Why are vaccinations important to a puppy??
Adverstisments for dogs always include the words.. “current on shots” and it makes people just assume that this means a puppy is fully immune to any diseases he is vaccinated against. READ TO THE BOTTOM. DO NOT SKIP.
It is not that simple.
There are MANY factors that go into vaccinations. The first thing you need to look at when you get a puppy from ANYWHERE, is when it got it first set of shots after it was weaned from its mother.
When a puppy is born it is nursed by his mother, and it receives her antibodies through her milk within the first day or so. Antibodies are what dogs will produce because of moms anitbodies, or because of the shots we give to them. When you give a vaccination to a dog, what you are doing is injecting a small amount of those diseases into that dog. The controversy on this, is that now days, dogs get vaccinations, and suddenly become ill with that disease that it was just vaccinated against. This happens. It can happen with a breeder or with a vet, who gives the shot makes little difference, it still CAN happen.. But do you risk it and NOT give them vaccinations...no, we do not take that chance. Once these antibodies are in place, this is what defends the dog against exposure to disease. In other words, a dog of a certain age, with vaccinations, hopefully develops a fighting force that will attack the disease when he is exposed to it in the real form.
Puppies do not have this at birth. They get maternal antibodies from nursing. Bottle raised puppies have none unless they received some or any colostrum from its mom prior to being hand raised. This is why it is also important that the dam is current on her shots and should have a booster prior to breeding...
This is the only thing that protects young, unvaccinated puppies from disease.
How many antibodies a puppy has is dependent on several things. A dominant puppy, one that hogs the nipples and gets a lot of milk, will have more antibodies than the puppy who is constantly pushed away from the nipple. A litter born to a female that was vaccinated just prior to breeding will get more. Antibodies from mom are needed to protect young babies.
But here's the problem. Mom's antibodies interfere with vaccinations we give them. Each puppy will retain his antibodies for a certain amount of time, but we cannot ever be certain when he will lose them. If you vaccinate a puppy with mom's antibodies still in him, the vaccination is useless. The maternal antibodies will attack and kill the shot, and the puppy will not make his own antibodies as long as mom's are still in him. THIS is why it is important to know when your puppy was weaned, and when it received its first vaccine. If it was too soon, it was useless. We vaccinate at 6 weeks, and suggest you vaccinate again at 9 weeks if we don't keep your puppy to 9 weeks anyway. Our recommended puppy schedule is 6/9/12/15 weeks.
To make it easier to understand, let's say the Tannenbaum's have two puppies, Lillian and Bubba. Both were raised with mom's milk. Bubba was a big puppy and got a lot of antibodies; Lillian was smaller and got fewer because she ate less. Both puppies are weaned at 4 weeks of age, meaning they are on dog food now and not mom’s milk. Mom is done and free to go roam, and its the breeders time to take care of the babies. If the Tannenbaums were to vaccinate both puppies with Parvo shots at 4 weeks old, it is a waste of time and money,because both puppies still have maternal antibodies, so neither shot offers any protection and is worthless. But because they are still protected by mom’s antibodies, it's OK. At 6 weeks of age both Bubba and Lillian are vaccinated. It has been two weeks since they last fed from mom. Because mom had high level of antibodies, both are still protected by her antibodies, and again, this shot could be useless.There is no way to know for sure. We cannot know how many each has so we vaccinate at this time anyway to be safe.
So now the Bounds family comes to visit Bubba and Lillian at just under 7 weeks old. They are interested in getting a puppy. They choose Bubba because he is bigger and looks healthier. They are given strict instructions: do not take him to the park, stay away from places other dogs go, restrict his access to other dogs for a couple of weeks, carry him wherever you take him. The Bounds are told they must take Bubba to the vet; he is due for another shot in 15 days. Even at the vet, do not set that dog down on the ground until you are in the room with the doctor. Dogs and cats roam those floors all day in the waiting room, sick animals..be careful!! On the way home from the Tannenbaums, they stop at a rest stop and let Bubba out to go potty. It must be ok..He is current on shots right? Well, now he has been exposed to a small amount of Parvo when he sniffed the grass, Parvo is transmitted by walking in it, or by other dogs..so a human can carry it all over the place and never know it, you could have it in your house, you just don't know. But right now, Bubba still has some maternal antibodies, so he is not infected this time.
