Wow, Koyuki is due for her accines in a week and so is Taro. This really worries me but what do you do when some Vaccines are required to license your dogs?
I'd take it with a large boulder of salt. Their study population is nowhere near large enough to draw the sort of conclusions they're going after. The full study here gives a bit more detail.
Basically, they find that dogs who have been vaccinated show titers that suggest that they've been exposed to bovine proteins (which isn't shocking, since those sort of things show up in vaccine production). They also look for a connection between some markers of thyroid health and vaccine history (i.e., vaccines lead to thyroid conditions), but the data doesn't show any statistical difference between vaccinated and unvaccinated dogs. They do see some connection between vaccine history and some canine antibodies, but not in a way that always makes sense (ie, dogs that were vaccinated more often sometimes show less response to a given antibody). The rather key finding is that there doesn't seem to be any noticeable health difference between the two populations. (Although one could make the case that dogs who are totally unvaccinated are probably spending less time at the vet, so the study might be missing the fact that the unvaccinated dogs could have undiagnosed problems)
TL;DR version: nothing to worry about here. While there is certainly a reasonable debate to be had over which (and how often) vaccines should be administered to our dogs, there's nothing here to suggest that abstaining from all vaccines is a good idea.
disclaimer: I'm neither a biologist or immunologist (just a scientist with enough of a bio background to be dangerous), although if there is one kicking around the forum, I'd be curious to hear what they think.
Personally I will do what I am legally required to do. And Gen I certainly would suggest that for you for two fold reasons, one being your dogs are exposed to many more wild animals than mine and therefore are actually at least theoretically at risk for exposure to rabies. And two you are in law enforcement for gods sake.... I will however only vaccinate my dogs for the things they are required to be vaccinated for. The only other vaccine I choose to give my dogs is lepto,simply because that is fairly common in these parts.
@sailfloe: One thing I don't like about the article you've linked is the assumptions based on titering antibodies. Antibodies in the blood does not equate to protection from a disease. The following blog article explains better than I could about the fallacy of relying on titers:
For me, I follow the law with regards to the rabies vaccine (4-6 months, 1 yr booster, and thenafter every 3 yrs in CA, AZ) and hope that the rabies challenge fund will be successful in extending the legal duration of a rabies vaccine to 6-7 yrs.
disclaimer: I'm also not a biologist or immunologist. Took the classes over 10 yrs ago and my brain has leaked since then.
I have issues with vaccines. Not only with dogs, but with people as well. I will only get vaccines that are legally required (for both me and the pups).
I do think that there should be more studies done to determine what long term side effects vaccinations may have.
It is really a contested and murky issue for many. However, I think there has been more help world wide from initial vaccination series for dogs and in the human population for infants as well. To me it appears it is important to have the core set of vaccines for puppies before one determines what to reduce or omit later. Here is some info. that might be of use and a link to research study at the bottom. Note that modified live virus and killed virus may have altered antibody production/results, and that has to be weighed accordingly from individual to individual. I don't know if this was a consideration in this research study.
I find the titering troublesome, it is not cheap and it seems that the only reason to do it is to get a certificate to satisfy training centers or other organizations that demand that there is proof in lieu of recent vaccination. Seems nuts since it does not prove anything.
Snf
Buying a new puppy? A new study in 2010 by Shultz, Thiel, Sharp, and Larson, of duration of immunity for core viral vaccines in dogs suggests that puppy shots may confer lifelong immunity when administered after 16 weeks.
Research veterinarians at the University of Wisconsin Veterinary School recently published findings of a study that examined the duration of immunity for core viral vaccines in dogs that had not been re-vaccinated for as long as 9 years.
These animals had serum antibody to canine distemper virus (CDV), canine parvovirus type 2 (CPV-2) and canine adenovirus type-1 (CAV-1) at levels considered protective. When challenged with these viruses, the dogs resisted infection and/or disease. Thus, even a single dose of modified live virus canine core vaccines against distemper, parvovirus and adenovirus or modified live vurus feline core vaccines against feline parvovirus, when administered at 16 weeks or older, could provide long-term immunity in a very high percentage of animals, while also increasing herd immunity.
Before 16 weeks, maternal antibodies can thwart the effect of vaccination, resulting in inadequate protection against common canine and feline diseases.
