:Susan asks…about vaccinating for bordetella
Posted: January 2, 2009 Filed under: Apso Aficionados 8 Comments
I was talking with the dogs’ groomer the other day and realized that I
have gotten way behind on my Bordetella vaccinations for the dogs.
It made me curious what your take is on the need to take dogs to the vet
twice a year for this spritz up the nose.
Seems like an awful lot of taking a bunch of dogs to the vet, something
which is expensive and time consuming and…..necessary?
I’d appreciate your input before I dash to the phone and make
appointments for all three dogs.
My tendency is towards minimal intervention. (For example, I never ever
get a flu shot.)
Oh yeah, and HAPPY NEW YEAR !!!!!
Susan
Kunza at FleetFire Timbers 
Good question. I recently rec’d a card in the mail saying Tango was due for his 6 month spritz too. I don’t ever remember getting this every 6 months. I did take Willis to the vet more in the first year; as they seem to like to give all kinds of vac’s. Unless you think it is real important, i’m going to stick to 1x a year. Would be interested in hearing some more opinions on this.
Here’s a thread I just read (okay, it’s at a site about German Shepherds, but it still seems quite relevant) about Bordetella. http://www.pedigreedatabase.com/gsd/bulletins_read/30734.html
What I am getting from it is that I will very likely not give the vaccine to my dogs again until/unless there is some reason that I have to actually put them in a kennel for some reason. I’ve never had to do it, and hope I never do have to do it, but I think that would be the only compelling reason for me to give them this particular vaccination.
I’m still reading and pondering, however, and will look forward to reading about what each of you has decided for your dogs.
Marvisa Vet always has excellent online articles and this one is no exception … http://www.marvistavet.com/html/body_kennel_cough.html.
Kennel cough is like the common cold to humans and there are many strains. It is my understanding the vacc only protects against the four or so which are most harmful. Because there are so many different strains, a dog can be vacc’d and then still come down with it. Also, if your vet/groomer requires bordetella, please keep in mind the dog has to receive the vacc at least 5 days prior to exposure in order for immunity to be present.
As I do my own grooming and rarely board, none of my current dogs have ever received the vacc (not even Dante, who hangs out at the dog shows). When I do have to board, I request boarding in the cat room (at the vet’s suggestion).
And along those same lines, I’m about to have to tell the county that my Rinchen has “passed away” so as not to have to have him given another Rabies vaccine…..Again, we are lucky that we are so seldom in circumstances where this would be a problem….no dog parks, no kennels, little contact with the public or forays off our own 1/2 acre….
FWIW, I don’t give Bordetella…for all the reasons others have commented. I don’t require current vaccinations in my grooming shop, although many shops and kennels do. It seems to be more a liability issue than a health issue. If/when a dog developes kennel cough, the first finger pointing goes to ‘where has your dog been’. If the answer is the grooming shop, it’s easy enough to assume that’s where the dog picked up kennel cough, sometimes without even doing the proper math! Because of the layout of my shop, my relationship with my clients and knowledge of each dog I feel okay about my policy. I see no reason to subject dogs to frequent ‘kennel cough’ vaccination especially when the vaccine only covers a few strains. Additionally kennel cough is rarely serious.
I prefer to utilize my relationship with my clients to address health issues. For example, several weeks ago I received a phone call from Paul wanting to cancel Shedkey’s next appointment. He needed to take her to the vet because she had ‘bugs’. Hearing all this on speaker phone, I ran across the room and intercepted the message, asking him about it. He told me he was taking her to the vet the next day and that the only place she’d been in contact with other dogs was at my grooming shop. I expressed concern, asking him to please let me know what the vet discovered. I mentioned dogs don’t come in direct contact with each other in my shop. He seemed surprised, like the light bulb went on that possibly there was another explanation.
He phoned me immediately after her examination, asking to keep her next appointment. The vet said she’d probably picked up the ‘bugs’ (lice) from a wild animal. He thanked me for my response and my concern about his dog.
Now I knew Shedkey hadn’t picked up lice at my shop. On occasion we’ve grommed dogs with lice, but believe me! We immdediately go to war with the lice on the dog and in the facility. It had been months upon months since we’d seen a dog with lice…in fact, in my entire grooming career it’s happened maybe five times. Rather than insist Shedkey couldn’t have picked up lice in my shop (of which I was certain), I approached the situation with concern and compassion, listening to Paul and asking to be kept up to date.
A relationship with a client developed through trust, experience and compassion is far better than approaching everything with a ‘liability’ filter. So, I’ll take my chances and not insist on current vaccinations.
Hey, is anybody here anymore? Seems like there isn’t much response, but I don’t know where else to ask my questions, so I’ll just keep asking them and hope for ….
So now I’m over the Bordatella issue but got postcards in the mail from the vet saying that my dogs are ready for their 3-year DA2PP shots. Is 3-years a good interval, or should I/could I be taking it out longer????
Remember this is the woman who doesn’t do flu shots, so less is more in my estimation. I do, however, religiously give the kids their Heartgard every month.
Happy Holidaze
Ummmm, Ali had her last DHPP booster in … 2001. We are religious with the rabies, however, at every three years per our county’s requirements.
Thanks, Julie…..
Just what I needed to know.
Susan