Dog vaccinations

What is a tighter? Simply put, a tighter is a blood test that can determine whether antibodies to a particular disease are present in the blood in an amount sufficient to provide protection against that disease.  A simple blood test can determine whether or not your pet needs a booster of one or many dog vaccinations in order to be adequately protected against some disease or if your pet has either been exposed to the disease or has enough protection against that disease.

Tightening also ensures that you do not create an immune-mediated response with behaviour as well. Ask your veterinarian about getting a tighter for your pet on any of the vaccines for which he is due, and do your research. This is something that may cost a few dollars extra in the short run but will undoubtedly give your dog a healthier and more productive life in the long run. If you have a senior dog or a pet with special needs, you need to ensure that your pet is not over vaccinated yet has the required antibodies

When your dog gets a vaccination, his immune system begins to attack the vaccine, which is typically killed or inert.  This is typically done so that the animal does not contract the disease from the vaccination.  When dogs receive the vaccination, their systems become protected against that particular disease. It can take up to two weeks or more for a vaccination to successfully cause immunity against the disease.

However, in some animals, the body is already protected adequately from prior vaccinations and over vaccinating is a frequent occurrence with rescue dogs who are transferred from facility to facility. If the dog already has antibodies sufficient to protect it, and someone vaccinates the dog again, it can cause the dog’s own immune system to go haywire with the potential to attack itself.  Also, caccinations can cause a dog to behave erratically or strangely after the dosage has been administered.

If your puppy has not received all of his vaccinations do NOT take him outside or to the dog park.  Don’t vaccinate early and do not over vaccinating which can shock the immune system.  Spread them out.

Through dog vaccinations, we save countless lives and avoid many serious illnesses. In the last 25 years, veterinary vaccines significantly reduced the incidence of common Canine Distemper. However, current research has generated new information regarding canine vaccination protocols. It has been found that yearly vaccination for Canine Distemper, Parvo Virus, and other combined components may  not be necessary to provide adequate immunity against these diseases. The same holds true for the Feline Distemper combination. Furthermore, it is speculated that excessive vaccinations in adult dogs and cats may “tip the immune system over the edge” and tus make pets more prone to skin conditions, allergies, tumors (in cats) and some immune mediated diseases.

At American Animal Hospital we strive to provide the best possible health care by staying on the cutting edge of veterinary medicine. If your pet has been vaccinated annually, we recommend blood testing adult patients for vaccinal titers. When we instituted this practice in 1996, it went against the recommendation of pharmaceutical companies. However, as of today, those same companies have aggressively set up task forces to change their vaccine components and to adopt new recommendations of pharmaceutical companies. We especially test patients who are at high risk of acquiring immune mediated diseases. If the titers demonstrate adequate protection, we do not recommend re-vaccinating at this time.

For dogs, vaccinal protection against other factors found in the combined Canine Distemper vaccine, such as Para influenza virus, Hepatitis virus, and Corona virus are assumed to be adequte if the Distemper vaccine titer is within acceptable ranges. In addition, our hospital does not recommend or require vaccination against Leptospirorsis, as this bacterin vaccine has a relatively higher risk of side effects. As for cats, if the Feline Panleukopenia titer is adequate we consider the protection level adequate for Calici virus and the Rhinotracheitis virus. In lieu of vaccine certificates, we issue vaccinal titer certificates.

Dr. Brian T. Voynick and the Staff at the American Animal Hospital