Blood Titter Test for Parvo Antibodies?

Question

Does anyone know about how much these tests cost? I would like to test my dogs for parvo antibodies , since I have read several articles that say they are now finding out the vaccine can last up to 7.5 years. I am interested in getting the blood titter test so as not to over-vaccinate my dogs as I believe it could be harmful. I would like any other info you could give on the test also, has anyone ever got the blood titter test that said the antibodies were present and your dog came down with parvo? Or is it a test that I would have to get every year? We are having a parvo outbreak in this area so I am worried about just trusting some articles that say the vaccine last 7.5 years. Yes I know I could just call my vet but I've called twice already today for other questions about my kitty and they are probably getting sick of hearing my voice, haha! Need to take the kitty in for last round of shots today and wanted to take my dogs along to get either the titter test or the parvo shots. ( by the way if it helps answer my question, my dogs ages are 10, 9, 9 and 3, and they have had parvo shots every year so far, so they should have at least some immunity for parvo, just wanted to know if I could skip it this year, don't want to over-vaccinate.)

Answer 1

i test my dog with a titer every year and it runs me 100 bucks (which include the early wellness exam as well). so far my two year old did not need a booster ever since she was a pup (her last vaccination was when she was 16 weeks of age). the rabies we are required to give a booster for (my state) but for parvo and distemper she gets a titer first and so far she did not need to be re vaccinated.

Answer 2

It is not usually necessary to repeat parvo vaccinations for a mature dog - the anti-bodies last for their lifetime.

I don't understand why your vet would give them parvo vaccinations yearly - that's not usual.



You need to speak to your vet about this - you may be confused about the yearly vaccinations they get. Titers can cost anywhere from 65.- up, but they are usually done for rabies antibodies for those people who don't want to get their dogs vaccinated for rabies. The law requires rabies vaccinations, if you don't want your dog to have them, you need to have titers done to make sure the dogs still have antibodies in their bloodstream.

We now do 3 year rabies vaccinations, you are correct to worry about over-vaccination of adult dogs, it can cause problems in many breeds.



However, puppies obviously need vaccinations until they have full immunity.



Talk to your vet about the parvo, however, adult dogs are usually immune to this - parvo is a killer of puppies mostly.

Answer 3

You're going to have to call your vet again because all vets set their own prices, that includes for running titers.



None of my dogs have ever gotten booster shots every year because my vet's on board with the latest protocols regarding vaccination. They get all puppy shots, boosters 1 year later, then shots only every 3 years until they're over 10, then they don't get any more shots.

Answer 4

Im not sure about the test, but I do understand your worry. Our dog that passed away lat year of old age got parvo as a puppy. We had him 2 weeks and then he got it. It was horrible. i felt so bad for him, and he almost died. It was very scary. I would def. call the vet back. You pay them, so dont feel bad about calling them! Thats what they are there for.