Should Your Dog Get the Lyme Disease Vaccine?

By Ruthie Bently

I have lived in southern Minnesota for almost twelve years now. We don’t usually see ticks of any kind before May, when the temperature warms enough up for them to become active; this year was the exception to the rule. After a ramble with Skye I found the first tick, not on Skye but on my own arm. It was only the second week of March.

There are eight ticks in the United States that are responsible for ten diseases people catch; Lyme disease is one that our dogs can catch too. The Deer Tick or Black-Legged Tick (Ixodes scapularis) is not the only tick that carries the bacteria that causes Lyme disease. It is also carried by a tick known as the Western Black-Legged Tick (I. pacificus) on the West Coast of the United States. It was originally thought that only the Northern Deer Tick (Ixodes dammini) was a carrier of Lyme disease. The Lone Star Tick (Ambylomma americanum), Ixodes Angustus, and Ixodes spinipalpis have been shown in experiments to be vectors of Lyme disease. This means that due to the development of the disease, there could be more than three ticks we have to worry about in the future. Depending on your location in the United States, from 1% to more than 90% of the ticks can be infected with the bacterium Borrelia burgdorferi that causes Lyme disease. The nymph stage of the tick life cycle is the most common for Lyme disease transmission.

Chemical and medical preparations for tick prevention have been around for many years: collars, powders, chewables and topical treatments to protect for a month at a time. There is currently a vaccine available for canine Lyme disease, but there are pros and cons for it. As a responsible pet owner, I always look at something from all sides before I make a decision, because I want the best for the creatures in my care. While the vaccine is reputed to keep your dog from getting Lyme disease, there are dogs that have been vaccinated that have still contracted Lyme disease. Proponents of the vaccine state that it will keep a dog from becoming a carrier and transmitting it to their owner. When I asked my vet about this, he stated you can’t get Lyme disease from your dog; it comes from a tick and cannot be passed from dog to human.

One manufacturer guarantees their vaccine and states that they will pay for 50% of any treatment a dog needs if they do contract Lyme disease. While this sounds good, I have to wonder why they’re only offering to pay for 50% of the treatment. This makes me question vaccinating my dog against the disease in the first place. Other things to consider are that the Lyme vaccine only provides immunity for a short time span, and needs to be administered yearly. It can cause an untreatable, fatal form of Lyme disease. None of the veterinary schools in the United States recommend it. Prolonged use of the vaccine can cause kidney problems in dogs.

Many dogs do not show symptoms of Lyme disease until they have had it for between four and six months, and some dogs never show symptoms. The Canine SNAP 3DX (or C6 SNAP) is a test for antibodies in a dog’s body specific to Lyme disease and should not be affected if you dog has been vaccinated for Lyme disease as the antibodies are only present after infection. Your vet can perform the test and it’s reputed to be very accurate in Lyme detection. If your dog tests positive, the Lyme Quantitative C6 Antibody test is suggested as a follow-up. It can be used as a baseline not only for diagnosis, but for indicating progress in the therapy of the disease.

If contracted by dogs, Lyme disease can be treated either allopathically or holistically. However, because of the seriousness of this disease to your pet’s health, this is not one you can attempt to treat by yourself at home, with an over the counter fix. You need to seek veterinary help.

In my opinion, vaccinating for Lyme disease is a bad idea, and I live in one of the states where Lyme disease is high for dogs. It may lull you into a false sense of security; there are other tick borne diseases that our dogs can contract. The other diseases aren’t going away any time soon and if history is any indicator they may just get worse. Tick prevention should be a consideration in your line of defense. After all, Lyme disease started in Lyme, Connecticut and now is nationwide. Whatever you decide to do, make sure you seek the counsel of your veterinarian before you decide whether to vaccinate for Lyme disease, or not.

Read more articles by Ruthie Bently

Leptospirosis: Should You Vaccinate Your Dog?

Many pet owners have recently called me to ask about the leptospirosis vaccine, wondering whether they should vaccinate their dogs against the disease. This is valid question, and it’s often debated amongst owners and veterinarians. The media often reports “outbreaks” of leptospirosis, but they leave out very important facts and statistics. My goal is to provide you with a better understanding of the disease to help you make the decision whether or not to vaccinate your pet.

What is Leptospirosis?
Leptospirosis is a bacteria called Leptospira interrogans, occurring worldwide in both domestic and wild animals. It can also be transmitted to humans. It is important, especially in regards to the vaccine, to note that there are over 200 named serovars (types) of leptospirosis.