Drs. R D Schultz, B Thiel, E Mukhtar, P Sharp, L J Larson, of the Department of Pathobiological Sciences, School of Veterinary Medicine, University of Wisconsin-Madison, participated in the study and published these findings in the January 2010 edition of Comparative Pathology. www.dreibergenrottweilers.com/long_term_protective_immunity.pdf
@ Casey: I think your comment is interesting on the human vaccine side of things. Apparently CDC has recommended that hooping cough vacc be given out since the recent outbreak in CA. Most doctors offices are now combining the hooping cough vacc with tetnus shot and one does not have the option of just one. However, although CDC recommends and it is now bundled together as a combined serum, the kicker is the insurance company may not cover it so you have to sign a waiver agreeing to pay if insurance boots the claim.
Might be worthy to look at Paul A. Offit, author of "Deadly Choices: How the Anti-Vaccine Movement Threatens Us All". Offit was interviewed on The Colbert Report recently, I think just last week. I am curious but I don't wish to pay for the book so hopefully it hit the library shelves soon so it can be reviewed.
Snf since when do they have the whooping cough tetanus shot available? I had to get a tdap less than a month ago and i didnt see anything about a tp being available. I know td is available but thats about it.
@ Rina - According to my docs office, since last yr. I would ask about it. Maybe they pulled the combo for some reason. I hope that is not the case or a problem ....hummm I guess if it is and paralysis sets in then I will be typing with a pencil in between by teeth to post (LOL)... I'll keep you posted on that. : )
Just to clarify, my pups did get their initial rounds of puppy shots for the standard vaccinations. Once they reached adulthood is when their vaccination schedule changed to just what is legally required.
@StaticNfuzz - I got all the vaccinations required by schools, etc. when I was younger. However, now, I will only get what is required by law for me to have (tetanus and Hep . So no flu, shingles, HPV, etc.
I just got my tetanus booster last week, and as far as I know, it did not have the whooping cough vaccine included... I wonder if that is a nationwide combo or just for western states? However, I can tell you that it hurt like crazy! It really makes me wonder what is in it when my arm aches for a few days afterwards (NOT just around the injection site).
What makes me nervous about people who do not give their puppies/adult dogs shots is that they also don't deworm them or usually give them monthly heartworm prevention med's.
I don't allow puppies to come to my house who do not have their shots/prevention current.
I'd also like to add that there are A LOT of people out there that do not vaccinate their dogs, and I'm saying not at all. They also don't have their dogs licensed. Although I can appreciate other people's opinions on vaccinations, and not wanting to over vaccinate their animals, there are too many people out there that are ignorant and use these articles as excuses not to educate themselves and do anything.
Tara, I'm not sure why you would require pups to be current on heartworm prevention meds? The risk of Koda getting heartworm from a visiting pup inside your home is much less than him being walked outdoors.
Unlike parvo or roundworms, heartworm isn't transmitted through feces but through mosquitoes.
It's a responsibility thing for me. I'm actually having an argument with my neighbor about this now. I won't allow his pups to come over unless they are vaccinated. I'm sure I will offend someone if I go any further, so I will end it with that.
Meh your house, your rules Tara. I don't see what your neighbor has to argue about. If he doesn't want to vaccinate, don't take them to your house. If he wants to take them to your house, vaccinate them. He has to decide which one is more important.
I've said it before but Micah isn't vaccinated. He got his hep B shot at birth and that's it. It was a decision that we came to after educating ourselves for about 5 months before his birth and we still continue to keep ourselves educated on it (which is why SnF's comment really threw me off). If people don't want to hang out with us because of it, well then that's a decision I will have to respect.
Okay, Tara. I was also thinking more in line of a potential future puppy staying at your place and you being protective/proactive in keeping your place safe for him/her. I agree that your house = your rules.
Hmmm....Well, I've seen plenty of convincing evidence, from a lot of sources and a lot of vets, that dogs are over vaccinated, and do not need to be vaccinated every year. I don't think it necessarily is a comment about the responsibility of the owner either: I consider myself a responsible owner, and my responsibility includes making decisions about the health of my dogs, including the fact that I think over vaccinating is dangerous. As it happens, I have regularly vaccinated my dogs up til this year, when I finally decided that at 7, Toby does not need any more vaccinations other than those required by law (Rabies). Last time he had a bad reaction to the vaccines, and I will not risk that again.
