Learn more about dog vaccinations from Knutsford Veterinary Surgery
Vaccinations for dogs, much like for humans, can prevent pain, distress and fatalities caused by disease. In many areas of the country, as a result of responsible ownership, we rarely see cases of parvovirus, distemper, infectious canine hepatitis and leptospirosis but they are still rife in others, often causing death in puppies especially, but also in older dogs. Vaccination helps to limit the diseases being passed to other dogs and so the more people that vaccinate their dogs, the safer all our pets will be.
Dog vaccinations use a harmless form of a virus or bacterium to stimulate your dog’s immune system in a safe way. If your furry friend then comes in to contact with the disease whilst outdoors, their immune system will ‘remember’ how it dealt with the assailant and so protect them from the disease.
8 to 12 weeks old is the perfect time
Vaccinations require a primary course of two injections and boosters are then required throughout life. The timings may vary depending on the type of vaccine used are commonly given at 8 and 12 weeks, although some are now able to start at 6 weeks old with the second being as early as 10 weeks of age. Ideally, puppies should have a full course before mixing with other animals or using the common land. Usually, they are safe to go out two weeks after the second vaccination but again, this can be specific to the make of vaccine so check with your vet.
The timing of boosters has been more controversial within the veterinary industry in recent times, as a full vaccine used to be given every year. This caused concern as over-vaccinating has been shown to cause allergic reactions and more rarely, trigger autoimmune diseases. It is now recognised that only leptospirosis and kennel cough vaccines need to be given on an annual basis as their protection does not last longer than this, and a full vaccine can be given every three years.
Leptospirosis and other dog vaccinations
Leptospirosis has been in the vet news – up until now we have been vaccinating against 2 ‘serovars’ (strains) commonly present in Europe, but there are another two that have been determined as the cause of symptoms in dogs. As a result, a 4-strain vaccine is now available, although not as widely since the profession is still reviewing the literature and determining the risk/benefit factors of a new vaccine.
The kennel cough vaccine is a squirt up the nose (worse than the injections we find!) and provides protection much like the human flu jab – not 100% but if your dog does contract it, the symptoms will be of a much shorter duration and far less severe – a relief for any dog (and owner) who has lived through it once… The vaccine needs to be given two weeks before going into kennels and is usually a requirement, not only because of the benefits for your pet but also because it decreases the amount of virus that is shed and so reduces the risk of an outbreak.
Rabies vaccines and passports along with cat vaccinations are also offered at Knutsford Veterinary Surgery. If you’d like to book a health consultation and vaccination for your pet or would just like some advice, please do not hesitate to ring us on 01565 337999 or register on our website.
