The Zim Family Cocker Spaniel Forum

Abby passed with flying colors!!! No needles for her for a LONG time if ever per the vet. Ava is next and I'm sure she will pass too. I was so happy about Abby because she is a yeasty little girl, and scares me even more to vaccinate. If her face wrinkles or droops or neck sags worse and she'll be mistaken for the thanksgiving turkey someday. I love that little head

I didn't get the counts, but was told some time ago, diff clinics can vary so much it wasn't important to ask for them. The fact she has excellent immunities was enough for me.

Great news!

My alternative vet said she could titer for me, but she said that the way the laws were in the State of Indiana (back-a-ward) that you were still required to do rabies yearly. Is that what you ran into?

She did point me in the direction of a vet that would do a 3-year on the other shots, which she said was better than yearly.

Yep, my girls had the 3 yr shot last year for RABIES ONLY. You can do that here. Also, I have to do bordatello yearly or whenever I want to kennel, otherwise no need.

Great news Debbie!

That is great news! I haven't given ANY shots since puppy series were completed on any of mine and Teddy is now 8! Can you imagine how much useless junk is pumped into those poor pups if they are just given shots yearly?

Yep and for years I did that with previous pets!

Debbie, we ALL vaccinated our pets annually . . . that's what we were told was best. I'm just glad to know better now. Like Vickie, I don't vaccinate after puppy series, except for when I want to bring my dogs to the US. Then they need to have had a rabies vaccine within the last year.

YAY!!!! Great news!

I'm wondering if someone has the no-how and writing ability to write up an informative post about titers and the option of not vaccinating their pets for readers who don't know about this. It's really important information.

I do have to give my dog the kennel cough vaccine because he came to me with really bad lungs and last year when I brought in a dog straight from the shelter that came down with kennel cough, he caught it and it went into pnuemonia. He was only one month late on the vaccine and I wasn't going to give it to him at all but I learned the hard way on him. But he is the exception. One can also find some groomers that don't require the rabies vaccine and not everyone chooses to license their dog with the county. With high quality food and a healthy environement, a dog can usually fend off disease with their own immune systems.

I hope someone might be able to post about the dangers of some vaccines and the alternatives to not giving your dog the vaccines.

WTG Abby!

Congratulations Debbie... that is wonderful news! I had Chessie titered a little while ago... her results were great too! Did your vet say anything about how often you need to titer?

Any year that I want to kennel them, as a titer or the shots would be required. It is my understanding the kennel requires an up to date titer (less than one year).

I think I am a bit jealous as we have to follow the rules of no shots no grooming, or boarding, or dog parks. As my babies get older it is important to think about. I agree an informational post would be very helpful.

Perfect timing on this thread. I would like to jump in if I may.

Just the other day I spoke with my vet about titers and she wasn't what you would call happy about it, but did say she has a couple of pets that require titers. She warned me that they are VERY expensive compared to the shots. She had one of the vet techs call me back with the cost of titers - there were two. One titer was $160.00 and the other was $170.00 (plus office visit, etc.) I am wondering if everyone is paying those types of prices or if she jacked them up because she is old school and very PRO vaccine.

There is excellent information by Kris L Christine in the caring for your cocker section about just this. Search all forum post from this person and you'll find everything you need to know. One of them is stickied in that forum section.

Yes titer are more expensive than vaccines. Yes I think your vet is jacking them up because she doesn't believe in them. I think I paid around 70 dollars from my vet and I live in a place with relatively high vet expenses. Dr Dodds https://labordatenbank.com/cake/hemopet ... mopet_form offers titers for 42 dollars for Parvo and Distemper. I would expect your vet to charge a blood draw fee and packaging fee, but that's nowhere near 330.00 dollars worth of work.

Thanks Julie! That is what I suspected but I didn't have any numbers ($) to compare it to.
Thanks for the link too.

Yikes! That's a pricey! I got Chessie titered this year. I called around and asked prices for both Parvo and Distemper titers. I got a range of prices from $101.00 for BOTH titers to $120.00 EACH titer. (plus office visit) If I were you I'd call around and get some quotes. When getting quotes make sure you are comparing apples to apples. Here are some of the things I verified when getting quotes....

Ask if the cost includes ~ the office visit (usually extra)~ blood draw (included)~ hazardous waste disposal (extra) ~ shipping (included)~ follow up appointment for results ~ and of course, is the price for both titers or each individual titer.

I knew going in that titers where more expensive than just getting the shots. Knowing what I do now... I believe the shots cost our pets way more in the long run.

