Email Opal at puppppyluv@aol.com 417-831-9105
Join our free Newsletter list to be notified when we add something new CLICK HERE. 

FACTS AND FALLACIES ABOUT CANINE IMMUNIZATION

The following consumer information is provided by Dr. Sandra Woods, Division of Drugs for Non-Food Animals, Center for Veterinary Medicine.

ALL of our puppies ship to you with their shots current and up to date.

1. In young puppies, 95 percent of their immunity is obtained by consuming colostrum, which is the first milk produced by the mother dog shortly after birth.

   TRUE. If the dam is immune to the common infectious canine diseases, her puppies will also be protected for six to sixteen weeks after birth, if they consume colostrum.

    

2. Female dogs revaccinated prior to breeding pass more antibodies on to their puppies in their colostrum than non-revaccinated dogs.

   TRUE. The higher the dam's concentration of antibodies to infectious diseases, the more protection she can pass on to her puppies. Revaccination causes the body to produce a large amount of antibodies.

    

3. While they are present, antibodies received from the mother do not interfere with permanent vaccination of her puppies.

   FALSE. The antibodies a puppy receives from his mother will tie up the antigens in a vaccine and prevent the puppy from making his own antibodies for weeks after birth.

    

4. Whether the vaccine used contains a killed virus or a modified live virus has no effect on the response to vaccination in the older puppy (over three months old) or adult dog.

   FALSE. In general, the modified live vaccines are more effective and produce a longer period of immunity. The killed vaccines require repeated doses to produce an adequate immune response, but they are safer for use in sick or pregnant dogs. Your veterinarian can advise you on which vaccines and what immunization schedule is best for your dog.

    

5. The route of administration (usually intramuscular or subcutaneous) has no effect on the level of protection produced in dogs old enough to be vaccinated.

   FALSE. The effect that the route of administration has on the dog's response to vaccination depends on the vaccine being administered. For example, rabies vaccine is much more effective given by the intramuscular route than by the subcutaneous route. With canine distemper vaccine, both routes appear to be equally effective.

    

6. Repeat vaccination of puppies is required because the exact time when the vaccination will be effective can't be determined.

   TRUE. The antibodies a puppy receives from his mother gradually wear out and are eliminated by the puppy's disease defense system. The more antibodies the puppy receives in the colostrum, the longer this takes. Vaccination schedules usually provide multiple shots at two to four week intervals, thus ensuring that one or more of the shots are given when the puppy will be receptive to the vaccination.

    

7. Orphan puppies that received no colostrum should be vaccinated at four to five weeks of age with killed vaccines.

   TRUE. Vaccination before one month of age may be ineffective because the immune system does not start to mature until after normal adult body temperature is achieved. A modified live vaccine can cause disease by infecting the immature puppy; therefore, killed vaccines should be used in very young animals.

    

8. Since older dogs (over seven years of age) may have a decreased ability to produce antibodies in response to vaccination, they should be revaccinated yearly.

   TRUE . Older dogs do not produce as many antibodies in response to vaccination as younger dogs. The duration of protection from a single vaccination will therefore be shorter for the older animal. Yearly revaccination prevents antibody levels from dropping below levels that are protective.

    

9. In a multiple dog household, it is best to synchronize revaccinations so that no dog is omitted.

   TRUE. Revaccinate some of your dogs early so that all future vaccinations will be due at the same time. This simplifies record-keeping and ensures that each animal is protected at all times.

    

10. Vaccination of a dog that is already ill with the disease will prevent the disease from progressing.

    FALSE. Vaccination of a sick dog will not prevent disease because the protective antibody level will not be reached before full development of the illness. Four days to two weeks is required for the body to make enough antibodies to protect itself from disease. The antibodies must be present prior to exposure to the disease-causing organism.

     

11. Vaccinated puppies should be protected from chilling, since chilling reduces the amount of antibodies produced after vaccination.

    TRUE. Recent research on litters of puppies matched for age, sex, and weight demonstrated significantly higher antibody levels in the puppies not subjected to a cold environment during the time antibodies were forming after vaccination.

     

12. Dogs do not need to be vaccinated for canine distemper, canine hepatitis, leptospirosis, parainfluenza and parvo virus, since they will acquire natural immunity anyway.

    FALSE. All of the named diseases can be fatal. Recovery from any of them usually leaves the dog immune to the same disease, but does not prevent internal organ damage which can predispose the animal to other serious disease states.

     

13. If a dog is being treated with anticancer drugs and/or high doses of corticosteroids, that treatment will have no effect on the response to vaccinations.

    FALSE. Immunosuppressive drugs such as anticancer drags or high dose corticosteroids can impair the immune response to the point that modified live virus vaccines can infect the dog and cause the disease they are meant to prevent. No disease will develop in response to the use of killed vaccines, but no protective level of antibodies will develop either.

     

14. Severely debilitated dogs should be vaccinated to protect them from infectious diseases.

    FALSE. Severely debilitated dogs may be susceptible to vaccination-induced disease from modified live virus since they lack enough protein to make antibodies. If they must be vaccinated, killed vaccines should be used and the dogs should be revaccinated when their health improves.

     

15. In areas experiencing rabies outbreaks, all puppies over four months of age should be vaccinated.

    TRUE. Rabies is a serious viral disease that is fatal in humans and animals and can be transmitted from one to the other. Public health regulations require vaccination of all domestic animals that could transmit rabies to people. The normal rabies vaccination age for dogs is four months, but the vaccine can be used in puppies as young as three months.

     

16. Immune serum, which is a source of preformed antibodies, can protect an orphan puppy from infection but will not give him permanent immunity.

    TRUE. Immune serum contains preformed antibodies just like colostrum. It provides instant protection, but as the antibodies are used up (within a few days to a few weeks), they are not replaced. Immune serum is used only to protect dogs that may be exposed to disease before permanent vaccinations can be completed.

    NOTE:

    The best way to protect your dog is to have your veterinarian set up a vaccination program. This program will provide your dog with excellent protection against almost all of the important infectious diseases that he could catch. Proper protection means a longer healthier life for your dog.

Thank you for visiting our puppies.

***NEW Fully Automated Program for making Personalized Holiday Letters***
DOZENS & DOZENS of letters and personalization options.
Bigger & Better than anything currently on the market.
Personal Use OR Home Business Opportunity
A MUST see to believe item!!  Also get a FREE Child ID Safety Kit!!