I will not give Bel anymore either, most likley. I haven't quite decided what to do with Oskar--he's had his puppy shots, and he will have to have his 3 year rabies shots, but I would prefer not to vaccinate him any more beyond that. Given that Akitas (and I would guess other NKs) have problems with vaccinations, I'm particularly wary about this.
Nor do I give my dogs heartwork preventative. I can count the number of mosquitos I've seen where I live on one hand and that's for nearly 10 years. My vet does not even recommend heartworm preventative here. There's no way a dog can get heartworms from another dog anyway, so that one really puzzles me.
I really very much doubt that articles that point to the dangerous of overvaccination are used as justification for the people who are irresponsible. Those people simply don't care about their dogs, and are very unlikely to be reading and debating what an appropriate vaccination schedule might me. People who are reading these articles, are concerned about titer testing, etc, are different--they may be making a choice some don't agree with, but that's very different then not vaccinating out of irresponsibility.
@shibamistress if you were in California, then you might think of heartworm prevention. I found 5 mosquitos in my home last week. During the winter! It's a bit of a different story here.
I don't de-worm on a schedule, but I do flea checks (fleas usually means tapeworms), check stools for worms, and have the vet do the sugar flotation test for worm eggs. Then I dose accordingly. Other than the default puppy de-wormer and one season of flea infestation, I haven’t had to dose them for worms. If I had kept on getting positives every year, then it would make sense to me to dose regularly. (Also, if I had a large number of dogs, I would probably dose more regularly. Discovering that one dog got worms from another dog who got it from another dog who got it from another dog would probably drive me crazy.)
I also don’t do heartworm prevention anymore, but I do blood test for heartworm. Again, same scenario, no positives yet. If I was in a really bad mosquito infested area, I wouldn't dose every month but only once every 3 months.
Here’s a blog article that presents the viewpoint that we’re overdosing our dogs for preventative and why:
@tjbart17 - Tara, I definitely understand your concern about un-vaccinated dogs. I hope this does not spark an argument, but I am curious to know what vaccines you think are important to have before interacting with your own dogs. (I am not arguing, I am honestly just curious).
As for heartworm prevention, my dogs are on interceptor without any breaks. Weather here has been crazy over the past few years, and mosquitoes do not take a break. The pups also have a fecal done once a year during their regular vet check up.
I also like to think that I am a responsible dog owner. I want to educate myself on what is best for my dogs. For me, it is not a money issue or being too lazy to take my dogs to the vet (you guys all know how many times I go to the e-vet for Nola alone!) I just want to make sure that my dogs are given the best care possible and are not given things that are not necessary. Luckily, I have a vet that understands and works with me to ensure that my girls have exactly what they need and nothing more or nothing less.
@sunyata I don't mind saying. I think that puppies flying in, especially from overseas or who have been in outside kennels, should be de-wormed before they come over. I had a bad experience with this once with my neighbor's Malinois pup who had worms. I also give my dogs Interceptor once a month. Koda's required to keep up with all of his shots. His program keeps a chart and gives his heartworm medicine to him. I just drop it off.
Again, fleas, mosquitos, ticks, are really prevelant here. I also take the pups hiking every weekend and they are very social and go to dog parks. I also give them k9 Advantix. I try and take a break during the winter months on that, but fleas have been really bad and so have the ticks. I've had a couple neighbor dogs come down with Lyme disease. I do not give the Lyme disease vaccine. I do think that is overkill, but I have to use tick prevention. I don't expect this with puppies or people who don't take their dogs to the mountains like I do.
For mine, I give annual boosters and they get the 3 year rabies. Now for puppies. I live in a community where dogs are welcome almost everywhere. It's a cute suburb in a nice area, and lots of families have dogs. We also have a rescue about a mile and a half away. A lot of people rescue and foster, and bordetella has infected the dog park and my street. Two blocks away was an outbreak of Parvo. With pups it's just too hard to keep them safe. They stick their nose in everything. So, if they want to come to my house or be watched by me I need to know that if I take the dogs out for a walk they are safe. I would just die if I took an unvaccinated puppy out and they came down with something. Knowing me, I would feel responsible and pay for the vet bills. So, I require that all pups are vaccinated to hang out with me and the dogs.
BTW, my house at times becomes the puppy place. Koda's really good with them, and everyone wants to take their puppies to my house to be socialized with an older dog. I think some of my neighbors just want to leave them and hope that they are trained when they come back. I used to offer to take them while people ran errands as well. I get a lot of puppies at my house.