His antibodies from mom leave him a day later, and he is unprotected. He didn't get sick from the first rest stop, so the Bounds think..he must be ok...but he is not due for another shot for 14 days still. The Bounds take him to the park, they let him run around and sniff everything, thinking what the Tannenbaums told them must be simply precaution, since he is ok from stopping on the way home and playing. They observe that there are no other dogs there and assume its safe.
Well here is the bad news folks, it doesn't matter if there were no other dogs there, because unknown to the Bounds, one stray dog came to the park 3 weeks ago and was shedding Parvo. Parvo doesn’t leave an area for over 9 years!! Bubba comes into contact with this disease again this time, and because his antibodies have left ,and the shot he got 7 days ago was attacked and destroyed by maternal antibodies, now he has no immunity because his next shot is not due for another 7 days and even that shot will not take effect for at least 10-14 days after it's given.
Plus he is stressed out.His immune system is going haywire because of his new enviroment. He loves his new home and the Bounds love him, but he has left Lillian, his mom, and the Tannenbaums, who were his whole world from birth, and he is stressed out. He barks every night from loneliness, and strives for human interaction every second...He has a bit of loose stool because of the water change and his stress. His immune system, which is underdeveloped because of his youth, is really compromised because of this stress. Parvo is setting up shop in his body by that evening. Parvo is a virus; it multiplies rapidly in the body.
The next morning Bubba is a little off. He does not really want to eat and his stools are looser. But he does not seem sick, just off.
By the second morning, he is full on sick. He has severe diarrhea now, blood in his stool, he is lethargic, and there is obviously something very wrong. The Bounds take him to the vet. The vet runs several tests for other infections that do cause diarrhea. He rapidly goes down hill, and the test for Parvo comes back positive.
LET ME ABSOLUTELY CLEAR HERE:
There is no cure for Parvo.
You can only support the dog with hydration and pray to God that he recovers.
Its about a 60% fatality rate people!! One kind of parvo attacks the heart, the other the GI system.
Now...The Bounds are stunned, they have lost their new puppy and $2000, plus vet bills, and keep saying, “he was supposed to be current on shots! The breeder must have lied.” Now they want to battle it out for money back or another puppy, because they did not follow strict instructions we gave them, and Bubba got sick and passed away rapidly and tragically.
Meanwhile back at the Tannenbaums, Lillian is just fine. She has not been exposed to Parvo because the Tannenbaums haven't let him walk around in unknown grass or let unkown people touch him. When he is one day shy of 12 weeks old, his antibodies leave. He is given another vaccination at 12 weeks of age, and this one produces antibodies in a few days. Voila, immunity! Of course since we don't know this for certain, he will receive several more shots in the weeks to come.
This is specifically why my contract does not cover parvo after 48 hrs.
People simply do not always follow the strict insrtuctions and directions I give them, and I can't know what you did with that baby the second it left my house, no matter what you tell me you did.
(Please note, some "breeders" do lie! But you get what you pay for, remember that...all good breeders should be certain that any puppy is vaccinated before it leaves them and give you these same instructions to insure you do your best to protect your baby after he leaves Danes of Tannenbaum. Also, there are instances where you take your dog to the vet and it will test positive for Parvo, that is because we just gave that dog its shots, of course it should. This does not mean it will not get it from that shot..it happens sometimes regardless of who administers the shot, but you either risk it and vaccinate them hoping the shot works, or don't ,and know that they are suseptible with each breath they take in life)
Reading this you may be thinking you will have to keep your puppy in a bubble. No, thats silly, but you have invested a lot of money, and years of life in love with this baby, you must understand that it is not a toy, its a life,just like a newborn, and you must keep him clear of other dogs, people, parks, pet stores, and places any dogs visit for the first 16 weeks. Everyone loves a puppy, everyone wants to hold it and touch it and see it run and play...this is also the very most dangerous time in his life.
