Does my outdoor dog really need lepto and Lyme disease vaccines?

Congratulations on your new addition! In general, we are starting to see a large amount of Lepto in more urban areas because rats can carry Lepto, so I would suspect that the Lepto vaccination would be recommended for Maxi in Brooklyn. Lyme requires a tick bite. So for most dogs, I recommend tick prevention as a better option than Lyme vaccination because it will also protect again other diseases that ticks can carry. I am attaching a link to the American Animal Hospital Association's vaccine guideline below which includes a Lifestyle-Based Vaccine Calculator to help you determine which diseases Maxi may be at risk for to help you make the best decision. https://www.aaha.org/guidelines/canine_vaccination_guidelines/practice_vaccination.aspx Good luck! I hope that was helpful. Thanks for using PetCoach.

Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach! Correct, you are all set with this year's booster. While the lepto vaccine is not a core vaccine and probably never will, it is important to consider it in areas where the disease incidence is high. If there have been some cases nearby, I would not take my chances and I would recommend the vaccine. Keep in mind that even though there may not be cases reported just exactly where you are at, that does not mean that there has not been any leptospirosis, it just means that it has not been reported. I think you are better off going forward with the vaccine especially if recommended by your veterinarian who knows the area well and also knows Ivy well. Have a great day!

Leptospirosis is frequently spread via the urine of infected rodents and other mammals. If your dog spends time outdoors or "in the field", the lepto vaccine should be considered. There are many strains, or serovars, of leptospirosis that can infect dogs. It is important to confirm with your veterinarian that the vaccine protects against the 4 most common serovars as opposed to a vaccine that has only 2. An initial vaccine is administered and followed up with a booster 3-4 weeks later, then yearly afterwards.

Hi, thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach! There are a couple of drug companies that make a Lyme vaccine. Some are better than others. None are 100% protective. The Merek NOBIVAV is a good vaccine about 80% effective compared to other companies. Each company is labeled a bit differently for the youngest age to start the vaccine series, I usually recommend 12 weeks or older. I recommend the Lyme vaccine with a good oral tick preventative in Lyme endemic areas Hope this helps!

Hi there and thanks for posting this morning! Leptospirosis is a bacterial disease that comes from widlife urine and causes kidney failure as you already understand. It is an important bacteria to vaccine against every year, especially if you live in a area where there is an increased risk. I would recommend Oscar get vaccinated against leptospirosis. He will need a series of two vaccines- one initially then a booster in 3-4 weeks. After that, he should be vaccinated against letpo every year. Thank you for your question and I hope this has helped!

Lepto is transmitted in the urine of other animals (foxes, other dogs, smaller wild animals). Many dogs are exposed and have no signs whatsoever. But an unlucky 10% or less develope kidney damage requiring hospitalization. Occasionally the damage is irreversible. For me and my pets, it’s not worth that risk. But if your Twix will be almost entirely indoors (no camping, dog parks, etc.) it may not make sense to vaccinate. Also Depending on how common lepto is in your area, it may be more or less likely that Twix is exposed. With the newer lepto vaccines, we are not seeing any more anaphylactoid reactions than any other vaccine (<1%). However, I AM seeing more pain and lethargy associated with this vaccine than other vaccines. Since Twix shouldn’t be out and about yet anyway, I’d probably hold off and do it by itself after his other puppy vaccines are finished. Best of luck to you and Twix!

Leptospirosis spp vaccine is not a core vaccine and should only be given if necessary, i.e. if your dog has access to water (ponds, ditches, rivers, etc.) where rats may live and urinate in the water. DPP is vaccine against distemper, distemper, hepatitis (canine adenovirus-2 and -1), parvovirus, and parainfluenza., parvovirus, and parainfluenza and is one of the necessary core vaccines. It would be better to also include vaccination against hepatitis (canine adenovirus-2 and -1). Lyme vaccine is also a non-core vaccine ans should only be given if called for in your area. Your veterinarian will be able to advise you more specifically.