I think to each their own and don't fault people for not vaccinating. I just can't have that liability on my hands given the environment.
@tjbart17 - Totally understandable. Thanks for the info and insight. That is kind of nice that Koda's program takes care of giving his interceptor. I am always so afraid I will forget. I have it on my calendar in the kitchen and in my phone's calendar, which both emails me and beeps at me!
@sunyata lol it's because they don't trust us to remember. :-) I also have to bring in proof of all vaccines each time I get them, and they give me a postcard in his box telling me that he's due 30 days in advance. It's kind've cute, very preschool like.
Ayk: Interesting link and blog. Skimming the info and drilling down on the blog, I'd say while I agree with a lot of it, I really can't say that I agree with all of it. Actually the decisions to re-vaccinate, medicate, use certain prevention, determining the type of prevention, and when to obtain wellness checks has to be weighed on a case by case situation given, breed, age of dog, overall health, location and where one travels with their dog. The hard fast rules posted seem a bit extreme for every case. There has to be some flexibility within each case to meet the clients needs and keep the dog healthy. Being an educated owner does help.
For HW I agree there are alternative options and that should be investigated. I can say that having had a rescue dog die on the operating table due to HW is not a good experience and could have easily been avoided through multiple measures. However, the failure of the owners, the shelter and the vet staff in taking short cuts resulted in dog paying the price.
Living in a mosquito infested area I am more than happy to have a yearly screen for my dog that is relatively inexpensive and quick. I found my 8 mo old free of HW at the same time it was found he had exposure to Lyme. The subsequent treatment prevented full onset of what can be a horrible disease. So again it has to be weighted and looked at accordingly. This is where one needs a thinking vet that works with the client rather than going through the motions of ticking off a mere check list handed out with a graduation diploma. From what I have seen I think some of the larger veterinary clinics and chains are producing more of the padding and bill sir-charges to cover overhead. Anyway, it helps to be aware and know where to bank the health bucks without over doing it, i.e. really looking at the overall picture.
@StaticNfuzz - Just so I am reading you right, do you not put your dogs on HW preventative all year? If not, what is the deciding factor that made you choose that for your dogs? (again, not trying to argue, I am honestly very curious to know what other owners do for their dog for both vaccines and other preventatives and why they choose those routes.)
Snf wrote: "Actually the decisions to re-vaccinate, medicate, use certain prevention, determining the type of prevention, and when to obtain wellness checks has to be weighed on a case by case situation given, breed, age of dog, overall health, location and where one travels with their dog."
Actually, I don't disagree with this statement. The thing for me that I may quibble about is how much the decision is based on a vet recommendation and how much is based on science/common sense. Because my sister lost a dog to autoimmune hemolytic anemia after given the 5-in-1 and rabies vaccinations and because the vet denied any linkage between the two, I’ve personally slide more on the side of my own view of science/common sense.
Here in soCal, we’ve tested every rescue dog that we’ve pulled (about 20-30) and none of them have tested positive for heartworm. So the anxiety about heartworm and keeping up with heartworm prevention is less for me.
Comments
Basically, they find that dogs who have been vaccinated show titers that suggest that they've been exposed to bovine proteins (which isn't shocking, since those sort of things show up in vaccine production). They also look for a connection between some markers of thyroid health and vaccine history (i.e., vaccines lead to thyroid conditions), but the data doesn't show any statistical difference between vaccinated and unvaccinated dogs. They do see some connection between vaccine history and some canine antibodies, but not in a way that always makes sense (ie, dogs that were vaccinated more often sometimes show less response to a given antibody). The rather key finding is that there doesn't seem to be any noticeable health difference between the two populations. (Although one could make the case that dogs who are totally unvaccinated are probably spending less time at the vet, so the study might be missing the fact that the unvaccinated dogs could have undiagnosed problems)
TL;DR version: nothing to worry about here. While there is certainly a reasonable debate to be had over which (and how often) vaccines should be administered to our dogs, there's nothing here to suggest that abstaining from all vaccines is a good idea.
disclaimer: I'm neither a biologist or immunologist (just a scientist with enough of a bio background to be dangerous), although if there is one kicking around the forum, I'd be curious to hear what they think.
