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I recently got a new sheltie puppy. I live in an area where lymes disease is fairly high so I had the lymes shots given to my puppy. On my last visit to the vet my puppy was mistakenly given an additional booster of lymes vaccine. I was concerned and expressed this to the vet and he told me that no harm would be done and that in fact the extra booster would be beneficial in building a stronger immunity to lymes. He also told me that a dog can get the lymes vaccine every 3 to 4 weeks for its lifetime without any harm.

I just found his statements hard to believe. With all the current controversy out there about our dogs being over vaccinated, I find it hard to believe that too much vaccine couldn't potentially cause harm. Does anyone out there know about this? Should I be concerned about my dog? Should I be doing something more to support his immune system? Should I be looking for a new vet? (ha ha ha).

Any advice would be appreciated.

kristin

Hi and congrats on your new puppy. What I read about Lyme's disease when my 8yr old Shiba Inu was supposedly diagnosed with it was that starting at 12 weeks of age a puppy could be given the vaccine and then again 3 weeks later with yearly boosters after that. I would probably seek clarification from your vet about the 3 or 4 weeks over the course of it's lifetime or at least a second opinion. There can be problems with any over vaccinations and unless you live in area where ticks and Lyme exposure can run high I would only do the yearly boosters. On another note I'm still not so convinced that my Shiba actually had the disease since he showed no symptoms. That's not saying he may not have been exposed but his own immune system may have fought off the disease and the bloodwork had actually picked up the antibodies. There is a new test out now that can be given that can differentiate between the two.
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If there are no dogs in Heaven, then when I die I want to go where they went.

Thanks for your reply. I will look into that test. I think I need to find out more about the vaccine and the risks overall. Thanks again.

You've been lied to. I was told by the last vet we went to that they could not legally perform surgery on a dog who was not "current" on all vaccines. Bull. Whoever gave your puppy that extra shotshould have checked first to see if the puppy had already gotten that vaccine. The fact that they didn't means you need to find a vet whose staff pays closer attention. Over-vaccination can do SERIOUS damage. A good thing to do next time your puppy is due for the lyme vaccine would be to have a titer test done to see if he might already have his own immunity. I don't even get vaccines for my girls anymore except rabies, which is required for base housing. Even then I get the three year version and I plan on not renewing it till I'm "reminded" by the housing people. Titer tests are the way to go. Your vet first needs to apologize to you, then he/she needs to have a talk with whoever gave the extra shot and tell them that is NOT acceptable. It puts unnecessary strain on your puppy's immune system, which can really wreak havoc later on. Extra vaccines do NOT increase immunity. They don't work that way. You're either immune or you're not. Try Dr. Tobin's forum, he'll be able to explain it better than I can. I don't leave my dogs alone with anyone at the vet's office. They stay directly by my side or in my arms the entire time. I also do not let anyone near them if they have something in their hands till I've seen the label with my own eyes. I had a vet once give four vaccines in one after he told me there were only two. Then he shot a wormer down my puppy's throat without even asking. So I just plain don't trust them. They're not all bad, but it does sound like the vet you have is either ignorant or dishonest, both of which are excellent reasons to find a new vet.
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Kadee Sedtal
home of old lady Lucy (boxer/lab/garbage disposal), pretty girl Fancy (beagle), the rats- Chopin, Tchaikovsky, Pachebel, Fillmore, Norbert, and baby Franz, the mice- Vivaldi, Brahms, Schubert, Bartok, Rasputin, Johann, Chaminade, Dorothy, Glenda, and Em, and the *adorable* winter white dwarf hamster- Feather
"I wish I had a dollar for every time I spent a dollar, because then, yahoo! I'd have all my money back." -Jack Handey

Thanks for your response. I posted to Dr. Tobin as you suggested and hope to hear something soon.

This is a new vet for me. I took my last dog on a 40 mile drive to see my old vet. She was super. I thought with this new puppy I would try a vet closer to home (1 mile) but unfortunately, I might have to start that 40 mile drive again because I don't trust this vet after what he said when I expressed my concern about the overdose.

I guess I will just have to be more vigilant. I never had to worry with my other dog at my old vet because she always did the best for my dog and she went above and beyond the call of duty. This guy wouldn't even return my call initially because it was halloween and he said he needed to get home for his kids, which I can understand, but how long does it take to make a call to at least apologize?

Thanks again for your response - it helps to know I am not overreacting...

Your not over-reacting at all. Chevy was severely damaged by the Mercury ( Thimersol ) in the vaccine's.

Sorry to hear that. I hadn't even considered all the additional stuff that might be in the shot that could also affect him. I will just pray that he doesn't have any long lasting damage and I will never go to that vet again.

Kristin

My husband and I drive an hour to the vet for our pet rodents. There's one about 20 min. away, but she doesn't have a clue. That drive is worth it.
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Kadee Sedtal
home of old lady Lucy (boxer/lab/garbage disposal), pretty girl Fancy (beagle), the rats- Chopin, Tchaikovsky, Pachebel, Fillmore, Norbert, and baby Franz, the mice- Vivaldi, Brahms, Schubert, Bartok, Rasputin, Johann, Chaminade, Dorothy, Glenda, and Em, and the *adorable* winter white dwarf hamster- Feather
"I wish I had a dollar for every time I spent a dollar, because then, yahoo! I'd have all my money back." -Jack Handey

I agree with the titer tests and that should be the way to go. I don't subject my 8½ to vaccines anymore either except for rabies(3yr) which are required by law. Another tip that I learned a long long time ago that can be used is to ask what a specific shot is for and ask when it was last given. Don't be afraid to ask questions of your vet... they are human and see many many animals and mistakes can be made.
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If there are no dogs in Heaven, then when I die I want to go where they went.

