The vaccination of puppies is one of the crucial steps in
assuring the puppy will have a healthy and happy puppyhood.
The who, what, why, when, where, and how of vaccinations are
complicated, and may vary from puppy to puppy. Always consult
with your veterinarian to determine which vaccines are appropriate
for your puppy. To better understand vaccines, it is important
to understand how the puppy is protected from disease the
first few weeks of its life.
Protection from the mother (maternal antibodies)
A newborn puppy is not naturally immune to diseases. However,
it does have some antibody protection which is derived from
its mother's blood via the placenta. The next level of immunity
is from antibodies derived from the first milk. This is the
milk produced from the time of birth and continuing for 36-48
hours. This antibody-rich milk is called colostrum. The puppy
does not continue to receive antibodies through its mother's
milk. It only receives antibodies until it is two days of
age. All antibodies derived from the mother, either via her
blood or colostrum are called maternal antibodies. It must
be noted that the puppy will only receive antibodies against
diseases for which the mother had been recently vaccinated
against or exposed to. As an example, a mother that had NOT
been vaccinated against or exposed to parvovirus, would not
have any antibodies against parvovirus to pass along to her
puppies. The puppies then would be susceptible to developing
a parvovirus infection.
Window of susceptibility
The age at which puppies can effectively be immunized is proportional
to the amount of antibody protection the puppy received from
its mother. High levels of maternal antibodies present in
the puppies' bloodstream will block the effectiveness of a
vaccine. When the maternal antibodies drop to a low enough
level in the puppy, immunization by a commercial vaccine will
work.
The antibodies from the mother generally circulate in the
newborn's blood for a number of weeks. There is a period of
time from several days to several weeks in which the maternal
antibodies are too low to provide protection against the disease,
but too high to allow a vaccine to work. This period is called
the window of susceptibility. This is the time when despite
being vaccinated, a puppy or kitten can still contract the
disease.
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When should puppies be vaccinated?
The length and timing of the window of susceptibility is different
in every litter, and even between individuals in a litter. A
study of a cross section of different puppies showed that the
age at which they were able to respond to a vaccine and develop
protection (become immunized) covered a wide period of time.
At six weeks of age, 25% of the puppies could be immunized.
At 9 weeks, 40% of the puppies were able to respond to the vaccine.
The number increased to 60% by 16 weeks, and by 18 weeks, 95%
of the puppies could be immunized.
Almost all researchers agree that for puppies and kittens we
need to give at least three combination vaccinations and repeat
these at one year of age. Consult with your veterinarian to
determine which vaccinations your puppy should receive, and
how often.
Without doing an individual test on each puppy, it is impossible
to determine when the puppy's immune system will be best able
to respond. We also realize that in the face of an infection,
due to the window of susceptibility, some litters will contract
a disease (e.g., parvo) despite being vaccinated. By using quality
vaccines and an aggressive vaccination protocol we can make
this window of susceptibility as small as possible. Puppies
that are not exposed to other dogs and have a very small chance
of coming in contact with parvovirus may not need to be vaccinated
as frequently. At the same time some 'high risk' puppies may
need a more intense and aggressive vaccination program. It is
best to work with us on a vaccination protocol that is best
for your individual puppy or kennel, taking into consideration
your individual situation.
Against which diseases should puppies be vaccinated?
Experts generally agree that the core vaccines for dogs include
distemper, canine adenovirus-2 (hepatitis and respiratory disease),
and canine parvovirus-2. Some would say vaccines to protect
against leptospirosis and coronavirus should also be considered
'core' vaccines.
Noncore vaccines include canine parainfluenza and Bordatella
bronchiseptica (both are causes of 'kennel cough'), Borrelia
burgdorferi (causes Lyme Disease), and coronavirus and Leptospira.
Again, consult with your us to select the proper vaccines for
your puppy.
A possible vaccination schedule for the 'average' puppy:
| Age |
Vaccinate for: |
| 5 Weeks |
Parvovirus |
| 6 Weeks |
Combination vaccine w/o leptospirosis |
| 9 Weeks |
Combination vaccine w/o leptospirosis |
| 12 Weeks |
Combination Vaccine |
| 15 Weeks |
Combination Vaccine |
| 1 Year |
Combination Vaccine |
| 2 Years |
Combination Vaccine |
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