# Lepto 2 vs lepto 4 - vacs dilemma



## Molly’s Mum (Jul 4, 2019)

My 9 week old puppy has had lepto 4 with the breeder - with part 2 due 4 weeks later. My vet is saying lepto 2 is enough and can have it 2 weeks after the first round of lepto 4. I should trust my vet shouldn't I? Googling lepto 4 it seems to have had problems - yet my breeder extremely conscientious. What to do? Am so tempted at having puppy out of purdah sooner by having the lepto 2 as the second round. Advice v much appreciated.


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## Lurcherlad (Jan 5, 2013)

I’d go by your vet’s advice if they’re saying 2 as second jab will protect her in your area.

Ours only give 2.


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## Charity (Apr 17, 2013)

Our puppy's just been done with Lepto 4 which is all our vet does. Must admit I was a bit concerned as had read scary stories about 4 but she seems OK. I suppose, like a lot of things, there will be some dogs who have a reaction.


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## lullabydream (Jun 25, 2013)

My vets currently give a choice on puppies, might be phasing Lepto 2 out for Lepto 4. Not quite sure. I asked if it was suffice in this area as I would rather 'stick to what I have always done' and was advised yes. It was a vet a trust and no price difference anyway.


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## Sarah H (Jan 18, 2014)

Most dogs have Lepto 4 with no issues. It's personal choice so do as you feel best.


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## muz (Sep 17, 2012)

My 10 week old labrador has just had his first vaccination, which included Lepto 4. He is still with his breeder as I am away from home for a couple of weeks. I am visiting him, though and was with him at the vet when he had the injections. His breeder works gun dogs up on the North Yorkshire Moors and around here all the vets I checked with are using Lepto 4 as I understand that the extra 2 strains of leptospire covered by the newer vaccine have infected some dogs in this region. Maybe where you and your dog will be walking is an important factor in deciding? Personally, I wanted the puppy to be as protected as possible.


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## ttaylor45 (Jan 3, 2011)

I am hoping to get a new toy poodle puppy later this year having lost both my darling boys last year but am unsure about the lepto 4 jab. The reason for this is Pepe had the lepto 4 jab in 2016 and was never well again so much so he was never given any more vaccinations. He started soon after the jab with a problem with his white blood cells followed by anaemia which was treated for 10 months with steroids followed by kidney disease and finally fast growing cataracts and glaucoma which left him virtually blind. I can’t help but wonder if the lepto 4 was a trigger although Rusty was fine with the lepto 4.


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## Molly’s Mum (Jul 4, 2019)

I ended up going with the lepto 2 (her initial vaccinatin was lepto 4) on the vet's recommendation. He said he hadn't switched to lepto 4 because the extras in 4 weren't necessary where we live and there had been controversy about it.


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## Blitz (Feb 12, 2009)

ttaylor45 said:


> I am hoping to get a new toy poodle puppy later this year having lost both my darling boys last year but am unsure about the lepto 4 jab. The reason for this is Pepe had the lepto 4 jab in 2016 and was never well again so much so he was never given any more vaccinations. He started soon after the jab with a problem with his white blood cells followed by anaemia which was treated for 10 months with steroids followed by kidney disease and finally fast growing cataracts and glaucoma which left him virtually blind. I can't help but wonder if the lepto 4 was a trigger although Rusty was fine with the lepto 4.


I think it very unlikely. How on earth would cataracts be caused by a vaccine. Dogs have a lepto booster annually. If they are going to get ill with something then it will happen some time after that booster. I cant believe how vaccines get blames for every illness that a dog gets for 11 months after a booster! Having said that I do suspect that my dog that has auto immune diseases is affected by her boosters sometimes and I certainly think her breathing problems were helped on their way if not totally caused by a kennel cough vaccine. She will never get a kennel cough vaccine again as I think they are fairly unnecessary anyway but she gets her annual booster as the risk of death from one of the diseases is far greater than any risk from the vaccine. My vet does not give lepto 4 at the moment because it is not needed.



Molly's Mum said:


> I ended up going with the lepto 2 (her initial vaccinatin was lepto 4) on the vet's recommendation. He said he hadn't switched to lepto 4 because the extras in 4 weren't necessary where we live and there had been controversy about it.


Good decision.


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## ttaylor45 (Jan 3, 2011)

Blitz said:


> I think it very unlikely. How on earth would cataracts be caused by a vaccine. Dogs have a lepto booster annually. If they are going to get ill with something then it will happen some time after that booster. I cant believe how vaccines get blames for every illness that a dog gets for 11 months after a booster! Having said that I do suspect that my dog that has auto immune diseases is affected by her boosters sometimes and I certainly think her breathing problems were helped on their way if not totally caused by a kennel cough vaccine. She will never get a kennel cough vaccine again as I think they are fairly unnecessary anyway but she gets her annual booster as the risk of death from one of the diseases is far greater than any risk from the vaccine. My vet does not give lepto 4 at the moment because it is not needed.
> 
> Good decision.


I didn't say that the vaccine caused the cataracts what I said was Pepe was ill with a problem with his white blood cells very soon after the jab followed by anemia where he was on steroids for 10 months which was treated by a specialist vet that I was referred to and she suggested it was probably an auto immune disease he had although it couldn't be diagnosed definitely because he had been on steroids for a few weeks. I obviously can't prove anything but I would prefer to give the new pup lepto 2 to be on the safe side and for my own peace of mind.


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## Twiggy (Jun 24, 2010)

Molly's Mum said:


> I ended up going with the lepto 2 (her initial vaccinatin was lepto 4) on the vet's recommendation. He said he hadn't switched to lepto 4 because the extras in 4 weren't necessary where we live and there had been controversy about it.


*Can your vet confirm that the serovars in the vaccine will cover for strains of the bacteria in your area? There are over 100 strains of leptospirosis and the serovars are not always developed in this country. The vaccine only contains something like five.

I don't like lepto as it's the one that is linked to the most adverse reactions. But talk it through with your vet, it's definitely only something you can decide on behalf of your dogs. If you google 'World Small Animal Veterinary Association' and read their guidelines for canine/feline vaccination, that will explain a lot more.
*
Two of my collies most certainly had adverse reactions to Lepto 2 a few years ago and one of them had to have a lump removed from her neck which was pre-cancerous.


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