Distemper Combo Booster

[Faith]

i figured i would ask... the stupid receptionist at the vet's office got me worried. and, yes, i am going to call back later today when the vets/techs are there and ask them too.

Faith is due for her Distemper booster and i couldn't get an appointment until next week. i asked the woman on the phone if i should be worried about waiting a week, and her comment was "only if she bites someone"

i did some research online and it looks like there is a controversy over whether it's needed every year or if it works fine getting it every 3 years.

i think she'll be fine for the extra week or so beyond her last booster date, based on what i've read.

any opinions?

[weezyNollie]

Definitely you will be fine not being on the dot!

And Distemper isn't a bite provoking disease. Rabies is.. Front Desk Hospital staff are IDIOTS! I speak from experience with them. Don't ever listen to them when you think it doesn't sound right.

Here's some info about distemper -- the most important, once again.. is that it's transmitted through respiratory secretions. NOT through a bite.


Overview
Canine distemper is a contagious, incurable, often fatal, multisystemic viral disease that affects the respiratory, gastrointestinal, and central nervous systems. Distemper is caused by the canine distemper virus (CDV).
Incidence
Canine distemper occurs worldwide, and once was the leading cause of death in unvaccinated puppies. Widespread vaccination programs have dramatically reduced its incidence.
CDV occurs among domestic dogs and many other carnivores, including raccoons, skunks, and foxes. CDV is fairly common in wildlife. The development of a vaccine in the early 1960s led to a dramatic reduction in the number of infected domestic dogs. It tends to occur now only as sporadic outbreaks.
Young puppies between 3 and 6 months old are most susceptible to infection and disease and are more likely to die than infected adults. Nonimmunized older dogs are also highly susceptible to infection and disease. Nonimmunized dogs that have contact with other nonimmunized dogs or with wild carnivores have a greater risk of developing canine distemper.
Transmission
Infected dogs shed the virus through bodily secretions and excretions, especially respiratory secretions. The primary mode of transmission is airborne viral particles that dogs breathe in. Dogs in recovery may continue to shed the virus for several weeks after symptoms disappear, but they no longer shed the virus once they are fully recovered.
It is possible for humans to contract an asymptomatic (subclinical) CDV infection. Anyone who’s been immunized against measles (a related virus) is protected against CDV as well.
Symptoms Macrophages (cells that ingest foreign disease-carrying organisms, like viruses and bacteria) carry the inhaled virus to nearby lymph nodes where it begins replicating (reproducing). It spreads rapidly through the lymphatic tissue and infects all the lymphoid organs within 2 to 5 days. By days six to nine, the virus spreads to the blood (viremia). It then spreads to the surface epithelium (cell lining) of the respiratory, gastrointestinal, urogenital, and central nervous systems, where it begins doing the damage that causes the symptoms.
Early symptoms include fever, loss of appetite, and mild eye inflammation that may only last a day or two. Symptoms become more serious and noticeable as the disease progresses.
The initial symptom is fever (103ºF to 106ºF), which usually peaks 3 to 6 days after infection. The fever often goes unnoticed and may peak again a few days later. Dogs may experience eye and nose discharge, depression, and loss of appetite (anorexia). After the fever, symptoms vary considerably, depending on the strain of the virus and the dog’s immunity.
Many dogs experience gastrointestinal and respiratory symptoms, such as:

• Conjunctivitis (discharge from the eye)
• Diarrhea
• Fever (usually present but unnoticed)
• Pneumonia (cough, labored breathing)
• Rhinitis (runny nose)
• Vomiting

These symptoms are often exacerbated by secondary bacterial infections. Dogs almost always develop encephalomyelitis (an inflammation of the brain and spinal cord), the symptoms of which are variable and progressive. Most dogs that die from distemper, die from neurological complications such as the following:

• Ataxia (muscle incoordination)
• Depression
• Hyperesthesia (increased sensitivity to sensory stimuli, such as pain or touch) <A name=myoclonus>
• Myoclonus (muscle twitching or spasm), which can become disabling
• Paralysis
• Paresis (partial or incomplete paralysis)
• Progressive deterioration of mental abilities
• Progressive deterioration of motor skills
• Seizures that can affect any part of the body (One type of seizure that affects the head, and is unique to distemper, is sometimes referred to as a “chewing gum fit” because the dog appears to be chewing gum.)

