This is a post I’ve been wanting to do for such a long time because I think it’s really important for animal owners to know about it.
We first heard about titer testing through our friends Mike & Jen – they watch our dogs when we go out of town & they are THE BEST. Sidenote: if you are looking for a dog sitter in the OC or San Diego area email them at jennifer@michaelbell.com & use subject ‘dog sitting.’ They watch dogs under 10 lbs & they’re the only people I trust with Boone & Pixy.
Anyway, back to the titer test.
What is a titer test?
“Titer testing is a means of determining whether your pet has enough antibodies to defend against viruses that they have already received vaccinations for in the past. Some dog owners believe that having enough antibodies makes another vaccination, especially an annual vaccination or booster, unnecessary.
A titer test is a blood test that measures the level of immune system proteins called antibodies.
When your dog gets a vaccination, their immune system responds by producing antibodies which the body can use to fight off future infections. The titer test determines how many antibodies are still in your dog’s blood after one or more years from the time of vaccination.” { via }
Anyway, after Mike & Jen told us about the titer test, I looked into & was completely sold. We’ve have been doing titer testing on Pixy & Boone ever since.
Pretty much, dog owners are becoming more weary of over-vaccinating their dogs. Some dogs have bead reactions to injections & if they don’t need the vaccination what’s the point?
So many people pay all this money every year to get their dogs vaccines when the dog already has it covered in their system. With this test I know that 6 lb Pixy & 7 lb Boone aren’t getting more rabies vaccine than they need. Especially because they’re house dogs & they aren’t running around on the street, there’s no point for them to have a rabies vaccine when it’s already present in their bodies. The wild thing is that they haven’t needed the rabies vaccine in 6 years because it’s still in their system. We wouldn’t have known that without the titer test.
The titer test is about $80 a year at my vet ( shout out to Companion Pet Care & Dr. Burghardt in Encinitas ) & it’s just this little prick with a needle. It doesn’t hurt them at all. Then they send it to a lab to find out what vaccines they need & don’t need.
Benefits of a titer test:
♡ no unnecessary vaccines
♡ saves you money
♡ great option if you adopt a dog
♡ helps you make the best health care decisions for your pet
♡ results come back in 3-4 days
Animal shelters are using the titer test more & more to determine which dogs & cats are low-risk & high-risk. You should know that the titer test doesn’t work for canine leptospirosis, Lyme disease & bordetella because those vaccines provide short-term protection.
Side effects of this test are very rare. Pixy & Boone have done it every year & we’ve never experienced any adverse affects. There’s no harm in testing, other than the cost. Obviously if you get a puppy they need their vaccines, but if you have a dog who has already had vaccines, then I HIGHLY recommend this test.
I feel really passionate about this so it deserves a whole blog post. If people start talking about it & spreading awareness then hopefully it’ll become more & more common.
My advice is to consult your vet to discuss your dog’s health & options. All I know is that both of my dogs have received the minimal amount of vaccines because of this test. I have the piece of mind that they’re fully immunized & don’t have to worry about it.
I’m all about having tools in my toolbox & this is just another tool that can help your dog live a healthy life. Pixy is 15, Boone is 6, & we had pumpkin to their food, glucosamine ( for their joints ), up their Omegas, & make sure they get the best food & water ( alkaline please ), so why wouldn’t I be concerned about their vaccines.
As always, be your own guru, do your own research, but I just thought I’d put this on everyone’s radar. If you’re like me, you’re obsessed with your dogs so this is important.
In my opinion this is an inexpensive tool to reduce pet vaccines.
Knowledge is power, but applied knowledge is more power. So now you guys have this tool in your toolbox, & maybe it’ll be helpful in the future.
x, lauryn
++ scope Pixy’s favorite glucosamine here.
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Lauryn! Been a long time fan! But can we get back to some of your original kind of content? Beauty tips and tricks? Healthy recipes? Workout information?
She’s a lifestyle blogger (extraordinaire I might add) and this is her life. She’s transitioning into a new season of life (not that her original content would stop), and I’m here for it. She’s sharing so many aspects of her life that aren’t totally BLAH like every other blogger. Get it, LAURYN!!
What a great post!! Thank you so much, Lauryn. Have never, ever heard of this and so glad you have once again enlightened me. We haven’t been blessed with human babies and our baby girl, Lucky, is the light of our life. Thank you for sharing this with us. And pleeeeeeease, more posts featuring your sweet Boone and Pixy!! <3 Hope you are feeling well and all the love in the world to you, Michael, Baby Girl Bosstick and of course your first-borns. 🙂
thank you for your support <3
Thank you so much for this amazing post Lauryn !! I also have two amazing chihuahuas!! And both have had horrible reactions to vaccines where I have been in emergency vet situations hours after they got vaccinated it’s been horrible and so stressful!!! .. one is 2 and one is 3 and I’m not about to put them through that ever again!!!!! I appreciate this information and never heard of this test .. I’m on it !!! Literally thank you so much ??? Thanks babe love you you are amazing xoxoxo
team chihuahuas always! xoxo
I have a pup so this is really great information! I remember being told about this but I had no idea what it was, very well explained thankxx
<3
I didn’t even know about this test! All I know if my cat had a bad reaction to a vaccine so I stopped vaccinating him (he’s indoors so some of them aren’t even necessary). I’ll def get this done for my dog next.
awesome!! thank u for reading
I have never heard of a titer test but it is something I will look into. Also, the dogs in the photos look very cute and happy. And you are absolutely gorgeous!
<3 <3
The writing style is amazing. I am waiting for your new posts and please give me an update when you publish a new one. Thanks for your article!
I’ve also been told that the vaccine dosages are the same amount whether you have a 10 pound dog or a 50 pound dog. I’ll definitely have to ask my vet about this because if you think about the dosage on these vaccinations, my doxie probably has enough antibodies at this point.
yes def consult your vet!
Thank you thank you thank you for sharing about titer testing. It breaks my heart the number of dogs that pass away due to adverse effects from vaccination and over vaccination. I really wish dog rescues would make use of this test as well, especially those who adopt out older dogs, so many health issues and illnesses could be prevented if we took the time (and money) to check the levels of antibodies ❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️
<3 so happy it brought you & the pooches some value !
Needed this post Lauryn!
💯 my dog got IMHA from an overload of vaccines in one appt. Luckily she survived but it’s a horrible disease. Neither she nor her sister will ever get another vaccine in their lifetime.