# Vaccinate for Leptospirosis?



## Jackie from Concrete WA (Mar 23, 2015)

Do any of you vaccinate for leptospirosis? Willow is due for a rabies vaccination and I asked the breeder if any of her havanese have ever had problems with vaccinations. She said she doesn't vaccinate for leptospirosis or bordetella. I have not been doing bordetella but am uncertain if leptospirosis would be appropriate. We do have wildlife around.

Oh, she also said that she did a DHLPP titer on Willow's littermates and they did not need another vaccination. The breeder said that most of the medications are good for the life of the dog. However, my vaccination certificate refers to the DHLPP as an annual booster. So, I'm confused about DHLPP too!


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## davetgabby (Dec 29, 2007)

many people now follow Jean Dodds protocol . it's always a personal choice Dr. Jean Dodds' Pet Health Resource Blog | 2013 and 2014 Canine Vaccination Protocol - W....


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## krandall (Jun 11, 2009)

Jackie from Concrete said:


> Do any of you vaccinate for leptospirosis? Willow is due for a rabies vaccination and I asked the breeder if any of her havanese have ever had problems with vaccinations. She said she doesn't vaccinate for leptospirosis or bordetella. I have not been doing bordetella but am uncertain if leptospirosis would be appropriate. We do have wildlife around.
> 
> Oh, she also said that she did a DHLPP titer on Willow's littermates and they did not need another vaccination. The breeder said that most of the medications are good for the life of the dog. However, my vaccination certificate refers to the DHLPP as an annual booster. So, I'm confused about DHLPP too!


I do not vaccinate for Lepto, and I live on a farm and my dogs walk in the woods regularly. Lepto vaccine has one of the highest rates of adverse reactions, and it only protects (partially) against a FEW of many strains of Lepto. Lepto is a very treatable disease, even though it is also very serious. Dogs who die from it are generally dogs where the owner has taken a "wait and see" attitude toward symptoms of a sick dog. I don't do that, so I am pretty sure my dog would get to the vet before it became critical.

One of the biggest risks for Lepto is allowing your dog to drink from standing water, in puddles, swamps, etc. For this reason, I ALWAYS carry water for my dogs on walks, and they are trained to come away from puddles and get water from me if they are thirsty.

As far as the DHPP is concerned, once the dog has had its puppy shots, there is no reason to vaccinate more often than every three years. That is actually the AVMA guidelines at this point, so vets who are still pushing annual vaccinations are not up to date. Even at that point, my choice is to do titers rather than vaccines. That is also the recommendation of my holistic vet.

Rabies is different, because it is mandated by law. You have to give it, and on the schedule required by your state unless you are in a state that allows a medical waiver, and your dog qualifies (has had an adverse reaction in the past)

Bordatella is almost completely useless. It is more to protect boarding and grooming operations from law suits than anything else. Another vaccine I would never give, but at least this one is fairly benign.


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## Chris TO (Jan 1, 2016)

I'm having the same dilemma right now ... My breeder did vaccinate Maggie with the Lepto vaccine and I had the second one done a few weeks ago before actually researching it. After reading online, it seems that most people recommend against it due to the possible severe side effects. There are numerous strains and the vaccine is ineffective against most. We have an appointment next week for Maggie's last round of shots and I'm debating not continuing with the Lepto ... I have spoken to several other breeders who highly recommend against it. Some have it in their contract that the health guarantee is void if the dog is given the Lepto vaccine. It has to be given annually which again complicates things ...

We are boaters and spend a ton of time up north in the summer surrounded by wildlife, this puts her at a higher risk than a dog who never leaves the city ... I'm still not 100% sure what to do !

A friend suggested this resource for additional info on the Lepto vaccine. You may find it helpful:

Leptospirosis in Dogs How They Catch It, How We Cure It, How We Prevent It


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## Jackie from Concrete WA (Mar 23, 2015)

Thanks everyone. I think I'll pass on the Lepto and ask the vet to do a titer on the other. However, rabies is mandatory in our state.


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## krandall (Jun 11, 2009)

Jackie from Concrete said:


> Thanks everyone. I think I'll pass on the Lepto and ask the vet to do a titer on the other. However, rabies is mandatory in our state.


Rabies is mandatory in EVERY state. There are 18 states where you can get a waiver for Rabies ONLY if it is medically necessary for the dog.


