It used to be that when you took your dog to the vet for it’s annual checkup your dog received a rabies and distemper shot. Much has changed in the vaccination world since then.
When my 2 aussie shepards, Bonnie and Ashes, visited their vet in the late 1990’s and into the 2000’s the vet always recommended an annual combination shot for Canine Distemper, Parvovirus, Bordetella and Rabies, which they both received.
But as more information came out about the side effects of all of the different shots given to dogs and the health impact some of them could have on a senior dog I only had Bonnie and Ashes vaccinated for rabies every 3 years and then for the last few years of their lives, when I questioned my vet, my vet said the rabies really wasn’t necessary. In part because both Bonnie and Ashes were living in a large city, Santa Fe, and they were walked on a leash and had a backyard. Contact with wild animals was almost non-existant.
Today there are many vets who recommend quite a different vaccination schedule for dogs and senior dogs.
Dr. Jean Dodd DVM, considered one of the foremost experts in pet healthcare recommends a vaccine schedule for those dogs where minimal vaccinations are advisable or desirable. Click Here for her easy to follow Vaccination Schedule for all dogs.
You might also want to follow Dr. Jean Dodd’s Pet Health Resource Blog to learn about dog health updates.
http://drjeandoddspethealthresource.tumblr.com
This article is not a recommendation on how or when you should vaccinate your older dog, but is ti give you current information with which to talk to your vet about.