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Although it is the law in many states that your dog must receive a rabies vaccination every 3 years, you can decide whether or not to give them a regular 'booster' shot which protects them from a variety of other diseases.  Our vet recommends we give our dogs the regular vaccination every three years. In the meantime, we have a titer done - a titer, which costs a lot more than the actual vaccination, is a blood sample taken from your dog to see if it still has the immunities to protect it from the various diseases that they are at risk of getting. If they still have the immunities and are protected, great. If they no longer have the immunities, we have them vaccinated.

When Meko got very sick (with IMHA) from having a bad reaction to too many different medications all at one time, we became very leery of giving our pets too many vaccinations. Consequently, they now only get titers and get a vaccination only if they no longer have the immunities to protect them.

Meko, of course, is exempt from ever having a rabies shot (we have to get a letter from a board-certified veterinarian every year to give to our town when we renew her license). And although we are taking a chance, we do not give her any other vaccinations. We will not take the risk of going through what we went through again when she contracted IMHA (for more about Meko's story, see "The Miracle Dog" which will be available for purchase from this website this spring). 

Our dogs are mostly indoor dogs so we feel they are at less of a risk than a dog that is allowed to roam free. 

For more information about titers and immunizations, contact your local veterinarian.

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