[Thunders Mom]

I know this has been discussed over and over, but I still don't get it. What is Titers testing and what does it test for?

Ok, I called my vet and they don't do on a regular basis. She said someone else asked about that last year...hmmm...I bet that was me! Their charges: distemper $102.05; lyme $84.05

I called another vet and they knew exactly what I was talking about. Distemper & parvo $77. Sounds like they do more often than my regular vet.

I know its been 3 yrs for Thunder and at least a 1.5 yrs for Simba. Not sure about Bud, lol, since he only came to us May 2008. Probably should just get them all vaccinated and be done and then going forward titers test? $$$ every where I turn!!!

 

[Bob Pr.]

Titer testing is checking the blood to see how many antibodies to a specific disease are present -- if it's low, vaccination against that disease may be needed; if it's high, vaccination isn't needed.

Google titer testing for more info.

 

[millstonekennel]

I titer my dogs and my oldest is 14 yrs old. The last time he had a D-P vaccine was when he was 2 yrs old. His titer's are still good. I only titer for Distemper and Parvo and the cost is $78 done every 3 yrs.

http://www.caberfeidh.com/CanineTiters.htm
http://www.canine-epilepsy-guardian-angels.com/titer_test.htm
http://www.fawavizslas.com/Files/Dr Ronald D. Schultz Know abut Vaccines.pdf

 

[Top Of The Hill]

I did titering for the first time last summer. We had previously vaccinated the summer before, so we were just on a year since vaccines when the titers were done. I think it's being done more often now, but I got the feeling I was one of the first in my area to ask about it. There were a number of discussions on titering on the old board, so you might want to check back to it.

 

[BigBrownDog]

Small question - would it be best to titer my 3 year old diabetic Lab when he is next due for vax? Would he be considered at risk due to his condition?

 

[millstonekennel]

Small question - would it be best to titer my 3 year old diabetic Lab when he is next due for vax? Would he be considered at risk due to his condition?

If he was mine yes I would titer him.

 

[HannieLuv]

I just spent a lot of money on titers for Hannah......then somebody sent me this link. Sort of ruined my day. You can decide what's best for you & your dog but this really made me wonder about putting out a lot of money on titers:

http://www.caberfeidh.com/Titers.htm

 

[Dani]

I did the titers testing last year with Rider. Only needed a lepto booster. I will be testing both him and Rookie when they get their HW test this year. Rookie is due for his 3 year rabies too. I only spent $77 as well.

 

[captaincool]

I know this has been discussed over and over, but I still don't get it. What is Titers testing and what does it test for?

Ok, I called my vet and they don't do on a regular basis. She said someone else asked about that last year...hmmm...I bet that was me! Their charges: distemper $102.05; lyme $84.05

I called another vet and they knew exactly what I was talking about. Distemper & parvo $77. Sounds like they do more often than my regular vet.

I know its been 3 yrs for Thunder and at least a 1.5 yrs for Simba. Not sure about Bud, lol, since he only came to us May 2008. Probably should just get them all vaccinated and be done and then going forward titers test? $$$ every where I turn!!!

Titer testing can be useful however it only measures antibodies in the blood and does not take into account memory cells that will trigger the body to make antibodies if it encounters a disease it should be able to fight off. I'm of the belief that if you vaccinate your dog after 16 weeks of age, regardless of what you have done previously your dog will be protected for life. There is little evidence backed up by research to prove this but you can find it if you dig on the internet. As well no vet is going to tell you that you don't need additional vaccinations. Some now suggest every 3 years but most are still saying every year. I once had a vet tell us that our 17 year old Border Collie needed to have a vaccination booster. This is absolutely ridiculous! Vaccines in dogs are not that different than vaccines in humans, there are biological differences of course but we don't get polio vaccines every year, or every three years? Would you accept it if your doctor suggested you did? I'm sorry to go on such a huge rant here but I'm quite passionate about this topic. As well as the conflict of interest in vets prescribing foods that they sell in their offices(which are absolute garbage by the way). There are some good vets out there, however they are few and far between! And even if a vet is honest they are constrained by what they are told to do by the association they belong to. If they speak out and become moral all of the sudden, well they lose their license. If you're interested take a look at this article I posted on my site that is free to redistribute if you would like.


Why Your Veterinarian Cannot Afford to Always Tell You the Truth...

Also check this one out!

 

[Kris L. Christine]

I know this has been discussed over and over, but I still don't get it. What is Titers testing and what does it test for?

Thunders Mom,

I've just posted a thread on titers http://forum.justlabradors.com/showthread.php?p=31556#post31556 that may help you out.

Kris