cattitude said:
Puppy/kitten shots and first year boosters...titers after that. But many people who give their own shots don't go to a vet regularly. Pets really should be seen yearly by their vet...that's somewhat the idea that drives the yearly vaccinations. It's helpful to have a vet that will work with you in the treatment of your pets... I'm lucky that mine does.
There's a great deal of information "out there" regarding vaccine protocol and the dangers of certain vaccines.
Catt- you know I'm right with you on the vaccine issue!!! Like you said there is a ton of info out there about the dangers of overvaccinating your pets. Here's just a sampling of some of those articles- there are plenty more where these came from though!!
http://www.dogsadversereactions.com/vDrDodds.html
This is from the AAHA. It's the updated 2006 Canine Vaccine Guidelines. Note for example that they recommend for parvo that the dog be vaccinated every 3 years OR LONGER and that studies have shown protection to last up to 7 years. I'd strongly advice Mousebaby (or anyone that administers their own vaccines or is interested in doing so) to look over these guidelines and really be aware of some of the potential risks.
http://www.aahanet.org/PublicDocuments/VaccineGuidelines06Revised.pdf
A few lines from a UCDavis Veterinary Medical Journal article about vaccination protocol:
http://www.vetmed.ucdavis.edu/ccah/update11-2/upd11-2_vaccination.html
In recognition that many vaccines produce a minimum of three, four or five years of immunity, and that to give them annually to pets at low risk of exposure to infectious diseases is really overvaccinating, there is a shift among veterinary practices toward a three-year protocol for those vaccines. Some veterinarians are concerned that if they reduce annual vaccinations to once every three years, and without an incentive to bring pets to the veterinarian for annual examination, pets won't get optimal health care.