Hi everyone, I will be holding a titre testing session on 14 th December at Splash in a Dash hydrotherapy centre in Kendal.
Titre testing involves taking a blood sample from your dog and testing it with the Vaccicheck test kit so see if there are enough antibodies against three of the major dog infectious diseases; Parovirus, Infectious Hepatitis and Distemper.
There is a lot of debate about vaccines, both in general but also about the frequency with which they should be given. It has now been shown that duration of immunity after vaccination with modified live virus vaccines for most animals, can be many years, based on challenge and serological studies (Schultz et al. 2010). The titre test will show if an animal already has a protective level of immunity and this will then help with decisions about revaccination. This may be useful in stray or rescued animals or where vaccinations may have lapsed. It can also be used in general as part of an annual health check and as an aid to reducing overvaccination of individual animals.
Titre testing is recognised in the World Small Animal Veterinary Association (WSAVA) Guidelines, which conclude that an animal that returns a positive titre has a protective level of immunity and therefore does not require revaccination.
As vaccination is such a complex subject, it is always good to get as much information about your dog’s level of immunity as possible and then together with the advice of your vet, who will have an in-depth knowledge of the particular risks in your area, an informed decision can be made.
If you are interested in finding out more about titre testing or booking an appointment slot on 14th December. Please ring me on 0787 252 0104.