Vacinations for Older Dogs
My dog is 18 years old - the last time I took her to the vet they listed about 5 vacinnations booster shots they they said she needed
Just to name a few - Lyme - Leptospirosis - Bordetella - distemper Lepto - heartworm/tickborne diseases test - intestinal parasite text - and rabies
Up to now I've always gotton all the shots the vet recommended but was wondering if all these shots are necessary at her age. She has very little contact with other dogs - about 4 that we see regularly in the neighborhood when we go for a walk. We don't go to dog parks
I keep her up on the rabies shot -- Was wondering if other dog owners with senior dogs get all these shots for their pets. Thanks for any comments
Margaret Unnecessary. They are simply liberating the contents of your wallet. A rabies shot is important. All of my geriatric dogs have always done well without all of the "recommendations".
Greg 
happiest girlMy dogs are 12 and 14 and my vet always tells me they don't recommend getting most of those shots because of their age. I go to Blairstown Animal Hospital.
Rich 
Technically rabies is required by law, other than that at 18 years old, you can probably pass on everything else
Hadenough 
Penny Lane Thanks Greg - was thinking the same thing but wanted to hear it from other senior dog owners!
Penny Lane - What is titer testing?
Happiest girl - Would prefer not to mention vet's name. They have taken good care of my pup for 15 years - and I have no complaints except for the shots. I would not want to deter someone from taking their dog to them because of this.
Thanks everyone for the comments. I feel better knowing that other pet owners also feel these vacinnations are not necessary. Also knowing another vet agrees makes me feel better. (thanks Rich)
Titers is a blood test for distemper, if it shows your dog has enough antibodies you don’t need it
A titer is a blood test to detect antibodies of a specific disease, not just distemper. Most vets will be familiar with and accommodating of this request but definitely seek a different practice if they decline to do this for your senior pup.
I do the titer test for distemper and Parvo for my dog. I believe there are titer tests for rabies, but NJ won't accept that. You can ask your vet or do a little research and see if there are titers for other antibodies/vaccinations. My dog is only 3, and so far, she's only had to have the distemper/parvo shot once.
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