I don't know of any vet around here that still recommends yearly vaccines, unless the vaccine is specifically designed to be yearly (such as Lyme or Bord). We do every three years as long as the dog is healthy.
Shorty is actually overdue for her rabies right now because the last two times we went in for it, she was running a fever and Dr Blabs didn't want to give it to her "just in case". Katy no longer gets core vaccines because she's much older -- she does still get her rabies and Lyme, due to the area we live in and the constant contact we have with wildlife. I'm not sure what we're going to do for Indy's vaccines now that he has cancer, but he's not due until 2011 so I have time to do research.
Another thing to consider is that many clients are "one time deals". The vet may see that client's animal only once or twice in the animal's lifetime, so yes vaccines are "pushed" -- not only for the health of that animal, but also for the health of any animal that dog or cat comes in contact with, as call2arms said:
call2arms wrote:Kennels in my area require it, too. I've heard discussions about how when vaccinations stop, for a while, often there are wicked strains that develop or the disease just suddenly reappears (and this really happened last summer here, quite a few horses died from encephalitis, and the vaccination stopped for it a while ago since we weren't seeing any of it)... People got bit in the ass by it, and it sucked. Anyway... Just a tought on disease control in general, since we think of our individual animals but it also is about spreading of disease - about how one animal catches it, and one other vaccinated animal is often one less carrier. Diseases suck.
My dogs seem to be at the vet quite often, LOL, so we don't really do "yearly exams". We're trying to keep up on yearly bloodwork for Katy since she's a senior and has been on anti-inflammatories for years, and it's helpful to have baseline readings in case anything goes wrong. Once Indy is done with his radiation, we'll be doing bloodwork on him more often than we have in the past. Shorty will soon be a senior, so we'll start yearly bloodwork for her, too.
While I do think veterinarians have a responsibility to share information about possible side effects to vaccines, it's also up to the owner to do some research on what they're putting in their animals' bodies. (
And that is by no means a "slap" at you, Matt.) JMHO
Never make someone a priority in your life when that someone treats you like an option.