WHAT IS A TITRE AND WHY SHOULD I MEASURE ONE?

 By Dr Jodie Gruenstern    

Titre is correctly spelled titre or titer. It is pronounced tight-er. It is a blood test which measures the immune response to an antigen exposure. The number measured is an antibody level present at different titration or dilution levels of the blood. The antigen that the body has been exposed to in order to stimulate the immune response could have been present in a vaccination or the disease itself. If antibody levels are present in highly diluted blood, then that’s a high titre. A high titre level may indicate lots of exposure, lots of protection or perhaps long-lasting immunity. The titre level is one indicator of the body’s immune response to an antigenic stimulation.

A lot of research has been preformed on dog and cat serum to establish what antibody titre levels are protective against distemper/parvo and distemper/rhino/calici respectively. Comparable research does NOT exist to assert what titre levels are protective against the rabies virus. Challenge studies based on time interval since last vaccination have been performed for rabies. This is what dictates the 1 year initial, 3 year booster rule. There is an on going study to try to prove the 3 year vaccine for rabies actually protects for 5 years.

It is useful to understand that the titre measures antibody levels in the blood which is part of the body’s humoral defense system. In addition to this protection, our body has a cellular defense. This is at the mucous lining level. A body can stop an offending antigen as it enters your nasal passage or mouth for example, before it enters the bloodstream. This protection is NOT measured by a titre. So, if your pet has a low titre, that may increase his susceptibility to disease, but his cellular immunity could still afford him all the necessary protection.

With in the humoral defense are two levels: sterilizing immunity and memory immunity. If your pet has a high number of antibodies in the blood, it may be a sterilizing level. This means if he is exposed to the disease his body will neutralize it so easily, you won’t even know he was exposed! If your pet has a low level of antibodies in the blood, it may be a memory level. This means if he is exposed to the disease he may become somewhat ill, but will ‘remember’ and fight and overcome the disease.

Thus, you should realize it is your pet’s immune response TO a vaccination, NOT the vaccination itself that protects your pet from disease. There exists the phenomenon of no responders and low responders. Some pets simply don’t respond to vaccination. Some pets, even with repetitive vaccinations are low responders. It is important to be aware if your pet is a poor responder. You wouldn’t want to assume that just because your pet has been vaccinated that he is protected. Many dog enthusiasts have heard of someone who has lost a pet to parvo even though the dog was vaccinated.

There are many reasons for vaccination failure. A titre is a blood draw that serves as one tool to assure you that your pet companion is protected. Titre levels and recommendations based on them should be very individualized. A pet’s lifestyle should be considered when making titre/vaccination recommendations. If your pet has a high titre, he does not need to be vaccinated with that antigen. If he has a low titre despite a history of lots of exposure to that antigen, then another vaccination is not going to be boost him any further. In fact, repeating an unnecessary or ineffective vaccination could be harmful.

Vaccines have been associated with  vomiting, diarrhea, fevers, rashes, anaphylaxis, vaccine site tumors, seizures and immune mediated disorders.

A veterinarian who is experienced with utilizing titre information can provide you with guidance as to when to perform a titre and then based on that result, whether or not to boost.

I recommend vaccinating puppies with distemper/hepatitis/parainfluenza/parvo at 8 and 12 weeks. Do an in clinic titre at 16 weeks for rapid results. It measures only distemper and parvo. If it is positive for both then this means there is a sterilizing level of protection. I then give the rabies vaccine. If one or the other is negative there could still be adequate memory or even cellular immunity, however in a puppy who has not been “over vaccinated”, who has not had any reaction, and who could have had mother’s antibody present at time of prior vaccination, blocking the effectiveness of the vaccine, I would boost again with whichever individual vaccine was needed.

It is of notable interest that in hundreds of puppies/dogs on whom we performed hepatitis/adenovirus titre testing not one was unprotected. Therefore we no longer test for this antibody level.

At the dog’s annual wellness exam we perform a titre which delivers actual number results. This takes two weeks. There results tell me if the pet’s prior vaccinations have stimulated the pet’s immune system to a degree that he has either memory or sterilizing immunity levels. I decide based on the pet’s age, lifestyle, other disorders present, previous number of vaccines, guardian’s concerns about vaccine reactions, whether or not a booster is recommended. A technician calls the owner to report the results and recommendation.

The most a titre drops in one is in half. So depending on how high it starts the first time we check it, we can extrapolate and tell a client, a doggy day care, a boarding kennel, how often we feel a titre needs to be checked on an individual to assure that he is protected. Some dogs are checked annually to satisfy a kennel requirement, others have NOT been checked NOR vaccinated for several years and then have still been found to have protective levels. Obviously, this saves the pet a lot of vaccine-associated risk and the client a lot of money. Sometimes a new client whose pet has been vaccinated annually for many years receives his first titre test when older. Despite all that vaccine we determine he’s a low responder. This tells us to stop vaccinating! The client has been wasting money and taking unnecessary risk with his pet’s immune health. That pet needs to be careful where he goes, what he sniffs and what he eats (i.e. other dog poo).

Specific canine titre parameters are as follows:

Michigan State University reports:

        CDV >  32                CPV >  80

       (Distemper)                 (Parvo)

These levels would be considered protective. Roughly equivalent to sterilizing immunity.

Dr Ron Schultz at the university of Wisconsin-Madison VMTH has explained that his research shows:

        CDV > 4                  CPV > 20

May also be protective, but roughly equivalent to memory levels of immunity.