I agree with the titer tests and that should be the way to go. I don't subject my 8½ to vaccines anymore either except for rabies(3yr) which are required by law. Another tip that I learned a long long time ago that can be used is to ask what a specific shot is for and ask when it was last given. Don't be afraid to ask questions of your vet... they are human and see many many animals and mistakes can be made.

If there are no dogs in Heaven, then when I die I want to go where they went.

Bob, this is an interesting discussion. When I first asked about the Lyme vaccine for Katie several years ago since I was at the Cape all summer, I was told that they were not recommending it. I noticed that this year they have on the sheet they gave me last May...HW/Lyme/Ehrlichia snap K9. Is this a test that they give, a combination shot or what? Now they have the rabbies vaccination also listed and I know that's a shot. I probably should pay more attention to these things but I've been going to this place for over thirty years and have never had any problems with any of my dogs.

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Mary Lou & Katie

MaryLou, I'm not entirely sure what the HW/Lyme/Ehrlichia K9 may be? I know that both Lyme and Ehrlichia are both tick born diseases but I don't know what the HW stands for. It could be a test they gave Katie but more likely it may have been a vaccine. Next time you are there you may want to ask for clarification. To my knowledge there is two tests available for testing Lyme disease. The normal test is called the Snap 3d test but the problem with this test is that if even antibodies are present the vet will most likely say the dog is infected since it would test positive. The newer test is called the Idexx C6 and is a more definitive test. When the blood is sent out Idexx can determine whether there is an active infection or not and if it should be treated. C6 has very clear guidlines on what is an active infection and what isn't and whether anibiotics would be benificial or not. Keep me posted if you find anything out about what that is.

>>Bob, this is an interesting discussion. When I first asked about the Lyme vaccine for Katie several years ago since I was at the Cape all summer, I was told that they were not recommending it. I noticed that this year they have on the sheet they gave me last May...HW/Lyme/Ehrlichia snap K9. Is this a test that they give, a combination shot or what? Now they have the rabbies vaccination also listed and I know that's a shot. I probably should pay more attention to these things but I've been going to this place for over thirty years and have never had any problems with any of my dogs.
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>>Mary Lou & Katie
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If there are no dogs in Heaven, then when I die I want to go where they went.

Thanks, for the information, Bob. There are so many things available today that it's hard to keep track of them all. I started with this vet many years ago when he opened his practice in an old house. They had a terrible fire but no dogs were hurt since he had someone staying at the house. They now have a beautiful clinic with I believe five vets on the staff....some of whom specialize. Hopefully, I won't have to go back until next spring but I'll make a point to ask about it next time I go.
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Mary Lou & Katie

I'm almost positive that's a test... the HW is heartworm.
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Kadee Sedtal
home of old lady Lucy (boxer/lab/garbage disposal), pretty girl Fancy (beagle), the rats- Chopin, Tchaikovsky, Pachebel, Fillmore, Norbert, and baby Franz, the mice- Vivaldi, Brahms, Schubert, Bartok, Rasputin, Johann, Chaminade, Dorothy, Glenda, and Em, and the *adorable* winter white dwarf hamster- Feather
"I wish I had a dollar for every time I spent a dollar, because then, yahoo! I'd have all my money back." -Jack Handey

I'm almost positive that's a test... the HW is heartworm.

Kadee Sedtal
home of old lady Lucy (boxer/lab/garbage disposal), pretty girl Fancy (beagle), the rats- Chopin, Tchaikovsky, Pachebel, Fillmore, Norbert, and baby Franz, the mice- Vivaldi, Brahms, Schubert, Bartok, Rasputin, Johann, Chaminade, Dorothy, Glenda, and Em, and the *adorable* winter white dwarf hamster- Feather
>> "I wish I had a dollar for every time I spent a dollar, because then, yahoo! I'd have all my money back." -Jack Handey

Thanks, Kadee. I figured out that it was a test from some of it like the HW but wasn't sure about all of it.
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Mary Lou & Katie

>......HW/Lyme/Ehrlichia snap K9. Is this a test that they give, a combination shot or what?

That's a blood test that tests for heartworm and a preliminary screen for the tick borne diseases lyme and ehrlichia, though the tests may miss cases of the tick diseases. it does distinguish lyme disease from vaccinaiton.

What's interesting about this vet is that every time you go there you get a receipt that lists when all the shots were last given and when they are due again. This is all on their computer. It just seems an odd mistake to make when everything is spelled out so clearly.

I think part of my reaction is a strong sense of wanting to do everything I can to prevent disease and disability in my pup because I lost my 14 year old sheltie a few months ago to lymphosarcoma and I don't want to lose another friend.

It was when I started reading about cancer in dogs that I began to question all sorts of things I thought I knew about dogs and realized I didn't know very much and that there are a lot of differing opinions out there.

Anyways, I will find another vet at this point, just because I know that he was dishonest with me and I definitely want better than that for this little friend.

Kristin