Parvo is everywhere. It lives a very long time, and common disinfectants do not kill it. Freezing does not kill it; it preserves it. You yourself can carry it on your shoes into your home and never even know it. This is why when you visit a kennel, you are restricted from certain areas. Granted there are some horrible people out there who don't want you to see their breeding places, but in most cases, it is this virus, and the people's knowledge of it, that restricts you. For breeders, this is a darned if you do, and darned if you don't case. If you don't show people your habitat, it can be assumed you are hiding some horrible nasty secret. Show people, and you may have just infected the entire kennel or home with Parvo, compromising the breeders puppies for a long long time to come. Remember, it does not go away easily. Wooded areas where raccoons, fox or coyotes visit can also harbor Parvo.
When you buy a puppy from us, he is without a doubt, current on his shots. He will get one every 2-3 weeks he is with us, without fail. But until he is a certain age, when you take him home, please keep him safe. Limit his exposure to other dogs or people. Limit his exposure to anywhere that people/animals/dogs go. Keep him in your arms if you do want to go to any pet store where dogs are allowed inside. Do not let anyone touch him.
Its hard, everyone wants to touch and play with babies, but just say he is too young to be touched right now..I'm so sorry..
This is why puppies get several shots. We are not certain when the maternal antibodies leave and the shot can produce immunity. This is why you must keep him current on his shots after he leaves us. You spent the money, keep your baby safe. A bottle raised puppy should have more shots than a momma raised one. But be wary of people who start puppies at 2-4 weeks of age on shots. They either have a disease problem or are totally ignorant as to the course of antibodies in a dog. Be also wary of people who have 10-12 week old puppies with only one shot; they are either trying to save money or are also ignorant of the best way to prevent disease.
When your puppy has been with you for a couple of weeks and your vet has put another shot or two into him, then you can socialize him. I highly suggest you do, especially with the Dane breed. But until then, keep him safe.
This story can be applied to distemper as well but the distemper virus is not as prevalent in our environment as Parvo is.
Also, think this through. An 8-week-old puppy obviously has a higher occurrence for infection than a 10 or 12 week old, simply because of his age and gaps between maternal antibodies and vaccines. That's not to say a 12-week-old puppy cannot become infected, even if current on shots. Some puppies will hold their maternal antibodies until they are 20+ weeks of age. However, immunity is usually achieved around 10 weeks of age.
It also bears mentioning again that a young puppy has a faulty immune system. Just like an infant child cannot be exposed to much in the way of having too many people come visit or taking them out to social places like the mall, your puppy cannot be exposed. He is also stressed out until he gets to know you, your home and your children, and feels safe in his new home.
I will post this all over my site...now that I think about it..people don't know....don't be suprised if you see it more than once on my site...
Any change in your dogs life weakens their immune system.Being left at a boarding house, a kennel, dog hotel, vets office, with a friend for vacation.... It is at this time they can get sick, they can have a bout of demodex mange which is a mite reaction on thier skin that can be easily cured, but heavily resembles red mange..(everyone overreacts to this, demodex and red mange are WAY WAY DIFFERENT), they can dehydrate from shutting down and being scared, bottom line is... the less they are exposed to, the less they will susceptible to. Do not..DO NOT... leave your dog at the vet unless its a life and death thing where surgery would be necessary, ask the vet to allow you to take your dog home with any necessities you may need to administer meds or patch wounds, and teach you to do whatever needs to be done at home after any proceedure, no overnight stays,if they are a good vet that cares for your animal and not what they will make on that over night stay, they will teach you what to do and be on call to help 24/7 in case you need them. This is how I learned how to give my dog an IV, how to save puppies from dehydration, etc etc... his immune system will not ever be at its peak without being comfortable at home with you, and this is when illness and diseases set in!
