aged Bichon

Question
Last year my 13 year old Bichon reacted badly after her DHLPP booster. She couldn't walk or move very well.  The Vet gave her an antihistamine shot.  She is always in my yard and doesn't come in contact with other dogs.  I heard from 2 people that their old dogs died after this booster.  Can I do without this booster?

Answer
Hi Mary Ann

I'm sorry to hear of your dog's bad reaction to the DHLPP booster shot.

Just like the vaccines which people get, there is always a chance of a bad reaction, though rare. I'd imagine that since your dog is 13 that she's had many DHLPP shots in her lifetime, probably without any reaction.

Your dog doesn't need to be in contact with other dogs to get sick. If you or any family members come in contact with other pets, disease can be spread that way too.

The bigger issue is over vaccination.
The fact is, just like you, when exposed to a disease or vaccination a dog makes antibodies to that disease. The chances are overwhelmingly good that after a lifetime of inoculations, your dog was already protected against the distemper, hepatitis, leptospirosis, parinfluenza and parvovirus which the DHLPP protects from.

Still, older dogs might not be able to fight off disease like a younger dog.

A Teiter test would take the guesswork out of what your dog has antibodies for.
If your vet is as conservative as mine, he (or she) may insist that to not vaccinate is fool hardy. The way to counter that is to have a  blood test run called a Teiter test. It checks the dog's blood to see if antibodies for those diseases are present.

If you can afford a Teiter test, go for that the next time you get your vaccine reminder card. If not,I would suggest that you tell your vet that you'd like to have your dog inoculated every three years, rather than yearly.

Here is  an article on the subject of annual vaccinations that is worth reading:
http://www.canismajor.com/dog/vacci01.html


I hope I've been a help,
Patti