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Puppy Vaccinations and Your
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and it is vital to its future health that these stay current and up to date. All newborn puppies are not born naturally immune to diseases.
They do have some antibody protection derived from its mother's blood via the placenta as well as another level of immunity to antibodies derived from the first milk, called colostrum. This is the milk produced from the time of birth and continuing for 36 - 48 hours.
After this amount of time however the puppy does not continue to receive antibodies through its mother's milk. It is important to note that the puppy will only receive antibodies against diseases for which the mother had been recently vaccinated against or exposed to.
It is also important to point out that the antibodies from the mother generally circulate in the puppies blood for a number of weeks. Because of this there is a period of time from several days to several weeks in which the maternal antibodies are too low to provide protection against certain diseases, but too high to allow a vaccine to work properly in the puppies system. This period, called the window of susceptibility, is the time when despite being vaccinated, a puppy could still contract any of the diseases mentioned below.
Almost all veterinary researchers agree that puppies need at least three combination puppy vaccinations given every three weeks from six weeks of age until the puppy is about sixteen weeks of age which are then again repeated with one shot at one year of age.
Many veterinarians feel that this schedule will help protect the widest range of puppies - vaccinating some dogs that are not yet capable of responding to the vaccines while revaccinating some dogs that have already responded and developed their own antibody protection.
You want a healthy puppy that is free of parasites and on good food. Nutrition is very important- especially in the first year of life. Your purebred puppies health should be of utmost concern to you. As always, consult with your local veterinarian concerning any questions that you may have.
There are many diseases that the new puppy may come in contact with and it is these puppy vaccinations that help build resistance to the viral attacks.
Though there are multiple ailments and diseases, I will attempt to briefly list and discuss only a few of the more common ones in this puppy article. As always, puppy vaccinations are the best preventive method.
Parvovirus (parvo). This is a very serious disease. It attacks the intestinal system and is a viral disease of dogs. Parvo is characterized by severe, bloody diarrhea and vomiting, high fever and lethargy. The diarrhea is particularly foul smelling and is sometimes yellow in color. Parvo can also attack a dog's heart causing congestive heart failure. Remember, without medical treatment, most puppies die from Parvo.
Distemper. This disease attacks every tissue in the body and may occur through inhalation of the virus in a contaminated area. Signs of the disease often resemble a bad cold with fever at first though the later stages may result in vomiting, high fever, diarrhea, convulsions and thickening/cracking of the nose and pads. Death is common and dogs and who recover may have future nervous damage. Simple puppy vaccinations are the best prevention.
Hepatitis. Spread through contact with contaminated urine or feces. This affects the kidneys and liver- often dogs will have high fever, lack of appetite, vomiting/diarrhea with blood, and depression. Often affected animals will have chronic health problems and recovered dogs will pass infected urine for months after infection. Again, vaccinations are the best preventive method.
Leptospirosis (Lepto). Affect the liver and kidneys and can be
transmitted to man via contact with the urine of an infected dog. Signs such as vomiting and thirst, bloody diarrhea, depression, and jaundice may occur. Antiobiotic treatment is important though the best prevention is through vaccination.
Rabies. Transmitted through the saliva of an infected animal, rabies is another disease that may be spread to humans.
The disease affects the nervous tissues and causes paralysis and death (always). Again, vaccinations are your best weapon against this disease. Below find a brief listing of other common problems of which you should be aware.
Kennel cough. Kennel cough deals with bacterial and/or viral infections in the upper respiratory tract. Symptoms of kennel cough are a constant wheezing cough. Highly contagious as well!
Other symptoms to watch for in your new purebred puppy:
Vomiting. Occasional vomiting is not uncommon but consult your vet if the problem persists or if blood, diarrhea or pain accompany the vomiting.
Diarrhea. Can be caused by a number of things- viruses, food, internal parasites, and bacteria to name a few. Contact the vet if the stool is bloody, continues for an excessive amount of time, or if dehydration occurs. Once your pup has recovered, return it to its food slowly and in decreased but frequent portions.
Constipation. Can be caused by multiple factors also such as insufficient water intake, disease or ingestion of a foreign substance. While your vet may have to take blood tests to find the cause, usually a diet high in fiber and exercise will help prevent this problem.
Not to scare you in any way, I do hope this information will assure you of just how important those puppy vaccinations are to your new puppies (and your) health. Proper immunizations are the best prevention in the endless war on disease and may save your puppy, and yourself, a lot of discomfort, grief and pain- and possibly even death. Here's to healthy and happy puppy owning.
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