I have overlooked the exact date annual booster due. Vet receptionist has told me as we are 3 weeks overdue he has to start again and needs the 2 doses. Seems over zealous to me, do you think so?

Your dog does not need the 2 doses. Are they trying to overdose your dog with unnecessary drugs or just make money out of you?

Most vets will allow 1 month and some allow 2 months overdue.

Is this your dogs first booster? If so it will need the full compliment: parvo, distemper etc.

Most vets give the fulll compliment once every 3 years and you only get the Lepto each year.

Tell the vets if they don't want to give your dog it's booster as a single injection (rather than restart the whole 2 doses) then there are plenty of other vets who will.

Thanks BB

Thats what I thought, new vet in practise. I'll go elsewhere.

Anita

You do say the vet receptionist told you the doses need repeating, not the vet.  I'd check with the vet before ditching them.

 My understanding is that the only reason two vaccinations are given to pups is because the first one may be affected by the pups short term immunity it gets from it's mums first milk.  In older dogs if you booster you only need one vaccination no matter how long since the last one.

If you get titres run you probably don't need to boost at all........vaccinations (apart from lepto) last for many years and maybe the life of the dog.........

Hi everyone,

I would beg/plead and anything else you like to mention to ask everyone to have their dogs vaccinated/boostered in the normal way and have their dogs vaccinated for kennel cough. I speak from bitter experience. I nearly lost a beautiful male Flatcoat with kennel cough. At that time the kennel I used didnt insist on all dogs having the vaccine; the outbreak was so bad and so widespread (every dog in the kennels caught it) the place had to be closed down for X number of weeks followed by veterinary inspections/tests etc. Brooke was seriously ill but thankfully recovered eventually. It was dreadful to see him in such a state. Had he been vaccinated he may well have caught it but the illness may not have been so bad. I asked the owenrs of the kennls if she knew how many of the dogs were actually vaccinated and she said that only a few were. This was some years ago now and the kennles now insist on all dogs being boarded being vaccinated; owners have to prove it too!! Every time they are boarded.

On the question of ordinary annual vaccinations please do not let us go in the same direction that some parents did with the MMR. It was a disaster (for many children). Vaccinate and encourage everyone to do the same as it is only by the widest population of dogs being covered that immunity really works. I'm sorry if this upsets some but I believe it is totally irresponsible not to vaccinate. also, very selfish.

Lets try our best to keep our own - and other dogs - healthy and free from the old and ghastly illnesses. How many people in this country would have died of smallpox if the majority population were not vaccinated. Food for thought.

Hope all of you who work your dogs in the field are enjoying these last few days. Only a week to go. Where has the time gone?

Mary

My understanding is that the timescale is more months overdue rather than just a few weeks - glad you are trying another vet.  Over vacination as everyone has said is just so dangerous as just one in ten can have an odd reaction.

Old vet was great, once a farm vet before going domestic, he retired and sold practise. new vet has had a total revamp, all bright and shiney, has to recover costs, not from me. We have moved on.:)