How Is It Contracted?
It is generally spread through the infected urine of contaminated animals where it settles in water and soil. The virus can last in the environment for months. Generally, your pet becomes infected by drinking, swimming, or walking through infected water. Raccoons, skunks, squirrels, opossums, deer, rats and mice are all carriers. Cases of leptospirosis in cats are extremely rare.

Signs that Your Pet May be Infected
The most frustrating thing about leptospirosis is that signs may be vague and vary dramatically from pet to pet. Time between exposure to the bacteria and symptoms is typically five to 14 days, although it may take less or longer than 30 days for it to appear. In the early stages, dogs exhibit fever and lethargy. Symptoms may quickly progress to nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, decreased appetite, weakness, depression, joint stiffness, and muscle and abdominal pain. Your pet may exhibit none, one, or all of these symptoms. Later stages of the disease may cause increased thirst and urination (a sign of kidney disease) and even jaundice (a sign of liver disease).

How Do We Test for Leptospirosis?
To find out if your pet may be infected, we will take a blood sample to analyze antibody levels. Most labs require several days for test results to come back, so if there is a suspicion of leptospirosis, I usually recommend starting antibiotics right away.

Treating Leptospirosis
Treatment for leptospirosis should include the administration of the antibiotic doxycycline. Current recommendations by the ACVIM (American College of Veterinary Internal Medicine) recommend at least 2 weeks of medication. If your pet cannot receive oral medication due to vomiting or nausea, he should be started on an intravenous form of penicillin. Because this bacteria has a high prevalence for causing kidney failure, your pet may require intravenous fluids for several days. Prognosis is reported to be very good for those cases treated early.

What to do If Your Pet is Leptospirosis Positive
Because leptospirosis has potential transmission to humans, strict precautions should be taken when handling these animals. It can be transmitted via the urine, blood, or tissues. One should wear a gown and gloves and dispose of any waste appropriately. Your dog should not be allowed around other dogs until he is cleared of the infection.

Should You Vaccinate Your Pet?
It is most important to remember the vaccine does not provide 100% protection. Most leptospirosis vaccines administered as a single agent include four different serovars (types) of leptospirosis: grippotyphosa, pomona, icterohaemorragiae and canicola. Those vaccines that include a combination of the distemper/ parvovirus and leptospirosis usually only contain 2 types of leptospirosis. But here’s the catch: There are currently more than 200 types of leptospirosis named and probably many more unnamed. Many of the most recent outbreaks consist of serovars for which there is no vaccine.

So, which dogs should be vaccinated? Usually those that are in the “at- risk” population should receive the vaccine. The tricky part is defining who is the “at-risk” population. Typically, that may include any of the following:

• dogs living in an urban environment with a high population of rodents


• hunting dogs


• dogs off leash who frequently come into contact with stagnant pools of water or swim


• dogs who live in an area where multiple cases of leptospirosis have been reported and documented to be of the type which the vaccine covers

Why not vaccinate all dogs?
First vaccines are not benign treatments. They have been known to cause adverse reactions including hives, facial swelling, vomiting and in more severe cases anaphylaxis. Less reported (but still documented) is a correlation between vaccines and immune mediated hemolytic anemia. In general, small breed young pets (ages 1 to 3) have a higher risk of a vaccine reaction.

I believe it is important to evaluate each potential candidate for the vaccine on an individual basis. Circumstances, lifestyle, exposure risk, and vaccine reaction should all be taken into account. We are here to guide you through the decision process on whether your pet should be vaccinated and make appropriate recommendations. As always please feel free to contact us at the Worth Street Veterinary Center with any questions and we will be more than happy to clarify any concerns you have regarding this vaccine or any other pet related issue.

Julie Horton, DVM

Vaccinations for Puppies - What You Should Know

A new puppy is cute and fun for the whole family, but also requires a good amount of healthcare to stay healthy, happy and, in some cases, alive. Part of that healthcare is vaccinations for major diseases, like parvo and rabies. Puppy vaccines, just like human ones, come with some risks and side effects however, and it’s important to know as much as you can before you take your new pup to get poked.

Common Vaccines

There are several conditions and diseases against which puppies need to be vaccinated. These include parvo, rabies, distemper, kennel cough and coronavirus. Canine adenovirus is also commonly vaccinated against, as well as situational vaccines like Lyme disease and leptospirosis. Some vaccines, like the parvo vaccine, require multiple injection to be effective, while others may not be needed at all depending on your climate and environment, like the Lyme disease vaccine. Ask your vet for a schedule of required vaccines for your puppy.