Efficacy and legal guidelines for administration of rabies vaccine is based on duration of immunity to challenge studies, not on titre levels. Therefore performance of titre testing for rabies protection does not yield useful results. Keep in mind, vaccine manufacturers state that  a vaccine should only administered to “healthy dogs”. Efficacy could be affected by “stress, weather, nutrition, disease, parasitism, concurrent treatments, individual idiosyncrasies or impaired immunological competency”. Thus, the administration of a vaccine does not guarantee protection.

Ask questions before you consent to the vaccination of a pet with allergies, diabetes, otitis, hypothyroidism, epilepsy, hyperadrenocorticism, kidney disease, cancer or other disease.

       Dr Jodie is a holistically focused veterinarian at the Animal Doctor in Muskego, Wisconsin.

       You can contact her for an appointment or telephone consultation at:

414-422-1300

animaldoctormuskego.com

      

WHEN IS A DOG CONSIDERED FAT?

Veterinarians often use a 9 point scoring system to evaluate the body condition of pets. A point value of 1 means the dog is extremely thin to the point of emaciation. A score of 9 means the pet is grossly overweight. To determine body score, there are several specific areas of the dog  to look at.

Remember, these are guidelines!!

To perform the rating, first feel your dogs ribs. You should be able to quite easily feel the ribs. There should be a slight amount of fat over them, but each rib should be distinct. If you can see the ribs, your dog is to thin. If you can not feel them at all, your dog is overweight.

Next, check the area near the base of the tail. There should be a slight fat covering over this area and it should  feel smooth. If the bones protrude, your dog is too thin; if you can not feel any bones at all, your dog is overweight.

Third, feel other bony prominences on your dogs body such as spine, shoulders and hips. Again, you should be able to feel a small amount of fat over these areas. If these bones are easily felt or visible, your dog is too thin. If you can not feel the bones beneath the layer of fat, your dog is overweight.

Now look at your dog from above. Your dog should have a definite waist behind the ribs. If the waist is extreme, or again, bony prominences are visible, your dog is too thin. If there is no waist, or worst yet, the area between the ribs and hips is wider then the hips or ribs, your dog is grossly overweight.

Fifth, look at your dog from the side. Dogs should have an abdominal tuck,  I.e., the area behind the ribs should be smaller in diameter than the chest.  A dog who is too thin will have a very severe abdominal tuck. Overweight dogs will have no abdominal tuck.

THE YIN AND YANG OF FOOD

One of the most important things that we can do for pets is to feed them properly, and while it is not that difficult to achieve a balanced diet, it is a bit more complex when we use food to help achieve optimal health. In Traditional Chinese medicine, foods are looked at much like herbs. Foods can heal. Foods can balance or unbalance the body. All foods have energetic properties, and the foods you feed your pet will affect their constitution, their affect, and can help to alleviate or exasperate personality traits, disease symptoms, and behaviors. Hot natured pets will tend to do better with cooling or neutral foods as cold natured pets will do better with neutral to warming foods. Thus the question of what foods are best to feed my pet is not a “one size fits all” answer. The first thing you need to do is to determine whether your pet is hot or cold natured.
The yin and yang of pets
Some characteristics of a hot natured, yang, animal ….
These animals are often nervous and on edge. They may have a red tongue, pant excessively and seek cool floors on which to lie. Often you will note that these animals have very poor energy in summer heat, and show signs of excessive thirst. They will avoid warm beds, couches or carpets. These animals tend to get more acute, sudden illnesses with intense symptoms which go as quickly as they came.
Some characteristics of a cold natured, yin, animal ……
These animals will be cool, calm and collected. They may have a pale tongue which is often wet. They may prefer warm places to sleep, or wish to be covered or cuddled for warmth. These animals generally do not like to be out in the winter but will bake themselves in the sun or in front of the fire place until you fear they may combust. Cold natured animals tend to be more slow moving and sleepy and may catch colds frequently.

The temperature of foods
Food also has tendencies toward yin or yang. The temperature or thermal nature of foods does not refer to the temperature at which the food is served, but the way the food makes the body feel once consumed. Cooling foods can cool both the body and the psyche. Conversely warming or hot foods will affect the entire body as well. Foods, like bodies, all have BOTH yin and yang properties, but some have more of one and some more of the other.
Warming foods are often used to aid digestion. They can also improve circulation and may help ease the pain of arthritis if it is worse in cold weather.
Cooling foods will calm the mind and cool the body. They can also be useful when inflammation is a problem.
Neutral foods are the harmonizers of the diet and are often added to balance or temper the more extreme qualities of other foods.
EXAMPLES OF WARMING FOODS
tuna, turkey, salmon, lamb, venison, chicken, chicken liver, shrimp, trout, oats, cabbage, squash, kale, quinoa, dried ginger
EXAMPLES OF COOLING FOODS
clams, duck, egg, tofu, pork, millet, barley, wheat, whole wheat bread, lettuce, celery, broccoli, spinach, tomato, kelp, banana
EXAMPLES OF NEUTRAL FOODS
beef, beef liver, chicken gizzards, rabbit, sardine, string beans, aduki beans, kidney beans, yam, polenta, rice, corn, rye, potato, beet, turnip, carrot, eggs, cod, brown rice
In addition to their thermal properties, foods can moisten or dry, clear excesses or stimulate in cases of deficiency.
FOODS THAT MOISTEN
potato, sardines, tofu, wheat, pork, mussel, citrus, barley, , string beans, dairy
FOODS THAT DRY
lettuce, turnip, asparagus, amaranth, rye, mackerel, celery, garlic
This is only the tip of the iceburg so far as the true qualities of foods go. Before choosing or changing a diet for your pet always consult with your veterinarian for recommendations and understand that each body is different. The simple question…what is the best diet for my pet???…. may not have a simple answer.
Dr. Tracy Lord D.V.M. on 03 Aug 2007
(Reprinted with Permission)