Adverstisments for dogs always include the words.. “current on shots” and it makes people just assume that this means a puppy is fully immune to any diseases he is vaccinated against. READ TO THE BOTTOM. DO NOT SKIP.
It is not that simple.
There are MANY factors that go into vaccinations. The first thing you need to look at when you get a puppy from ANYWHERE, is when it got it first set of shots after it was weaned from its mother.
When a puppy is born it is nursed by his mother, and it receives her antibodies through her milk within the first day or so. Antibodies are what dogs will produce because of moms anitbodies, or because of the shots we give to them. When you give a vaccination to a dog, what you are doing is injecting a small amount of those diseases into that dog. The controversy on this, is that now days, dogs get vaccinations, and suddenly become ill with that disease that it was just vaccinated against. This happens. It can happen with a breeder or with a vet, who gives the shot makes little difference, it still CAN happen.. But do you risk it and NOT give them vaccinations...no, we do not take that chance. Once these antibodies are in place, this is what defends the dog against exposure to disease. In other words, a dog of a certain age, with vaccinations, hopefully develops a fighting force that will attack the disease when he is exposed to it in the real form.
Puppies do not have this at birth. They get maternal antibodies from nursing. Bottle raised puppies have none unless they received some or any colostrum from its mom prior to being hand raised. This is why it is also important that the dam is current on her shots and should have a booster prior to breeding...
This is the only thing that protects young, unvaccinated puppies from disease.
How many antibodies a puppy has is dependent on several things. A dominant puppy, one that hogs the nipples and gets a lot of milk, will have more antibodies than the puppy who is constantly pushed away from the nipple. A litter born to a female that was vaccinated just prior to breeding will get more. Antibodies from mom are needed to protect young babies.
But here's the problem. Mom's antibodies interfere with vaccinations we give them. Each puppy will retain his antibodies for a certain amount of time, but we cannot ever be certain when he will lose them. If you vaccinate a puppy with mom's antibodies still in him, the vaccination is useless. The maternal antibodies will attack and kill the shot, and the puppy will not make his own antibodies as long as mom's are still in him. THIS is why it is important to know when your puppy was weaned, and when it received its first vaccine. If it was too soon, it was useless. We vaccinate at 6 weeks, and suggest you vaccinate again at 9 weeks if we don't keep your puppy to 9 weeks anyway. Our recommended puppy schedule is 6/9/12/15 weeks.
To make it easier to understand, let's say the Tannenbaum's have two puppies, Lillian and Bubba. Both were raised with mom's milk. Bubba was a big puppy and got a lot of antibodies; Lillian was smaller and got fewer because she ate less. Both puppies are weaned at 4 weeks of age, meaning they are on dog food now and not mom’s milk. Mom is done and free to go roam, and its the breeders time to take care of the babies. If the Tannenbaums were to vaccinate both puppies with Parvo shots at 4 weeks old, it is a waste of time and money,because both puppies still have maternal antibodies, so neither shot offers any protection and is worthless. But because they are still protected by mom’s antibodies, it's OK. At 6 weeks of age both Bubba and Lillian are vaccinated. It has been two weeks since they last fed from mom. Because mom had high level of antibodies, both are still protected by her antibodies, and again, this shot could be useless.There is no way to know for sure. We cannot know how many each has so we vaccinate at this time anyway to be safe.
So now the Bounds family comes to visit Bubba and Lillian at just under 7 weeks old. They are interested in getting a puppy. They choose Bubba because he is bigger and looks healthier. They are given strict instructions: do not take him to the park, stay away from places other dogs go, restrict his access to other dogs for a couple of weeks, carry him wherever you take him. The Bounds are told they must take Bubba to the vet; he is due for another shot in 15 days. Even at the vet, do not set that dog down on the ground until you are in the room with the doctor. Dogs and cats roam those floors all day in the waiting room, sick animals..be careful!! On the way home from the Tannenbaums, they stop at a rest stop and let Bubba out to go potty. It must be ok..He is current on shots right? Well, now he has been exposed to a small amount of Parvo when he sniffed the grass, Parvo is transmitted by walking in it, or by other dogs..so a human can carry it all over the place and never know it, you could have it in your house, you just don't know. But right now, Bubba still has some maternal antibodies, so he is not infected this time.