Allergic Reactions

In general, there are two things to remember about allergic reactions in puppies to their vaccines. One is that they are very rare – up to one in 100,000 chance of having a severe reaction. The other is that allergic reactions to puppy vaccinations, when they do occur, are often so sudden and so severe that it will likely happen at the vet’s office immediately after vaccination, which is a good thing. Vets are equipped to deal with severe reactions and often save the pup’s life if one occurs, though it is unlikely. An allergic reaction to puppy vaccines is most commonly anaphylaxis, or terrible difficulty breathing.

Common Side Effects

Aside from the very small risk of a major allergic reaction, there are several more minor reactions that vets label as side effects. These are much less severe and are often only the puppy’s body adjusting to the vaccine. As with human vaccines, the injection site may be quite sore for up to two days after being injected into your puppy. A low grade fever and loss of appetite are also common, but usually end soon after the shot has been administered. A more moderate reaction to puppy vaccines is called uticaria, which is a very common reaction. The symptoms of this side effect include swelling, hives, itching and redness in the lips, eyes and neck. These symptoms show up shortly after getting the puppy home, usually, and require a dose of an antihistamine or something like Benadryl.

Reference by : Wendon_Lee

Which vaccines should my pet receive?

Discuss with your veterinarian your pet’s lifestyle, access to other animals, and travel to other geographic locations, since these factors affect your pet’s risk of exposure to disease. Not all pets should be vaccinated with all vaccines just because these vaccines are available. “Core” vaccines are recommended for most pets in a particular area. “Non-core” vaccines are reserved for pets with unique needs. Your veterinarian will consider your pet’s particulars, the diseases at hand, and the application of available vaccines to customize a vaccine recommendation for your pet.

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Why Should I Vaccinate My Pet?

Just as in humans, VACCINATIONS given to your pet will PROTECT against many DEADLY DISEASES. Even if your pet does not leave the house or the yard, they can be exposed to these diseases through STRAY ANIMALS or free roaming pets in the neighborhood.

The COST of a vaccine is INSIGNIFICANT compared to the cost of treating these diseases,to say nothing of the risk of great SUFFERING and possible DEATH. Most vaccinations give protection against diseases caused by viruses. To date, there is no known cure for any viral disease, only treatments for the many secondary effects that these diseases cause.

Some diseases will ultimately result in the loss of life. Others may or may not lead to such a tragic result, depending on how well the body itself is able to fight off the infection and how effectively the secondary problems that result from the viral infection are treated medically. Sometimes, even if the victim survives the disease, permanent damage may result. For example, sometimes dogs that survive distemper will have seizures when they get older. Fortunately, this can be easily controlled with medication.

Also, by vaccinating your pet, just as your child that goes to day care and public school, you will help PREVENT the SPREAD of these diseases to OTHER ANIMALS. If we were as conscientious about vaccinating our pets as we are our children, then perhaps some of these diseases could be eliminated as have been polio and other diseases in humans.

How do Vaccines Work?

Vaccinations are based on the same principal that natural immunity to disease occurs. They contain actual viruses or bacteria, or portions of them, in a form that will not cause disease, but will stimulate the immune system to be able to destroy these disease causing agents before they can make the animal sick. When these agents get into the bloodstream they are called ANTIGENS because they will stimulate certain white blood cells to produce proteins called ANTIBODIES. These antibodies will then attach to the viruses or bacteria and aid other white blood cells in destroying them. Once these antibodies have been produced by the white blood cells they will remain in the bloodstream for a long period of time to provide immediate protection against any of the viruses or bacteria that they attack that enter the bloodstream. Over time, and this length of time will vary for each different virus, these antibodies will disappear from the bloodstream and eventually there will be none to offer protection. This is why it is important to revaccinate on a regular basis, to be sure that these disease fighting antibodies are present in sufficient numbers to keep disease from occurring. But there is also the ability of the white cells to “remember” the antigens that they have encountered before for a long time, and they will produce antibodies again when the antigen is encountered; the advantage of this is that these antibodies will be produced much more rapidly and in greater numbers than the first time the antigen was encountered. So, even if the antibodies in the bloodstream have dwindled, the immune system still has some ability to fight off an infection.

Vaccinating Your Puppy or Kitten

There are important things you need to know to understand why your puppy or kitten needs to be vaccinated, and why it is so important that they receive a series of these vaccinations.