I will however only vaccinate my dogs for the things they are required to be vaccinated for. The only other vaccine I choose to give my dogs is lepto,simply because that is fairly common in these parts.
http://desertwindhounds.blogspot.com/2011/01/vaccine-titers-useful-tool-or-waste-o.html
For me, I follow the law with regards to the rabies vaccine (4-6 months, 1 yr booster, and thenafter every 3 yrs in CA, AZ) and hope that the rabies challenge fund will be successful in extending the legal duration of a rabies vaccine to 6-7 yrs.
disclaimer: I'm also not a biologist or immunologist. Took the classes over 10 yrs ago and my brain has leaked since then.
I do think that there should be more studies done to determine what long term side effects vaccinations may have.
I find the titering troublesome, it is not cheap and it seems that the only reason to do it is to get a certificate to satisfy training centers or other organizations that demand that there is proof in lieu of recent vaccination. Seems nuts since it does not prove anything.
Snf
Buying a new puppy? A new study in 2010 by Shultz, Thiel, Sharp, and Larson, of duration of immunity for core viral vaccines in dogs suggests that puppy shots may confer lifelong immunity when administered after 16 weeks.
Research veterinarians at the University of Wisconsin Veterinary School recently published findings of a study that examined the duration of immunity for core viral vaccines in dogs that had not been re-vaccinated for as long as 9 years.
These animals had serum antibody to canine distemper virus (CDV), canine parvovirus type 2 (CPV-2) and canine adenovirus type-1 (CAV-1) at levels considered protective. When challenged with these viruses, the dogs resisted infection and/or disease. Thus, even a single dose of modified live virus canine core vaccines against distemper, parvovirus and adenovirus or modified live vurus feline core vaccines against feline parvovirus, when administered at 16 weeks or older, could provide long-term immunity in a very high percentage of animals, while also increasing herd immunity.
Before 16 weeks, maternal antibodies can thwart the effect of vaccination, resulting in inadequate protection against common canine and feline diseases.
Drs. R D Schultz, B Thiel, E Mukhtar, P Sharp, L J Larson, of the Department of Pathobiological Sciences, School of Veterinary Medicine, University of Wisconsin-Madison, participated in the study and published these findings in the January 2010 edition of Comparative Pathology. www.dreibergenrottweilers.com/long_term_protective_immunity.pdf
Might be worthy to look at Paul A. Offit, author of "Deadly Choices: How the Anti-Vaccine Movement Threatens Us All". Offit was interviewed on The Colbert Report recently, I think just last week. I am curious but I don't wish to pay for the book so hopefully it hit the library shelves soon so it can be reviewed.
Snf
Snf
@StaticNfuzz - I got all the vaccinations required by schools, etc. when I was younger. However, now, I will only get what is required by law for me to have (tetanus and Hep
I just got my tetanus booster last week, and as far as I know, it did not have the whooping cough vaccine included... I wonder if that is a nationwide combo or just for western states? However, I can tell you that it hurt like crazy! It really makes me wonder what is in it when my arm aches for a few days afterwards (NOT just around the injection site).
I don't allow puppies to come to my house who do not have their shots/prevention current.
I'd also like to add that there are A LOT of people out there that do not vaccinate their dogs, and I'm saying not at all. They also don't have their dogs licensed. Although I can appreciate other people's opinions on vaccinations, and not wanting to over vaccinate their animals, there are too many people out there that are ignorant and use these articles as excuses not to educate themselves and do anything.
Unlike parvo or roundworms, heartworm isn't transmitted through feces but through mosquitoes.
I've said it before but Micah isn't vaccinated. He got his hep B shot at birth and that's it. It was a decision that we came to after educating ourselves for about 5 months before his birth and we still continue to keep ourselves educated on it (which is why SnF's comment really threw me off). If people don't want to hang out with us because of it, well then that's a decision I will have to respect.
If one works with/around primates, for example zoo keepers, the shots are requested also.
Snf
I will not give Bel anymore either, most likley. I haven't quite decided what to do with Oskar--he's had his puppy shots, and he will have to have his 3 year rabies shots, but I would prefer not to vaccinate him any more beyond that. Given that Akitas (and I would guess other NKs) have problems with vaccinations, I'm particularly wary about this.
Nor do I give my dogs heartwork preventative. I can count the number of mosquitos I've seen where I live on one hand and that's for nearly 10 years. My vet does not even recommend heartworm preventative here. There's no way a dog can get heartworms from another dog anyway, so that one really puzzles me.
