Dear Lisa: I believe some vaccines may have bad side effects for dogs and that it might not even be safe for them to get their shots yearly. So I have decided that my dogs will get titers instead. However, now that I have made that decision, I have problems getting a dog license, going to a boarding kennel or using a dog groomer as they require proof of rabies vaccination. Why won’t these places accept a titer blood work certificate as proof that my dog has immunity to rabies and other diseases? – Vaccination Voodoo

Dear V. Voodoo: Controversy over how often to vaccinate a dog is reaching a fever pitch in this country. Many dog owners have had pets that have had bad reactions to vaccine injections or developed tumors at the place of injections, which would make any pet owner leery. However, cases involving vaccine reactions are not happening at an epidemic rate. Some vets have reported that with the newer combination vaccines (many different diseases in one shot) reactions may occur more frequently. Many vets will now split up the vaccines and spread them apart by several weeks and also inject them in different parts of the body such as the rear leg. Talk to your vet about an alternate plan regarding vaccines if you are worried about tumors between the shoulder blades where some vets give combination vaccines.

As an alternative to repeated vaccines for adult dogs many owners are getting titers done to prove immunity. A titer is blood work that mathematically measures the level of antibody protection against a specific disease. The same thing the vaccine accomplishes which is proof of protection.

The problem with titers is that there is no real consensus among the veterinary community if it really shows immunity. Vets have reported dogs with high titers (or high immunity) against getting a disease have contracted that disease. On the other side dogs with very low titers (or no immunity) never contract diseases they are at risk for. Currently, there is a benchmark ratio of greater than 1:128 used to suggest immunity.

Obviously all puppies need their first series of shots which will include distemper, parvovirus, leptospirosis and rabies at the very minimum. Use of titers is for adult dogs only faced with revaccination after their first year booster. The other problem with titers is that there isn’t one for all of the diseases which vaccines are available for such as leptospirosis, which is a problem in certain areas of the country.  

And some vaccines, especially the bacterial infections such as bordatellosis (or kennel cough) and leptospirosis, are only good for less than a year anyway. The viral infections of parvovirus and distemper can last longer, maybe up to three years as suggested in studies of cats. You need to ask yourself what is a greater risk – having the vaccine or coming down with the disease. In areas where certain diseases are epidemic, like Lyme disease in Connecticut, it would be wise to vaccinate, even though the vaccine is only 80 percent effective. In my opinion, there is a higher risk that your dog will get Lyme disease without the vaccine than have a side effect with it.

The other problem with trying to use titers instead of proof of vaccination, especially with rabies, is that the state government legislates that you must have the vaccine especially in the case of dog licenses. In Connecticut, according to state statute 22-338: Any owner or keeper applying for a license for a dog under subsection (a) shall submit to the town clerk a rabies certificate signed by a veterinarian, or a copy thereof, stating that such dog has been vaccinated against rabies, the date of the vaccination and the duration of the immunity provided by the vaccine. No license shall be issued unless the certificate indicates that the immunity provided by the vaccine is effective at the time of licensing.

At least in Connecticut the law allows for three-year vaccines for rabies. Florida mandates annual vaccination and in New York it is a crime for a town clerk to accept a rabies titer as a substitute for proof of immunity. If you feel strongly about using titers and not vaccinating your adult dogs yearly you have few options. You can work with your vet to get on the least evasive schedule or you can go to your state legislators and ask that a bill be introduced to accept titers as proof of immunity.`

Maybe you could argue that the “duration of the immunity provided by the vaccine” as stated in the statute language goes beyond the expiration date of the certificate as proved by a titer. However, until the scientific veterinarian community can be in agreement about the value of titers and numerous long-term conclusive studies have been done, it will be hard to convince the government to change the law. In the meantime, you’ll have to groom your own dog and hope the dog warden doesn’t find you!

Lisa Peterson, a breeder and exhibitor of Norwegian Elkhounds, is a Delegate to the American Kennel Club and the owner of Peterson Pet Sitting. Ask Lisa questions at elvemel@aol.com or P.O. Box 197, Newtown, CT 06470.