Many dogs experience symptoms of the eye:

• Inflammation of the eye (either keratoconjunctivitis, inflammation of the cornea and conjunctiva, or chorioretinitis, inflammation of the choroid and retina)
• Lesions on the retina (the innermost layer of the eye)
• Optic neuritis (inflammation of the optic nerve which leads to blindness)

Two relatively minor conditions that often become chronic, even in dogs that recover are:

• Enamel hypoplasia (unenameled teeth that erode quickly in puppies whose permanent teeth haven’t erupted yet - the virus kills all the cells that make teeth enamel)
• Hyperkeratosis (hardening of the foot pads and nose)

In utero infection of fetuses is rare, but can happen. This can lead to spontaneous abortion, persistent infection in newborn puppies, or the birth of normal looking puppies that rapidly develop symptoms and die within 4 to 6 weeks.

[sheplovr]

Vaccination is an extremely profitable business,
both to the manufacturers of vaccine and to the distributors.

The purpose of vaccination is to protect your dog from potentially fatal infections by viruses such as distemper, rabies, and others. However, as with any medical procedure, we must ask the simple and direct questions, "Is it safe? Is it effective? Do the benefits outweigh the risks?"

"Booster" vaccination, as it is practiced today, is not always effective, and frequently has adverse sideeffects, either short or long term. With the use of combination
(4 in 1, 6 in 1) vaccines that are repeated year after year, the frequency and severity of these sideeffects in our dogs has increased dramatically.
Not surprisingly, most of the problems involve the immune system. After all, the immune system is what vaccines are designed to stimulate. But they do so in a very unnatural way that can overwhelm and confuse the immune system. The body may overreact to normally harmless substances with allergies and other skin disorders, or even produce antibodies to itself (autoimmune disease). At the same time, the body may be sluggish in responding to those things that it should reject, such as common viruses, bacteria, fungus, and parasites. This can result in increased susceptibility to acute infections, chronic tapeworm problems, or in more degenerative cases, cancer.

Booster vaccinations are unnecessary. Studies are now showing that these vaccinations are effective for many years and most probably for life. Vaccinated animals do not need any boosters.

All Veterinary Schools in North America Changing Vaccination Protocols:
Recent editions of the Senior Dogs Project's newsletter have reported on the ever-broadening trend of eliminating vaccinations for adult dogs, except for rabies, where required by state law.
All 27 veterinary schools in North America are in the process of changing their protocols for vaccinating dogs and cats. Here are the new guidelines under consideration:
"Dogs immune system matures fully at 6 months. If a modified live virus (MLV) vaccine is given after 6 months of age, it produces immunity, which is good for the life of the pet (i.e., canine distemper, parvo, and feline distemper). If another MLV vaccine is given a year later, the antibodies from the first vaccine neutralize the antigens of the second vaccine and there is little or no effect. The titer is not 'boosted' nor are more memory cells induced.
Not only are annual boosters for parvo and distemper unnecessary, they subject the dog to potential risks of allergic reactions and immune-mediated hemolytic anemia. There is no scientific documentation to back up label claims for annual administration of MLV vaccines”.
Take note I only booster mine every 2 or 3 years, sometimes the vaccines are more deadly than the diseases they are preventing. Know your pet, your vet and what is needed.

[Trace]

Front desk vet office staff drive me nuts.

I hate it when you go in and they ask if you want this vaccine and that vaccine and god forbid you should say no - becuse then they look at you as if you are a monster.

I miss my old vets office in CO - my vets motto was "if it ain't broke - don't try and fix it" - he was an old fashioned large animal vet and he was wonderful - never made you feel like an idiot, and always let me help out with exams on my animals - whether it was the horses or the dogs.

[Faith]

ok - i called back. the vet tech said that she would not be worried about the booster being given a bit late. she said if i was really worried about it, i should just keep her away from other dogs until she gets the booster.

i also complained about the front desk person's comment - her response was just "oh, i think she was just trying to help"


and thank you all for the info. very good reading!