I got that tee-shirt at the Blog Paws Conference this past May and I absolutely love it!!

Siriusly you guys, Leptos is the only vaccine I voluntarily give my dogs.

I’m not anti-vaccine by any means, but I do question certain ‘protocols.’

Vaccine Doses

I’m uncomfortable that an 8 pound Maltese would get the same amount of vaccine as a 90 pound lab and that a 90 pound lab gets the same dose as a 130 pound Newfoundland.

Frequency

I also question the frequency of vaccines and if our pets (and we) are protected longer than we think we are as well as what immunities are passed down through parents who have been vaccinated.

Combination vaccines

Merriam Webster defines a vaccine as such, “a preparation of killed microorganisms, living attenuated organisms, or living fully virulent organisms that is administered to produce or artificially increase immunity to a particular disease.”

These organisms work with your immune system to develop antibodies to help fight off that particular disease. Personally, I think combination vaccines are too much for one little immune system to handle.  And if my dog is already working their immune system fighting off an infection, I pass on the vaccine until (s)he is feeling better.

And next year, when both of my dogs are scheduled for Leptos and Rabies, I will space their shots about two weeks apart.  It may seem radical to some people, but I feel very strongly that their immune system should be able to focus on one thing and one thing only.

Leptospirosis is a Zoonotic Disease

Washington State Department of Health defines Zoonotic, “A zoonotic disease or zoonosis (plural is zoonoses) is any disease of animals that can be transmitted to people.”  And Leptos qualifies as a zoonotic disease.

Newer vaccines vs established ones

Leptospirosis is a fairly new vaccine, at least in my area. Relatively new as compared to say Rabies.  I had read an article written by a vet who felt the vaccine didn’t last for a year and that the vaccine might in fact lessen symptoms so I wanted to be sure I mentioned this to my vet.

Dr. Soutter says the vaccine covers four strands of the Leptos virus and two of the strands are the ones we see in this area.  She feels the vaccine may last a little less than a year or perhaps even a little longer than a year, but she is very comfortable giving the vaccine.

It’s been a bad year for ticks

I always ask about Lyme.  We have a lot of ticks and although we use a natural tick preventive, we still get the occasional dog tick.  Normally I find and remove them before too long, but the little deer ticks that traditionally spread the Lyme are very hard to find.

Dr. Soutter said the Lyme vaccine has gotten better in terms of protection, but she still sees a lot of reactions to it, reactions such as lumps, painful injection sites, etc.  We passed on the Lyme vaccine.

We did have blood drawn for the Four Way Snap Test, which tests for Heartworm Disease, Lyme Disease, Ehrlichiosis, and Anaplasmosis.  Dr. Soutter says with this test, no news is good news.  Fingers and paws crossed we don’t get a call.

Heart Like a Dog

So what was Sampson doing while he was being poked, prodded and pricked?

He was getting rubbies, lovies and treats from Chris.

Sampson lives in the now.  He is not worried about what he did yesterday or what will happen tomorrow. He embraces each moment for what it is.

In my opinion, that’s a great attitude to have and something I’m striving for in my life.  What about you?