I agree with you Lisa - I think it costs our pets more in their health than our $.

I expected the hit in the pocket - but I almost fell over at those numbers, especially now that I have something to compare them too!

BTW - I printed out the prices from the link Julie gave me.

I paid $85 for abby to be tested. That is less than the vacs. Your vet is jacking it up big time

Those are some kind of prices! I am in Westchester, NY (right outside of NYC) and vet prices here are $$$$. I pay $80.00 per dog for the titers. It may have gone up a smidge this year but I can guarentee they are less than $90.00 per dog. As I said, other than rabies which is mandated by law, I haven't had to give shots since each dog completed their puppy series. I am also happy to pay for the peace of mind which comes from knowing I'm doing best by my pups - not to mention that if I am avoiding a major something caused by over-vaccinating I'm saving money there. I would really hate to think that a vet would jack up prices to try and discourage you from titering though.

WOW those are high prices. I live just outside of Washington DC and I think the titer was $75 plus office visit? I have to do rabies every 3 years and the required bortatella (sp) for kenneling but unless the titer comes back saying Lady needs a vaccine. I don't vaccinate her either. I am lucky though my vet is in full support of titers and I have never been given a hassle for my choice. I am in sticker shock with those prices!

I already did the research on prices, labs, etc. I would decide where you would like it sent, print the page from the lab and bring it in to the vet. BTW, the mailers that my vet has from Michigan State cost the vet $15 for an overnite mailer-it takes I think 6 tubes. So I figured to send it to Michigan State would be $15 shipping, $32 for the titer which is parvo, distemper and adeno, for a total of $47 out of the vet's pocket, plus whatever the vet charges for the draw fee. They do not even have to drive it to mail it as Fedex picks up at the office!

viewtopic.php?f=35&t=4141&p=49005&hilit=cornell#p49005

Idexx-this is where we sent Callie's, they made an initial error and only tested one and not the other but they did send the second one out for no additional cost, price to me was $90 for parvo and distemper-this included Idexx price and shipping and vet draw fee. However, they sent it out to Colorado and did not test in house.

Cornell-They test in house, fee is $35 for both parvo/distemper, $40 to overnite it, then vet fee to prepare and draw it, so that would be around $90 for both I figured. My vet does not have an account with them.
http://ahdc.vet.cornell.edu/test/detail ... tcode=CVP1

Michigan State-Similar to Cornell, $32 for parvo/distemper and adeno. They test in house, my vet has an account with them with the discounted overnite envelopes, so that would be probably less than $90 for the 3.
http://animalhealth.msu.edu/Bin/Catalog ... ne&Id=2026

Minnesota-my vet also has an account with them, but they send it out. Also around $35 for both.

Kansas-They charge $16.50 for distemper, and same for parvo, so total would be $33.
https://www.vet.k-state.edu/depts/dmp/s ... s%20-%20SN

Hemopet-$42, but they send it to Antech Lab in NY.
http://www.canine-epilepsy-guardian-ang ... ctions.htm

YEA...Abby & Ava! I'm soo happy for you!


I haven't gotten to the point of needing titers....yet, therefore I have no personal experience. But because of all the information and reading I have done over the past two years on this forum I WILL proceed with them in the future. All my boys will be ready to be tested in two more years. They were each given three year vaccines in 2010.
Thank you, Sandy, soooo much for all your efforts in getting this information to us. My question concerning all these different places to send out to, which ones return the report with number values. If I'm not mistaken, I believe I have read that not all tell you the levels of immunity with number values, some with only pass/fail. Please correct me if I'm off track in my thinking. I want to be totally prepared when it's time to have my boy's tested.
Thank you!

I wasn't aware they offer 3 yr shots for anything but rabies. Is this something new? I didn't ask the values because he already told me that diff clinics will read them diff. If my vet says its good to go, then that's all I needed and didn't ask.

Debbie,
I got Nicky (golden/setter X) in 1987, and I remember sometime in his early years the vet telling me that vaccines (DHLPP and rabies) were now safe to give every 3 years instead of every year-that had to be in the early 90's. I also remember being very nervous about not giving it yearly-my has my attitude changed on that one! The 3 yr for both rabies and distemper/parvo combos has been around since then, at least in NH.

I would also ask for the titer paper results-every time a lab or test is done at my vets I get a copy and put it in their file-I want to compare titer levels with my 3 thru the years for future reference for my future dogs. I also have their bloodwork when they were neutered at 6 months for a baseline just in case somewhere down the road there is an issue and I will then have what is normal for them to glance at.