Cushing's and Vaccines

[Copper's Mom]

Hello! I am new to the forum and wanted to ask a question about whether any of you are opting out of vaccines? My little guy is 11 years old and has been diagnosed for a little less than a year. I have been doing my own research on the disease and seem to be a little a head of the curve on my vet. Copper is her only Cushing's case currently and within the last 5 years. I have approached her about getting an exemption for Copper due to his age and disease. My research has also lead me to believe that even healthy dogs are over vaccinated...am I being my own worst enemy by doing too much reading? :D

[labblab]

Hello and welcome to you and Copper! We would love to hear more about your boy and also his Cushing's journey thus far. Is he currently being medicated for the disease, and if so, how is he doing?

As far as the question of vaccination, as I'm sure you're aware, many people have strong and differing opinions. What I can offer you is simply my own opinion. I don't believe vaccinations should be given to anybody, human nor dog, during a time period of acute illness. However, dogs with Cushing's cover a broad spectrum, from those who are newly diagnosed with highly elevated cortisol and concurrent infections or vulnerabilities, to dogs who have been stabilized with treatment and enjoy controlled cortisol and are otherwise doing well. In the former situation, I would want to withhold vaccination. In the latter case, I would opt to vaccinate based upon the advice of my vet and the individual risk factors that are pertinent for my dog (prior vaccination history, age, lifestyle, geographics, liklihood of exposure, etc.).

If a dog spends most of the time in the house away from other animals and does not live in an area where certain diseases are common, then the risks of re-vaccination may outweigh the benefits. But, for instance, my own Cushpup was a Lab who spent a lot of time outdoors exposed to other dogs, other animals including the possibility of wildlife, woodlands, and standing water (in an area where leptospirosis is common). Also, I live in Georgia where rabies is epidemic among wildlife. So we felt as though there were genuine risks in leaving him unvaccinated for several diseases and therefore we continued to selectively protect him.

For vaccines that seem appropriate for my dog, I would definitely try to obtain the longest-acting version that is available and that is allowed where you live -- for instance, 3-year rabies and 3-year distemper/parvo combos. And finally, humans and animals with compromised immune systems may be advised not to be injected with any "live" virus vaccines. Since the elevated cortisol of Cushing's does suppress the immune system, this can be another issue or consideration to discuss with your vet.

Bottom line for me: I don't believe there is one single answer that covers all Cushpups. I think every dog's individual history and lifestyle needs to be considered when making vaccination decisions. I don't know whether this helps you any :o, but I encourage you to discuss Copper's specific potential risks and benefits with your vet in arriving at your decision.

Marianne

[Copper's Mom]

Copper is an 11 year old beagle that lives with his vaccinated sister beagle and his vaccinated kitty. He was diagnosed in Novemeber of last year and in April of this year got very ill and was hospitalized because of a blocked bile duct in his galbladder. In the course of treating him for that he was taken off his medication for a period of a month...the longest month of my life (lol).

He is mainly an indoor pup. I walk him and his sister (Lila) daily (got to keep those back leg muscles in our cushpups strong), but I don't take them to dog parks or let them run loose. We are in a city environment, that coupled with the fact that he is a beagle, means for the most part if we are out side he is on a leash. He is on Vetoryl 30mg and it has been AMAZING. He no longer drinks like it is going out of style or wakes me up for midnight potty runs.

I appreciate your input and encourage more! Thank you!

[labblab]

That is great that Copper is doing so well in terms of his response to the Vetoryl! :)

From your description of his lifestyle, I can see why you would question the need for at least some, especially non-core, vaccinations (like for Lyme or lepto, etc.). And if rabies is uncommon in your area, then you might try to pursue a medical waiver if your state allows it and if you're willing to risk quarantines in the event your dog were to nip anybody.

However, I do worry about exposure to things like distemper and parvo just by virtue of how often Cushpups are in and out of vet's offices for testing and diagnostics -- seems to me that animal hospitals are the worst place for possible exposure to other sick animals! So if my own dog was stable and doing well in terms of cortisol control, I would still want to consider core re-vaccination unless I was doing titer-testing as an alternative. Have you spoken with your vet about that option? That won't satisfy rabies requirements, but you may choose to forego other core vaccinations based upon titer results.

Marianne

[judymaggie]

Hi and welcome to a fellow beagle Mom! I have gone two different directions with vaccinations. My first beagle, Maggie, was also a Cush pup. She was ill the last few years of her life and did titer testing for everything except rabies for which she got a 3 year vaccine. Due to severe reactions to vaccines, she had to be pre-treated before the rabies vaccine. I did not attempt to get a waiver as I do live in an area where there are raccoons as well as feral cats. My current beagle, Abbie, 13 1/2, also has Cushing's. Although she has had serious issues requiring surgeries, she has been generally healthy and she gets all core vaccines. As Marianne has said, each of us has a different approach based on our beliefs and the health status of our pups. It also may make a difference in where we reside as some states do not offer the option of a waiver.

Looking forward to learning more about Copper!

[glfprncs]

Just throwing this in for comparison...my vet stopped giving vaccines to TC (with the exception of rabies, which he got hearly), once TC hit the 10-year mark. T.C. had been under in his care, at that point, for 6 years. T.C.'s Cushing's diagnosis came 3 years later, at the age of 13.

When the dogs had to be kenneled (which was rarely), I kenneled at the vet's office so I didn't have any issues with regards to an unvaccinated dog. That said, my dogs don't go to the dog park, they don't go to the pet store, they pretty much stay at our house, in our yard, and get walks in our neighborhood. Their contact with other dogs is very limited.