Titre Testing Can be Confusing
. . . . Dr. Moira Drosdovech

Fortunately for our pets, the major veterinary associations, in particular the American Animal Hospital Association, have recommended boosters no more frequently than every three years and only for those diseases that are relevant in the area the pet lives. This is great news as it means that there will be far less opportunities for adverse vaccination reactions, which are increasingly being recognized by our scientific community.

The question for many veterinarians and pet owners is: how often should we re-vaccinate after the initial puppy or kitten vaccines? In the past, annual re-vaccination has been recommended as a "better-safe-than-sorry" approach, simply because little was known regarding the duration of immunity. With increasing knowledge of the potential dangers of unnecessary frequent vaccination, and the development of standardized titre testing, this philosophy is being re-visited.

A commonly held belief based on observations as well as scientific studies is that vaccinating every three years is still excessive, as the immune system has a ‘memory´ that helps it to recognize foreign invaders it is primed to defend against. This memory is active for years and possibly for the life of a pet.

The immune system mainly consists of B-cells and T-cells. B-cells are the cells that make the antibodies against viruses, bacteria and other foreign proteins and their response is called the Humoral Response. T-cells are the cells that are the first on the scene, so to speak, and help to clear the body of foreign proteins as well as ‘present´ these proteins to the B-cells. This system is known as the Cell-mediated System. Without T-cells, your body is in big trouble, as people with AIDS soon discover.

A titer is a reflection of the quantity of circulating antibodies (immunoglobulins) to a given antigen (in this case, an organism). The immunologic memory is not dependent upon titers, nor do titer levels always accurately indicate the immune status.

The B-cells retain the ability to produce antibodies toward a given antigen for quite a long time, usually for life. Upon re-exposure, they can produce antibody within forty-eight hours or less. As a consequence of this capability, there is no need for the body to expend the energy needed to maintain circulating antibodies.

A low or absent titer, therefore, does not mean the body is unprotected. The body may simply have cells ready to act, like firefighters playing cards until they are needed. When booster vaccines are administered, antibodies destroy the vaccine particles before they can augment the immunity, and nothing is accomplished.
A titre of 1:5 or greater (larger number to the right of colon) indicates that the pet has mounted an antibody response to the virus being tested. As long as the pet is healthy and immunocompetent, the virus will most likely be cleared. It is irresponsible to say the titre is “protective" since this may be perceived as an implicit guarantee of protection against disease. Vaccination is no guarantee of protection and neither is a positive titre.

Because vaccines carry with them a risk of adverse reactions, talk to your vet about what is absolutely necessary for your pet. For instance, I recommend that my clients with indoor only cats never vaccinate as the risk of them becoming infected with a virus we vaccinate against is next to nothing.

Reactions to vaccines seem to fall into two groups: there may be an allergic reaction within perhaps 48 hours, or an immune system reaction which may be some weeks or even months later. Because of the time lag, these later reactions are often not associated with the vaccine.
Some researchers believe that vaccines may confuse or damage the immune system, either by causing the body to over react to normally harmless substances (allergies, esp. flea allergies, skin problems), or to produce antibodies to itself (autoimmune disease). Response to things the body should reject may become slow, eg. common virus, fungi, parasites, thereby increasing susceptibility to acute infections such as ear infections, chronic worm or flea problems.

Also possible after vaccination are behaviourial changes. I recently treated a 15 month old dog for what is known as Rabies vaccinosis in homeopathic veterinary circles. He had all his initial puppy boosters including Rabies and was re-vaccinated for Rabies at 14 months old to enable him to cross the border to the states.

Within two weeks of the vaccine, he was a different dog. Once the daycare “clown’, he became snappy with the other dogs and he no longer wished to work at his agility training. We treated him with one homeopathic remedy administered twice and by the next day, he was once again his usual self.

This case serves to illustrate that vaccines can have a profound and very deep effect on pets (and people) and should be used with the utmost caution.

Vaccine titre tests provide an alternative for pet owners who have concerns regarding the potential for adverse side effects associated with annual vaccination. These tests are now being accepted at many progressive boarding kennels, agility clubs , obedience classes, pet therapy societies and others.

Re-printed with permission. For more articles by this author you may wish to visit her website at:
Pawsitive Veterinary Care