Once again, does your dog have all it's shots?
Interesting question --- lets go the risk analysis route.
Dog
My dog is a hunting dog and is in the field a lot. So exposures to ticks, parasites, fleas, cuts that get infected -- are all common. As are exposures to speargrass, foxtail, tussles with muskrats, mice, squirrels (all ending badly for the rodent) and exposure to thorns (Buffalo berry being the worst so far) and toxic weeds. So I value my dog and keep him on shots and meds for deworming, ticks, fleas, rabies, do physical inspections after every outing and do routine follow ups with the vet on his health. If my dog was not an active field dog I would knowingly pull back on his shots as the risks would be lower.
Me
I am older, have had polio in my back which affects lung capacity, have a heart condition that requires management, have a history of cancer in the family, have a history of re-occurring pneumonia and have doctors that have recommended certain courses of action for me to manage my lifestyle risks. One of the recommendations from my heart specialist was to get vaccinated. So risk management says I am in the categories that would be susceptible to problems should I catch the virus. Now if I was younger and in good health my decision would be more like our children who are choosing to be lifestyle safe and watch for a bit longer.
So this decision is a personal one everyone has to make on their own. I am not pushing my views down on our kids --- make them aware of information and where to do good research then they can make their own decision based on the risks in their lives.
