Originally Posted by Sunnie
Originally Posted by cjaye44
Exactly what is a titer test? Is this something that varies from state to state?? Shelby is almost 13 and after reading these posts, I think I am going to just go with a 3 year rabies vaccination and her Heart Worm treatment from now on. She's an inside dog for the most part and I don't worry too much about any other problems.
A titer test measures the level of vaccine still in the body and tell you if any one vaccine is too low.
The heartworm test actually varies by vet. But if you are near a body of water that has a large mosquito population it may be a good idea to test annually or bi-annually. I test every other year.
I totally agree to just doing rabies according to your local law for a 13 year old.
I often wonder why no other animal other than dogs seem to get heartworm. The skeeter that supposedly has it bites other critters besides dogs yes - this includes human beings. Meds like Heart Guard are dangerous for herding breed dogs. The heartworm medication is arsnic so you are giving your dogs poison to a small extent. I use an herbal tropcial on my dogs, and use the spray on my arms when the skeeters are out, it makes them run in the other direction as they do not like the tree oil.
It also helps with ticks.