The Well Dog Place

Dr. Ken Tudor Holistic Veterinarian

Dogs can have their blood tested for antibodies through a titer test. If the test shows they are not protected, then it is time to vaccinate.

Dog Vaccine Primer 09 | What is a Blood Titer Test?

Here at The Well Dog Place we are always talking about doing blood titer tests for Distemper virus and Parvovirus rather than over vaccinating. But many of our dog parents don’t really know what a titer test means. By definition, a blood titer is the largest dilution of blood that still has evidence of antibodies to a particular virus. But what does that mean?

How Titer Tests Work

A sample of blood from a dog is serially diluted with special chemicals as follows:
Full strength, 1:2, 1:4, 1:8, 1:16, 1:32, 1:64, 1:128, etc.
The higher the dilution, the less of the dog’s blood is in the solution
The dilutions are then exposed to the virus we wish to identify
The chemical reaction of blood with the virus is linked to a dye that can be read by the naked eye or special machines
The highest dilution where the dye is still visible to the eye or machine is the dog’s titer to that virus

Research has verified the titer dilution necessary to protect dogs from distemper or parvo. If your dog’s titer is lower than those recognized as protective, your dog needs a vaccination. If her titer is equal to or greater than the protective levels, vaccination is not necessary at the time.

It is recommended to repeat blood titers yearly for these infectious disease to find out when protection from them has ended and your dog needs a protective vaccination.

Author

Ken Tudor DVM

Dr. Ken Tudor, Holistic Veterinarian

Dr. Ken Tudor is a recognized expert and leader in the field of pet nutrition and fitness. He has developed a pet weight management program and served on the American Animal Hospital Association task force to develop their Weight Management Guidelines for Dogs and Cats. He is also a frequent guest on the Pet World Insider radio show and a popular guest on the televised Pet Ex Talks-Pet Experts Empowering Pet Parents show.

Dog Vaccine Primer 09 | What is a Blood Titer Test?

Dog Vaccine Primer

At THE WELL DOG PLACE Whenever you "Refer a Friend" you get $20 off AND they get $20 off their first exam. Call for an appointment:
(909) 929-0778

NEW - If you don't live close enough to visit our office...

If you are too far away to see Dr. Tudor in person, but still wish to make your own balanced dog food at home using Dr. Tudor's exclusive nutrient powder, omega 3 oil and recipes, we now offer two options for you:

Healthier Homemade for Dogs

When you need or want custom recipes that are personalized for your fur family, our sister site Healthier Homemade can help you out. Because this service is remote, we are unable to give medical advice or diagnosis, so we work with your veterinarian to make sure your fur family is well cared for.

At Healthier Homemade, we offer Medical Recipe Programs for 14 different conditions. See them in detail here.

There are an assortment of recipe formulations for dogs with diagnosed Food Allergies. They include, High Protein, Instant, and Economy options.

If you have all Normal Adult Dogs in your fur family and wish to have more control over the formulations of your recipes, we offer Economy, Instant, High Protein, and Ultra-High Protein (including a few all meat options).

With all of our custom recipes you may include up to 4 dogs (with the same health profile) and you may choose cooking frequency from every day to once a week. We do all the math, we even calculate serving size for each dog! We also have detailed tutorials for each step of cooking, mixing, and storing.

Hearthstone Homemade for Dogs

If you are an experienced cook, like flexibility, have a normal adult dog, and just need general guidelines, Hearthstone may be right for you. Before purchasing a Starter Kit, you can see a complete list of ingredient options that can be used.

Our EZ Meal Planner gives you a great starting point. You still get to pick out wholesome ingredients at the grocery store and you still get "The Well Dog Nutrient Powder" to make sure your dogs' meals are balanced.

The Getting Started page gives you a great road map for what you need to equip your kitchen, preparation, transitioning to a new food, and more.