His antibodies from mom leave him a day later, and he is unprotected. He didn't get sick from the first rest stop, so the Bounds think..he must be ok...but he is not due for another shot for 14 days still. The Bounds take him to the park, they let him run around and sniff everything, thinking what the Tannenbaums told them must be simply precaution, since he is ok from stopping on the way home and playing. They observe that there are no other dogs there and assume its safe.
Well here is the bad news folks, it doesn't matter if there were no other dogs there, because unknown to the Bounds, one stray dog came to the park 3 weeks ago and was shedding Parvo. Parvo doesn’t leave an area for over 9 years!! Bubba comes into contact with this disease again this time, and because his antibodies have left ,and the shot he got 7 days ago was attacked and destroyed by maternal antibodies, now he has no immunity because his next shot is not due for another 7 days and even that shot will not take effect for at least 10-14 days after it's given.
Plus he is stressed out.His immune system is going haywire because of his new enviroment. He loves his new home and the Bounds love him, but he has left Lillian, his mom, and the Tannenbaums, who were his whole world from birth, and he is stressed out. He barks every night from loneliness, and strives for human interaction every second...He has a bit of loose stool because of the water change and his stress. His immune system, which is underdeveloped because of his youth, is really compromised because of this stress. Parvo is setting up shop in his body by that evening. Parvo is a virus; it multiplies rapidly in the body.
The next morning Bubba is a little off. He does not really want to eat and his stools are looser. But he does not seem sick, just off.
By the second morning, he is full on sick. He has severe diarrhea now, blood in his stool, he is lethargic, and there is obviously something very wrong. The Bounds take him to the vet. The vet runs several tests for other infections that do cause diarrhea. He rapidly goes down hill, and the test for Parvo comes back positive.
LET ME ABSOLUTELY CLEAR HERE:
There is no cure for Parvo.
You can only support the dog with hydration and pray to God that he recovers.
Its about a 60% fatality rate people!! One kind of parvo attacks the heart, the other the GI system.
Now...The Bounds are stunned, they have lost their new puppy and $2000, plus vet bills, and keep saying, “he was supposed to be current on shots! The breeder must have lied.” Now they want to battle it out for money back or another puppy, because they did not follow strict instructions we gave them, and Bubba got sick and passed away rapidly and tragically.
Meanwhile back at the Tannenbaums, Lillian is just fine. She has not been exposed to Parvo because the Tannenbaums haven't let him walk around in unknown grass or let unkown people touch him. When he is one day shy of 12 weeks old, his antibodies leave. He is given another vaccination at 12 weeks of age, and this one produces antibodies in a few days. Voila, immunity! Of course since we don't know this for certain, he will receive several more shots in the weeks to come.
This is specifically why my contract does not cover parvo after 48 hrs.
People simply do not always follow the strict insrtuctions and directions I give them, and I can't know what you did with that baby the second it left my house, no matter what you tell me you did.
(Please note, some "breeders" do lie! But you get what you pay for, remember that...all good breeders should be certain that any puppy is vaccinated before it leaves them and give you these same instructions to insure you do your best to protect your baby after he leaves Danes of Tannenbaum. Also, there are instances where you take your dog to the vet and it will test positive for Parvo, that is because we just gave that dog its shots, of course it should. This does not mean it will not get it from that shot..it happens sometimes regardless of who administers the shot, but you either risk it and vaccinate them hoping the shot works, or don't ,and know that they are suseptible with each breath they take in life)
Reading this you may be thinking you will have to keep your puppy in a bubble. No, thats silly, but you have invested a lot of money, and years of life in love with this baby, you must understand that it is not a toy, its a life,just like a newborn, and you must keep him clear of other dogs, people, parks, pet stores, and places any dogs visit for the first 16 weeks. Everyone loves a puppy, everyone wants to hold it and touch it and see it run and play...this is also the very most dangerous time in his life.
