Basic Vaccine and Preventative Recommendations for Dogs
By Marci Streck, DVM (mdstreck@yahoo.com)
Adopting a new dog can be a stressful and exciting experience. One thing you will want to do soon after bringing your new family member home is schedule an examination with your veterinarian to make sure your new pet is healthy and up to date on his vaccinations and preventatives. Your veterinarian will tailor your pet's vaccines and preventatives to his lifestyle and history. You will find that not all vaccines are required for all animals.
Recently, the American Animal Hospital Association (AAHA) released guidelines for veterinarians, categorizing all vaccines into one of three groups: 1) Core vaccines (i.e. those that nearly every pet needs), 2) Non-core vaccines (i.e. those that only animals with specific exposures need) and 3) Not generally recommended (i.e. those that target diseases that are self-limiting or mild, those that have an impractically short duration of efficacy, or those that are not found to be protective in the majority of animals). You should carefully discuss these issues with your veterinarian to determine which vaccines and preventatives will offer the best protection to your pet. The following are common vaccines and preventatives used in our area:
Rabies
Rabies is an incurable neurologic disease caused by the bite of an infected animal. The rabies vaccine is required for all dogs in the United States over a certain age (often 12-16 weeks), determined by law. The first rabies vaccine your pet receives will need to be boostered after one year. After that, booster increments vary by state and vary from 1-3 years. Rabies is the only vaccination that is required by law. It is a core vaccine.
DHPP/DHLPP/DHPPC/DHLPPC commonly referred to as "Distemper"
The "distemper" vaccine is usually a combination vaccine consisting of several vaccinations combined into one shot. This vaccine is usually given as a 3 or 4 shot series to puppies and then boostered every 1-3 years in adult dogs, depending on your veterinarian's preference. The "distemper vaccine" may include the following vaccines:
- Distemper
- Distemper is a virus that causes severe respiratory, gastrointestinal, and neurologic abnormalities in infected animals. It is often fatal to dogs or puppies who are infected. Distemper is included in all "distemper" vaccinations and is a core vaccine..
- Hepatitis (or Canine Adenovirus Type 2
- CAV2 is a self limiting respiratory disease in dogs, but vaccination for CAV2 also protects against CAV1, a virus that is responsible for canine infectious hepatitis. Because of the severity of CAV1 infection, this CAV2 is included in all "distemper" vaccines and is a core vaccine..
- Parvovirus
- Parvovirus causes severe vomiting and diarrhea and can lead to sepsis (blood infection). Parvo is fatal in 50-75% of animals infected. Puppies are most susceptible to infection, but any unvaccinated dog can contract and consequently die of Parvo. Parvo is included in all "distemper" vaccines and is a core vaccine..
- Parainfluenza
- Parainfluenza is one of the family of viruses responsible for Kennel Cough. Kennel Cough is a self-limiting (although annoying) respiratory infection causing coughing that can lead to pneumonia in severe cases. Parainfluenza is usually included in the "distemper" vaccine and is a non-core vaccine..
- Leptospirosis
- Leptospirosis is a bacterium that dogs (and people) catch by drinking from infected water sources. This bacterium may cause kidney disease in infected animals. The Leptospirosis vaccine protects against two of four types of this bacterium and seems to cause more vaccine reactions than most other vaccines. For these reasons, it is only recommended for dogs who are at increased risk for contracting this disease. Leptospirosis may or may not be included in the "distemper" vaccine and is a non-core vaccine..
- Coronavirus
- Coronavirus causes self-limiting (although sometimes severe) diarrhea, primarily in very young puppies (less than 6 weeks old). One study showed that the parvovirus vaccine also protects against coronavirus. It may or may not be included in the "distemper" vaccine and is not generally recommended by AAHA.
Bordetella
Bordetella is the primary organism responsible for the Kennel Cough complex. This vaccine provides short (generally 6-12 month) protection. Unfortunately, like some other vaccines, Bordetella may not provide immunity from Kennel Cough, but generally lessens the severity of the disease. This vaccine is generally only recommended for pets who are frequently exposed to dogs of unknown health status, such as at dog parks, dog shows, grooming salons and boarding kennels. This is a non-core vaccine..
Lyme
Lyme disease is transmitted by tick bites and can cause a range of clinical signs, from general malaise to lameness, to kidney disease or seizures. Lyme disease is very prevalent in the northeastern United States. However, your dog can only be infected if bitten by a tick (i.e. good tick control can prevent infection). This vaccine has been known to rarely cause some serious adverse reactions. Discuss your pet's risk factors with your veterinarian before giving this vaccine. This is a non-core vaccine..
Heartworm Prevention
Dogs are infected with heartworms through the bite of an infected mosquito. Microscopic worm larvae are injected into the blood stream, travel to the heart and grow into large, round worms which lead to heart disease and failure. This disease is completely preventable by using heartworm preventative on a regular basis. There are two main types of preventative: monthly (either oral or topical) or an injectable preventative (ProHeart6) that provides 6 months of protection. The monthly preventative works retroactively to kill any larvae your pet has been infected with over the last 30 days. Your dog needs to be heartworm negative on a heartworm test before starting preventative, as giving preventative to a heartworm positive dog can cause serious adverse reactions. Most veterinarians recommend periodic heartworm tests of all dogs to make sure the animal remains negative while on prevention.
Flea and Tick Prevention
Your veterinarian may recommend flea and tick prevention. While fleas are mainly an annoyance to our pets, they can transmit parasites and diseases, and dogs can suffer allergies to flea bites. However, in our area, ticks are the larger concern because they can transmit Lyme disease, which has the potential to be life-threatening.
Routine Deworming
Your veterinarian may recommend a fecal examination to look for evidence of intestinal parasites. Most intestinal parasites (except tapeworms, which are transmitted by fleas) can be picked up with a fecal examination. If parasites are found, your veterinarian will deworm your pet. Because most heartworm preventions also provide protection against intestinal parasites, you should not worry about deworming your dog on a regular basis unless recommended by your veterinarian.
