Vaccinations 

Vaccines

Vaccines are given to animals to prevent infectious disease.  Most vaccines only work if given before exposure to the disease.  Below is a list of canine diseases vaccines are used to prevent:

• Canine Distemper
• Leptospirosis
• Adenovirus Type 1 or 2
• Parainfluenza
• Canine Parvovirus
• Bordetella bronchiseptica (kennel cough)
• Borreliosis (Lyme disease)
• Caninie Coronavirus
• Rabies

How Vaccines Are Given

There are three different ways vaccines can be given to animals.  They are:

• subcutaneous injections under the skin
• intra-muscular injection in the muscle
• intranasal (nose drops)

When Should You Vaccine?

Most maternal antibodies last anywhere from 2 to 20 weeks.  The maternal antibodies are passed onto puppies and help keep them protected against disease until they disappear.  It is estimated that in 30 percent of puppies, maternal antibodies are gone by 9 to 10 weeks, over 90 percent of the mother's immunity is gone after 16 weeks.  Below are some basic principles of when to vaccinate:

• Start the vaccination at two to four weeks of age if the puppy was orphaned and did not have any of the mother's first milk (colostrum), otherwise, start vaccinating the puppy at eight weeks
• Vaccinate for those diseases that are endemic in your area
• Monitor your puppy for 20 minutes after vaccination for signs of an allergic reaction
• Booster the vaccine at the specified interval to keep the level of immunity protective

It is also advisable to follow the protocol of a trusted vet.  The above is given as a basic outline.