Parvo is everywhere. It lives a very long time, and common disinfectants do not kill it. Freezing does not kill it; it preserves it. You yourself can carry it on your shoes into your home and never even know it. This is why when you visit a kennel, you are restricted from certain areas. Granted there are some horrible people out there who don't want you to see their breeding places, but in most cases, it is this virus, and the people's knowledge of it, that restricts you. For breeders, this is a darned if you do, and darned if you don't case. If you don't show people your habitat, it can be assumed you are hiding some horrible nasty secret. Show people, and you may have just infected the entire kennel or home with Parvo, compromising the breeders puppies for a long long time to come. Remember, it does not go away easily. Wooded areas where raccoons, fox or coyotes visit can also harbor Parvo.
When you buy a puppy from us, he is without a doubt, current on his shots. He will get one every 2-3 weeks he is with us, without fail. But until he is a certain age, when you take him home, please keep him safe. Limit his exposure to other dogs or people. Limit his exposure to anywhere that people/animals/dogs go. Keep him in your arms if you do want to go to any pet store where dogs are allowed inside. Do not let anyone touch him.
Its hard, everyone wants to touch and play with babies, but just say he is too young to be touched right now..I'm so sorry..
This is why puppies get several shots. We are not certain when the maternal antibodies leave and the shot can produce immunity. This is why you must keep him current on his shots after he leaves us. You spent the money, keep your baby safe. A bottle raised puppy should have more shots than a momma raised one. But be wary of people who start puppies at 2-4 weeks of age on shots. They either have a disease problem or are totally ignorant as to the course of antibodies in a dog. Be also wary of people who have 10-12 week old puppies with only one shot; they are either trying to save money or are also ignorant of the best way to prevent disease.
When your puppy has been with you for a couple of weeks and your vet has put another shot or two into him, then you can socialize him. I highly suggest you do, especially with the Dane breed. But until then, keep him safe.
This story can be applied to distemper as well but the distemper virus is not as prevalent in our environment as Parvo is.
Also, think this through. An 8-week-old puppy obviously has a higher occurrence for infection than a 10 or 12 week old, simply because of his age and gaps between maternal antibodies and vaccines. That's not to say a 12-week-old puppy cannot become infected, even if current on shots. Some puppies will hold their maternal antibodies until they are 20+ weeks of age. However, immunity is usually achieved around 10 weeks of age.
It also bears mentioning again that a young puppy has a faulty immune system. Just like an infant child cannot be exposed to much in the way of having too many people come visit or taking them out to social places like the mall, your puppy cannot be exposed. He is also stressed out until he gets to know you, your home and your children, and feels safe in his new home.
I will post this all over my site...now that I think about it..people don't know....don't be suprised if you see it more than once on my site...
Any change in your dogs life weakens their immune system.Being left at a boarding house, a kennel, dog hotel, vets office, with a friend for vacation.... It is at this time they can get sick, they can have a bout of demodex mange which is a mite reaction on thier skin that can be easily cured, but heavily resembles red mange..(everyone overreacts to this, demodex and red mange are WAY WAY DIFFERENT), they can dehydrate from shutting down and being scared, bottom line is... the less they are exposed to, the less they will susceptible to. Do not..DO NOT... leave your dog at the vet unless its a life and death thing where surgery would be necessary, ask the vet to allow you to take your dog home with any necessities you may need to administer meds or patch wounds, and teach you to do whatever needs to be done at home after any proceedure, no overnight stays,if they are a good vet that cares for your animal and not what they will make on that over night stay, they will teach you what to do and be on call to help 24/7 in case you need them. This is how I learned how to give my dog an IV, how to save puppies from dehydration, etc etc... his immune system will not ever be at its peak without being comfortable at home with you, and this is when illness and diseases set in!