Welcoming a new puppy into your home is an exciting and joyous moment. Along with the cuddles and playtime, there comes the responsibility of ensuring your furry friend’s health and well-being. Vaccinations play a crucial role in safeguarding your puppy against potentially life-threatening diseases. In this blog post, we’ll delve into the essential vaccine protocols for puppies, helping you understand their importance, schedule, and benefits.
Why Vaccinations Matter?
Vaccinations are vital for protecting puppies from infectious diseases, some of which can be fatal or have severe consequences. Puppies have developing immune systems, making them more susceptible to illnesses. Vaccines work by introducing a weakened or inactivated form of a disease-causing organism, prompting the puppy’s immune system to create antibodies to fight it off. In the future, if the puppy encounters the actual pathogen, their immune system will recognize and respond to it, preventing the disease from taking hold or reducing its severity.
Core Vaccines
Core vaccines are those recommended for all puppies because the diseases they protect against are widespread, highly contagious, and often fatal. The core vaccines for puppies usually include:
- Canine Distemper Virus (CDV): This viral disease affects a puppy’s respiratory, gastrointestinal, and nervous systems. CDV is highly contagious and often fatal, making vaccination crucial.
- Canine Parvovirus (CPV): Parvovirus attacks a puppy’s gastrointestinal tract, leading to severe vomiting, diarrhea, dehydration, and potentially death. It is highly contagious and can survive in the environment for extended periods. Parvo is extremely resilient, parvovirus can survive in the environment for up to nine years, including the ground and soil. It can also withstand most household cleaning products (bleach is an exception), heat, cold and humidity, all of which makes the spread of the virus is hard to control.
- Canine Adenovirus (CAV): This virus causes respiratory and liver infections in dogs. The most serious form is infectious canine hepatitis, which can be life-threatening.
- Rabies: Rabies is a deadly viral disease that affects the nervous system of animals, including humans. It is transmitted through the bite of an infected animal and poses a significant risk to public health.
Non-Core Vaccines
Non-core vaccines are recommended based on the puppy’s lifestyle, risk factors, and geographical location. Some examples of non-core vaccines include:
- Bordetella bronchiseptica: Also known as kennel cough, this bacterium causes respiratory infections and is common in places with a high density of dogs, such as boarding facilities or dog parks. It can live outside the hots for 2 days. Brochiseptica has been shown to survive for 24 weeks in a phosphate-buffered saline and in lake water at 10 degrees Celsius and at 37 degrees Celsius, without any nutritional supplement. Bronchiseptica can also survive in soil for 45 days. There are many things that can cause a dog to have an unproductive cough. From swallowing sticks or bugs to incessant barking, it can be difficult to pinpoint the cause of a canine cough. Especially, because a dog can be infected by Bordetella for 2 to 14 days before it coughs the first time. Unfortunately, there is no test for Kennel Cough. So, most Veterinarians will treat your dog as if it has Bordetella if an unproductive cough persists.
- Leptospira: Leptospirosis is a bacterial disease that can be transmitted to dogs from contaminated water sources. It can also be transmitted to humans.
- Canine Influenza: Canine influenza (CI, or dog flu) is caused by the canine influenza virus (CIV), an influenza A virus. It is highly contagious and easily spread from infected dogs to other dogs by direct contact, nasal secretions (through barking, coughing or sneezing), contaminated objects (kennel surfaces, food and water bowls, collars and leashes), and by people moving between infected and uninfected dogs. Dogs of any breed, age, sex or health status are at risk of infection when exposed to the virus. The symptoms of a CIV infection resemble those of canine infectious tracheobronchitis (“kennel cough”). Dogs infected with CIV develop a persistent cough and may develop a thick nasal discharge and fever (often 104-105oF). Other signs can include lethargy, eye discharge and reduced appetite. Canine influenza infections can cause mild to severe illness in dogs. Some infected dogs may not show any signs of illness, but can still be contagious and able to infect other dogs
Most dogs recover within 2-3 weeks. However, some dogs may develop secondary bacterial infections which may lead to more severe illness and pneumonia. Anyone with concerns about their pet’s health, or whose pet is showing signs of canine influenza, should contact their veterinarian. Dogs infected with CIV are most contagious during the two- to four- day virus incubation period, when they shed the virus in their nasal secretions but do not show signs of illness. The virus is highly contagious and almost all dogs exposed to CIV will become infected. The majority (80%) of infected dogs develop flu-like illness. The mortality (death) rate from CIV is low (less than 10%).
Vaccine Schedule
The vaccine schedule for puppies typically starts at 6-8 weeks of age and continues until they are around 16-20 weeks old. Puppies receive multiple doses of vaccines during this period to ensure adequate protection and to account for the maternal antibodies they received from their mother. The exact schedule may vary based on the specific vaccines and the veterinarian’s recommendations.
- 6-8 Weeks: Distemper, Parvovirus, Adenovirus, Parainfluenza (DHPP combination vaccine)
- 10-12 Weeks: DHPP booster, Leptospirosis (if recommended)
- 14-16 Weeks: DHPP booster, Rabies vaccine
- Other non-core vaccines: If applicable, they are usually given around 12-16 weeks.
Conclusion
Vaccinations are a critical aspect of responsible puppy ownership. By adhering to a well-planned vaccine protocol, you are providing your furry friend with the best chance of a long and healthy life. Consult your veterinarian to create a tailored vaccination plan for your puppy based on their lifestyle, risk factors, and local disease prevalence. Remember, vaccinations not only protect your puppy but also contribute to the overall health and well-being of the entire dog population by reducing the spread of infectious diseases. Together, let’s ensure our beloved pets lead happy, healthy lives!