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## Chris TO (Jan 1, 2016)

OK, I've made my decision .... This made a ton of sense to me....

"Unlike viral vaccination, bacterin vaccines like lepto don't prevent infection; they can only decrease the severity of symptoms. Unlike many other vaccines, the bacterin vaccine can be shed in the environment, potentially infecting your dog, other dogs, wildlife and you.

So, what exactly is the benefit of the lepto vaccine?

Not only is infection not prevented, but because symptoms are less severe, you may not notice that your pet is very ill. You might think your pet has some gastrointestinal upset which will pass. Instead of seeking veterinary care early on in the disease process, the infection will brew, causing permanent bodily harm. Without early detection, leptospirosis is very difficult to treat!"

Full article here:

https://www.dogsnaturallymagazine.com/the-lepto-vaccine-why-vets-give-it-yearly/


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## Karen Collins (Mar 21, 2013)

Also, the lepto vaccine actually sheds bacteria in the dogs urine, so basically unless you quarantine your pet after receiving the shot you are guilty of possibly spreading the bacteria. It's a useless vaccine and very dangerous to some breeds.


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## davetgabby (Dec 29, 2007)

Unfortunately (Karen R) I don't believe AVMA has yet adopted the new quidelines that has been suggested by WSAVA http://www.wsava.org/sites/default/files/WSAVA Vaccination Guidelines 2015 Full Version.pdf So vets still might not be on board with three year core vaccinations. etc.


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## krandall (Jun 11, 2009)

davetgabby said:


> Unfortunately (Karen R) I don't believe AVMA has yet adopted the new quidelines that has been suggested by WSAVA http://www.wsava.org/sites/default/files/WSAVA Vaccination Guidelines 2015 Full Version.pdf So vets still might not be on board with three year core vaccinations. etc.


Oh, I thought they had. I don't think ANY vets here in MA are still pushing annual vaccines.


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## [email protected] (Aug 17, 2017)

I took Cooper for his first vet visit since he's been with me and the vet of course recommended Lepto which I declined. I've always declined it, but vets seem to be pushing it more these days. This vet, whom I liked (I've had trouble finding a good vet), said the Lepto vaccine has changed. With my Bichon a couple of years ago a vet said she would refuse to do a teeth cleaning without a lepto vaccine, at which point I just left and never went back. Don't these vets know about problems with the Havanese and this vaccine? I'd like to take something to him that comes from an updated scientific journal about this issue. He told me that a die hard anti-Lepto professor at the Ohio State vet school (I live in columbus, oh) has now changed his belief and recommends it for all dogs.


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## Marni (Apr 1, 2017)

My vet in Atlanta wanted Zoe to have this. She said there have been rash of outbreaks close to my north Georgia place. I said I would consider her argument. I have considered and then rejected.


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## cocopuempemom (May 14, 2017)

I gave Coco the first round of Lepto because my vet pushed me into it... but after coming home and spending hours researching the vaccine I decided against continuing it and will refuse it from now on. For what its worth though, Coco did NOT have any adverse reaction whatsoever- but the risk of future reactions from continued vaccine was enough to freak me out.


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## davetgabby (Dec 29, 2007)

most recent article from Jean Dodds

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https://158029330221%2Fleptospirosis-in-dogs


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## Melissa Brill (Feb 22, 2017)

Perry has had the lepto (combo) vaccine because it's a requirement for travel to Uganda. However, while it does say annual, the guidelines from the gov't of Uganda does not specify that you have to keep giving it, so I'm going to try to titer but my US vet says that they can do the distemper titer but not the rest of the DHLPP -- does anyone know where I can have it sent to titer? I want to prove that he's still covered in case they check his records here.


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## davetgabby (Dec 29, 2007)

very reliable http://www.hemopet.org/


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## davetgabby (Dec 29, 2007)

Sorry i don't believe they titer for Lepto.


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## ShamaMama (Jul 27, 2015)

davetgabby said:


> Sorry i don't believe they titer for Lepto.


From the Dodds article:

_The most common diagnostic tool used for leptospirosis is the Microscopic Agglutination Test (MAT), this titer test measures the antibody increase against leptospirosis sp. Another more definitive diagnostic tool is the DNA-PCR, which detects the DNA of the actual bacteria, Leptospira sp, in whole blood or urine._

Thanks for this info. Shama is supposed to get her lepto vaccination this month. She won't be getting it!


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