Vaccinations and titers test

Keymaster

Carrie,
It’s so good to hear about a success! Good job Mom taking care of Daisy!

Ok, titers measure the presence and amount of antibodies in blood. From the results you either prove immunity to a disease or if it is negative, you supposedly prove lack of immunity. Sometimes it can show an equivocal (not enough) immunity. Dr. Dodds would explain this certainly with more detail, so I would be neglegent to make this blanket statement. It’s not quite this simple.

In general though, for most of the serious canine diseases that we vaccinate for as puppies there will be lifetime immunity. The big exception right now (in terms of dangerous deadly disease ) is the rabies vaccine, Dr. Dodds is performing a 7 year trial to see if it would be effective for longer than the current required 3 year. Unfortunately the rabies vac can be the most troublesome one causing autoimmune reactions.

So what does a vaccine titer really tell us? Certainly not that our dogs will never get sick from one of these diseases. But rather they tell us that in this dog there is the potential, if she were ever exposed to distemper for instance, that there is the presence of sufficient antibodies against distemper. But the million dollar question is, could my dog actually mount an attack to distemper and win? The test can’t tell us for sure. But it’s pretty reliable still the same. For dogs with compromised immune systems, there is a possibility that they could not mount a sufficient attack to survive.

This is why we rely on the vets interpretation of the titer results. I have done titers on all my dogs for many years with Dr. Dodds Hemopet. The values are on the results I get in my email but I also rely on her advice about questionable results. One of my dogs results reported a lower value for one disease. The lab recommended boostering. She told me that any titer AT ALL indicated the presence of immunity, period. Why? Because it is natural for our immune system to quiet down in the absence of diseases that challenge. That means all the antibody soldiers take a nap until the guy on watch alerts everyone that distemper is invading!

So really, titers main purpose is to determine if at any time in your life you were exposed to the mumps, or your dog was exposed to a distemper shot.

So the original purpose for titers were breeders who wanted to be sure all the puppies had actually “taken” the vaccine properly. It has now blossomed into a misunderstood way of proving that a dog is immune to certain diseases. And that is sort of the confused reaction by vets concerning titers, why is my client so determined to have these titers run?

Your response is as I have pointed out above, any titer at all indicates a successful vaccination at some point in life, and that the body has developed antibodies in sufficient quantities that it can most likely fight that disease. Constantly re-boostering a dog puts the dogs immune system on continuous alert and wears out the dog’s capability to fight disease. Really for most diseases once is enough.

You can read a lot about this right on our website. On this page you can prepare a test request for vaccine titers from Dr Dodds.
https://www.secondchanceaihadogs.com/hemopetresources/

On this page you can find all kinds of information about vaccinations and Dr Dodds recommendations. Note her latest 2017 minimal vaccination schedule is on this page, read it carefully and keep a copy in your wallet in case some Gung-ho vet tries to get Daisy “up to date on her vaccines.” Show this paper and walk out the door.
https://www.secondchanceaihadogs.com/vaccine-resources/

You also see her recommendations for non core vaccines. Most of these are not one time only, they wear out and need frequent boostering. They can be imperfect in protecting against disease due to their nature and how they are developed and finally the recurring boosters can lead to more autoimmune reactions.

If you live where leptospirosis is rampant then you have to decide, vaccinate to protect or dont take your dog where they might contact leptospirosis. But in either case the protection is not perfect, be cautioned. My friends little brussels griffon was exposed to leptospirosis and nearly died, it was very quick. She took her to a dog park near water everyday and that is how she contracted it. We can’t be sure a vaccine would have protected her, since there are many variants of leptospirosis around. What to do? The world is not perfect.

Just an aside, most dog classes allow original proof of initial vaccinations and titers for dogs entering classes now. Exception is rabies, required by law. If your dog is exposed to rabies and wasn’t vaccinated or has lapsed they will die and may expose you to it as well. The treatments are not perfect.

These are important discussions to have with your vet after your dog has recovered from AIHA, IMHA.

If you have more questions please ask,
My best Patrice

Details