this post was submitted on 13 Oct 2023
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@FlyingSquid Good read. Thoughts on the vaccinations for things like fleas, ticks, heart worms?
I didn't know you could vaccinate against those. Are the vaccinations effective enough on their own or would you need to supplement? We give our dogs Trifexis, which seems to work really well (they hate it though). Never had a flea or a tick or any heartworm detected. Now our dogs don't socialize with other dogs, which I'm sure helps, but I don't think that's the sole reason.
If my vet recommended vaccinating my dogs for those... well, I go to my vet because I trust her judgment. Or I wouldn't go to her.
There is a seasonal medication for flea, tick, and heartworm. I just get the medication as part of my dog's yearly checkup. It's just a tablet I need to feed him once a month for the warm months. IDK if they are technically vaccines, but they are preventative.
I think your general point stands that preventative medicines of all kinds have high value. From a technical standpoint, they are different types of medication.
Vaccines teach immune systems how to recognize and attack diseases and pathogens. These sorts of medications and treatments directly poison the parasites. They're similar in effect in that the pets are defended against unwanted aggressors, but differ in the mechanism.