the same side and that dog was

just truckin' right along!!



I think mainly it just seems selfish to me, that Paul and I just wanted her

around for us. We did agonize over our decision, oh so much.



Here is something I read once that really hit me:



"Think of 3 things that your dog likes to do every day, looks forward to doing. When the dog no longer wants to do these things, it is time to let him go." These things might be: sleeping comfortably without pain. Carrying a ball, or even playing a little bit of ball even with limited mobility. Going for a short walk. Riding in the car. Eating. Going outside and keeping you company while you work in the garden. Raiding the cat-litter box. Whatever 3 things you know that he likes to do every day - when he stops doing these things and shows no more interest in them, it might be time to say goodbye.



Tamsen still has three things, and more besides. That helps me, some.