b"Dog Vaccines:There Is No One Size Fits All.by Dr. Timothy JonesYour pets vaccine protocol should be tailored to his or herlifestyle. All dogs require rabies vaccines by law and dog ownersshould make sure they keep rabies up to date. This is not onlyfor the health of the dog, but also to avoid potential legal issues.In addition to rabies, all dogs need Distemper and Parvovirusvaccines. Beyond these essential vaccines, owners should discusstheirpetslifestylewiththeirveterinariantodeterminetheindividual risk of exposure to disease, which non-essential vac-cines will benefit their pet, and the frequency of their vaccina-tions. Some non-essential vaccines your veterinarian may rec-ommendincludeBordatella(kennelcough),Influenza,Leptosprosis and Lyme disease. Consider the following scenarios: a four-pound Chihuahuathat lives on the 23rd floor of a city sky scrapper uses potty padsandrarelyleavesthehome,versusa65-poundLabradorRetriever that walks on the street multiple times a day, frequentsdog parks and doggy day care, and goes on weekly hiking tripswith its owners. These two pets have very different lifestyles andtherefore very different risks of exposure to disease. Nowadays, many dogs are jet setters, traveling the worldboth domestically and internationally with their owners. It isvital to share detailed information about your pets lifestyle withyour veterinarian in order to make an accurate risk assessment.Although vaccines today are much safer than they were 20 yearsago, no one wants to over-vaccinate dogs. Conversely, every petowner would be devastated to lose their four-legged friend to apreventable disease, so it is imperative that they protect their dogfrom all diseases to which they are at risk. The media has been focusing on the influenza outbreaknear Chicago that prompted the closure of several dog parks inthe area. What you may not be aware of is that the UniversityofFloridaSchoolof VeterinaryMedicinesentastatewidememo to all veterinary hospitals stating that they have recentlyseen a dramatic increase in leptospirosis diagnoses. Consult with your veterinarian today about your pets spe-cific lifestyle and how to customize their vaccine protocol. Itcould be as simple as describing your dogs daily and weeklyroutine and it could prevent a life threatening illness.UDr. Jones is with Veterinary Medical Clinic, Tampa and Urgent PetCare of South Tampa. He may be reached at 813.289.4086.Here is something every pet owner should have onhand for emergencies.Fortunately, it's common and cheap,and you may already have it in your kitchen cupboard. Thatitem is corn starch. If your dog or cat is experiencing minorbleeding, you can pack the wound with corn starch tostaunch the flow and soak up the blood.One word of advice from this veterinarian: This is intend-ed to be used for minor bleeding, like from a very shallowcut, scrape, or quicked nail. More serious bleeding is life-threatening and may need stitches or other care only a vet-erinarian can provide. Dr. Marty Becker.www.TheNewBarker.com Summer/Fall ~ 2015 THE NEW BARKER 65"