I really very much doubt that articles that point to the dangerous of overvaccination are used as justification for the people who are irresponsible. Those people simply don't care about their dogs, and are very unlikely to be reading and debating what an appropriate vaccination schedule might me. People who are reading these articles, are concerned about titer testing, etc, are different--they may be making a choice some don't agree with, but that's very different then not vaccinating out of irresponsibility.
I also don’t do heartworm prevention anymore, but I do blood test for heartworm. Again, same scenario, no positives yet. If I was in a really bad mosquito infested area, I wouldn't dose every month but only once every 3 months.
Here’s a blog article that presents the viewpoint that we’re overdosing our dogs for preventative and why:
http://terriermandotcom.blogspot.com/2008/05/billion-dollar-heartworm-scam.html
As for heartworm prevention, my dogs are on interceptor without any breaks. Weather here has been crazy over the past few years, and mosquitoes do not take a break. The pups also have a fecal done once a year during their regular vet check up.
I also like to think that I am a responsible dog owner. I want to educate myself on what is best for my dogs. For me, it is not a money issue or being too lazy to take my dogs to the vet (you guys all know how many times I go to the e-vet for Nola alone!) I just want to make sure that my dogs are given the best care possible and are not given things that are not necessary. Luckily, I have a vet that understands and works with me to ensure that my girls have exactly what they need and nothing more or nothing less.
Again, fleas, mosquitos, ticks, are really prevelant here. I also take the pups hiking every weekend and they are very social and go to dog parks. I also give them k9 Advantix. I try and take a break during the winter months on that, but fleas have been really bad and so have the ticks. I've had a couple neighbor dogs come down with Lyme disease. I do not give the Lyme disease vaccine. I do think that is overkill, but I have to use tick prevention. I don't expect this with puppies or people who don't take their dogs to the mountains like I do.
For mine, I give annual boosters and they get the 3 year rabies. Now for puppies. I live in a community where dogs are welcome almost everywhere. It's a cute suburb in a nice area, and lots of families have dogs. We also have a rescue about a mile and a half away. A lot of people rescue and foster, and bordetella has infected the dog park and my street. Two blocks away was an outbreak of Parvo. With pups it's just too hard to keep them safe. They stick their nose in everything. So, if they want to come to my house or be watched by me I need to know that if I take the dogs out for a walk they are safe. I would just die if I took an unvaccinated puppy out and they came down with something. Knowing me, I would feel responsible and pay for the vet bills. So, I require that all pups are vaccinated to hang out with me and the dogs.
BTW, my house at times becomes the puppy place. Koda's really good with them, and everyone wants to take their puppies to my house to be socialized with an older dog. I think some of my neighbors just want to leave them and hope that they are trained when they come back. I used to offer to take them while people ran errands as well. I get a lot of puppies at my house.
I think to each their own and don't fault people for not vaccinating. I just can't have that liability on my hands given the environment.
For HW I agree there are alternative options and that should be investigated. I can say that having had a rescue dog die on the operating table due to HW is not a good experience and could have easily been avoided through multiple measures. However, the failure of the owners, the shelter and the vet staff in taking short cuts resulted in dog paying the price.
Living in a mosquito infested area I am more than happy to have a yearly screen for my dog that is relatively inexpensive and quick. I found my 8 mo old free of HW at the same time it was found he had exposure to Lyme. The subsequent treatment prevented full onset of what can be a horrible disease. So again it has to be weighted and looked at accordingly. This is where one needs a thinking vet that works with the client rather than going through the motions of ticking off a mere check list handed out with a graduation diploma. From what I have seen I think some of the larger veterinary clinics and chains are producing more of the padding and bill sir-charges to cover overhead. Anyway, it helps to be aware and know where to bank the health bucks without over doing it, i.e. really looking at the overall picture.
Snf
Actually, I don't disagree with this statement. The thing for me that I may quibble about is how much the decision is based on a vet recommendation and how much is based on science/common sense. Because my sister lost a dog to autoimmune hemolytic anemia after given the 5-in-1 and rabies vaccinations and because the vet denied any linkage between the two, I’ve personally slide more on the side of my own view of science/common sense.
Here in soCal, we’ve tested every rescue dog that we’ve pulled (about 20-30) and none of them have tested positive for heartworm. So the anxiety about heartworm and keeping up with heartworm prevention is less for me.