New In-Office Titer Test for Dogs: Test Before Revaccinating
Written by Jan on August 11, 2011 – 1:47 pm
Blood antibody titer testing (a simple blood test) is the best way to determine if an animal or human has received immunity from vaccination. (Just giving a vaccine proves only that you’ve given it, not that it worked.)
Testing your pup after her “puppy shots” tells you if immunity was achieved, potentially eliminating unnecessary revaccination. (Remember, every vaccine brings with it the potential for adverse reactions, ranging from a fever to even death.) Testing a new adult dog, or a dog with unknown vaccination history, helps determine if further vaccination is necessary and tells you which vaccines, if any, to give. In the US, most experts recommend testing for parvovirus and distemper. Most other vaccines are either unnecessary in many areas or don’t confer immunity long enough to bother testing. At this time, titer testing is NOT a legal substitute for rabies vaccination.
If your vet doesn’t test titers as a routine matter before revaccinating, or if the cost is prohibitive, I hope you’ll tell your vet about a new inexpensive, quick in-office test. I am writing about it for information purposes only hoping it will help promote titer testing before routine revaccination. I do not profit financially from this new test. — Jan
To learn more about testing titers, including how often to test and why it is often safer and less expensive than revaccinating, read my article about titer testing. Upcoming is a short article sent to me by Biogal, the maker of the new test, the Canine VacciCheck. Test kits are available for dogs, cats and birds. Read more »
Posted under Preventing Vaccine Reactions, Titer Testing, Uncategorized, Vaccination | 8 Comments » | Email This Post