Vaccination in dogs
Why should I vaccinate my puppy?
Vaccination is important to protect your puppy against nasty diseases that are picked up from its environment.
There are five contagious diseases that your puppy can be vaccinated against. All of these diseases can make your puppy seriously ill and are often fatal so vaccination is vital.
Regular vaccination is helping to make these diseases less common.
What Do We Vaccinate Against?
There are five diseases your puppy is routinely vaccinated against these are:
• Canine Parvovirus
• Canine Distemper
• Infectious Canine Hepatitis
• Leptospirosis
• Canine Parainfluenza
Other vaccines include Bordetella bronchiseptica (Kennel Cough) and Rabies.
Canine Parvovirus
The main clinical signs for this disease are vomiting and haemorrhagic, foul smelling diarrhoea. Your puppy will become ill very quickly if they contract this disease as they become severely dehydrated.
This disease can be treated by intensive rehydration therapy but unfortunately not all dogs can be saved.
Parvovirus is spread by direct contact with infected dogs but can also be picked up on walks as it lives in the environment.
Canine Distemper
The clinical signs for this disease vary as it affects most organs. Some include high temperature, lethargy, vomiting, diarrhoea and neurological signs (fitting, circling etc).
Distemper causes brain damage so even dogs that survive the disease have long term problems that are often difficult to treat such as seizuring or paralysis.
Distemper lives in the environment so could be contracted when you take your puppy for a walk.
Infectious Canine Hepatitis
Clinical signs for this disease include high temperature, refusing to eat, a painful tummy and pale gums.
This disease can have serious side efforts such as permanent kidney damage and can be fatal in puppies.
Again, this disease lives in the environment so can easily be picked up.
Leptospirosis
Clinical signs for this disease include lethargy, refusing to eat, vomiting and diarrhoea.
Although this disease is not as high risk as the others it can still leave your puppy with permanent liver or kidney damage.
Leptospirosis is zoonotic which means it can be spread to humans. This makes it even more important to vaccinate against.
This disease lives in damp areas such as rivers or can be spread by rats so dogs are at risk on every walk.
Canine Parainfluenza
This is one of the many viruses which causes Kennel Cough. Although your puppy is vaccinated against this routinely some kennels require them to have a Bordetella bronchiseptica vaccine as well.
Clinical signs for this disease include an extremely unpleasant whooping cough and in more serious cases refusing to eat and breathing difficulties.
It is more commonly transmitted in places where there is a high concentration of dogs e.g. kennels.
When should I vaccinate my puppy?
• 1st Vaccination – 6-8 weeks
• 2nd Vaccination – 10-12 weeks
However, it is another seven days after the second vaccination until full immunity is reached.
Two injections are given to ensure a good immune response, providing strong protection against the diseases. Up until the age of around six weeks the puppy is protected by its maternal antibodies it received from its mother’s milk. If puppies are vaccinated before six weeks of ages these antibodies can interfere with the effectiveness of the vaccination.
Your puppy’s immunity to these diseases will fade over time so regular vaccination is important. This also gives your dog the opportunity to have a full clinical examination to detect any problems and a chance for you to discuss any concerns with your veterinary surgeon.
Problems with Vaccination
Most dogs show do not have any problems, however, some may be off colour for 24 hours post vaccination.
In rare cases a small lump can appear at the sight of injection but this usually disappears after a few days.
Vaccination may not have full effect if the dog has underlying health problems or has a poor immune system.
If you have any concerns contact the practice immediately.