From the FAQ above, this seems particular applicable to this discussion: 3. How often should I perform an antibody test for canine distemper (CDV) or canine parvovirus-2 (CPV-2)? The most important time in the life of a dog to perform an antibody test is 2 or more weeks after the last puppy dose of CDV/CPV-2, which should be given at 14 to 16 weeks of age or older. The reason this is important is to ensure your puppy is immune to these two life threatening diseases. If the dog does not have an antibody titer, it should be revaccinated immediately and retested 2 or more weeks later to ensure immunity has developed. These two viruses are much more likely to cause severe disease and death in the young animal, but they can cause disease and death at any age if the animal is not immunized (has not developed antibody to the viruses). When demonstrating antibody after the series of puppy vaccinations, you can test the dog again in a year. If the dog is immune, you need not repeat testing more often than every 3 or more years.
Obi is on the schedule you describe here. At our dog club we don't have to show a vaccination cert when we renew - we just have to give the date on which the vacc happened. The 3 yearly schedule (plus annual for the 2 kennel cough variants) is what the Aust Vet Assoc recommends so I'm sure the dog club will accept it.
It's interesting, isn't it? So I will be asking my vet now if Charlie should only be vaccinated against canine distemper (plus his normal annual vaccs of course), and not the other core ones, as that's the only one that shows Charlie isn't protected. I don't need a vaccination certificate for anything, I don't use boarding kennels etc.
Are the core vaccines available separately? When I asked about this -- wanting to space out Snowie's vaccines because he reacts so badly to anything injected into him -- I was told that the 5-in-1 comes like that; you can't give them separately. Only rabies and kennel cough come separately.
I don't know, I haven't asked yet. In the link you posted earlier, the supplier offers to ship individual vaccines for $25, so I presume you can get separate ones... I also don't know if the titer test is sufficiently accurate to decide not to vaccinate a dog, rather than an indication that you definitely need to do so.
My vet in South Africa wasn't able to get them separately. My understanding is the titer test results shows you whether your dog has antibodies. If he/she does, then no need to vaccinate -- the antibodies are proof that your dog has sufficient immunity. As for how accurate they are... either way, if they are inaccurate then why do it?
Maybe in the UK/US they are available separately - my vet said (in his voice mail which I've just listened to again) that we only need give Charlie a vaccination for distemper, so I suppose he has access to that single vaccine. I'm still reading about the value of titer tests (although will of course go with whatever my vet recommends, I do trust him). Here is a useful looking article, for example: http://skeptvet.com/Blog/2014/12/antibody-titer-testing-as-a-guide-for-vaccination-in-dogs-and-cats/