To begin with, when the mother dog or cat has been properly vaccinated in the past, she will have ANTIBODIES to the diseases she was vaccinated against flowing in her bloodstream. When it comes times for her to deliver, these antibodies will go into the mammary glands, in the “first milk”, which is called COLLOSTRUM. This collostrum is a bit different from milk, and it has a different color – sort of a golden, watery color. This is the “milk” that will be present in her breasts when the babies are born. Antibodies are very large molecules (proteins) and only during the first 24-48 hours of the baby’s life are the intestines able to absorb them into the bloodstream. This is one reason it is so important for a newborn to start nursing right away. Once these antibodies are absorbed into the bloodstream of the infant, they will stay there for a number of weeks, to provide protection against these diseases. Over time, and this will vary from puppy to puppy or kitten to kitten, these antibodies will slowly disappear from the bloodstream and at some point during the first 4 months of life, the young one will no longer be protected. This vulnerability will occur anywhere from about 6 weeks to 4 months, but there is no way to predict in an individual at what time this will occur. During this time it is very important to begin a vaccination schedule. The vaccinations will cause the puppy or kitten to produce its own antibodies, and thus keep it protected. However, if there are still antibodies present from the mom then this will interfere with the vaccination, and the immune system will not be stimulated. So it is important to vaccinate every three or four weeks, to be sure that the immune system gets stimulated as soon as it can respond, so that the puppy or kitten is not at risk during any period of its youth (remember that any disease is much more dangerous for someone very young). Research has shown that by the age of 4 months, all puppies and kittens that can respond will have responded to a vaccination. So if you continue to have your puppy or kitten vaccinated up to the age of 4 months, or even longer, you can feel confident that it has been protected. Until this time, it is EXTREMELY IMPORTANT that you not allow your pet to go anywhere where it may contract a disease. Do not let kittens outdoors (for more reasons than catching diseases!), do not take your puppy to parks or other areas where other dogs are allowed to roam. When you go to the vet’s office for vaccinations, keep them in a carrier if possible, do not let them loose on the yard of the clinic or the floor of the clinic. Do not let them come face to face with a sick animal. Once your puppy or kitten has finished its shots, then yearly boosters will keep the immune system “ready to go” to prevent your pet from getting these diseases.

What Vaccines Does My Dog Need?

The major diseases that dogs are vaccinated against are DISTEMPER, PARVO, LEPTOSPIROSIS, CANINE HEPATITIS, and KENNEL COUGH. Most of the time, distemper, parvo, leptospirosis, and hepatitis vaccines are combined into one injection, you may have heard of this vaccination referred to as the 6 in 1, or 7 in one shot. Kennel cough vaccine is given separately, either as an injection or with drops that are placed in the nose. Every dog should be vaccinated on a yearly basis with the combination vaccine to protect against distemper and parvo, and the others as well, and to help prevent the spread of these diseases. Kennel cough vaccine is sometimes given routinely by veterinarians, or sometimes the choice of this vaccination is left up to the pet owner. Kennel cough is very contagious through contact with dogs that are infected with it, but it is not a lifethreatening disease. It is important to have your dog vaccinated against this if he or she will be spending time boarding in a kennel, or going to the groomer’s.

RABIES VACCINE of course is extremely important, and this vaccination is required by law, either every year or every three years, depending on the rabies laws of your state.

What Vaccines Should My Cat Get?

Major diseases that cats are vaccinated against include the UPPER RESPIRATORY VIRUSES and FELINE LEUKEMIA VIRUS. There is a vaccine for FELINE INFECTIOUS PERITONITIS but there is great controversy surrounding this vaccine, be sure to discuss this with your vet. Which vaccines your cat should receive will depend upon your situation and what your veterinarian feels is appropriate. There is a small risk of a cat developing a very bad tumor, called a FIBROSARCOMA, at the site of the vaccination. Because of this, there is a great deal of discussion going on among veterinarians and feline societies as to how often and under what circumstances a cat should be vaccinated.

The upper respiratory viruses are spread from cat to cat just as the cold virus is spread from human to human. There are 4 major upper respiratory viruses and most often there is one injection that will vaccinate against all 4. This vaccination will not completely prevent infection in every case, but it will help lessen the severity of the infection. Feline leukemia virus is spread most often through bite wounds from an infected cat, but sometimes it can be spread from an infected cat to an uninfected cat through close daily contact when they live together. A cat who stays strictly indoors and is never around any other cats is not likely to get exposed to these diseases. Any cat who spends any time outdoors should be regularly vaccinated for both upper respiratory diseases as well as leukemia, and should be tested for the leukemia virus prior to being given the vaccine. The risk of becoming ill from these viruses is much greater than the risk of developing an injection site tumor. Cats who live in multiple cat households should be vaccinated at least for the upper respiratory diseases. It would also be best to have each cat in such a situation tested for the leukemia virus, to be sure that this disease will not be spread to all the cats of the household. If any are found to be positive, then other noninfected cats in the household should be vaccinated regularly for feline leukemia. The vaccine is not 100% effective, but in most cases will provide protection. Measures should be taken to keep the infected cats separated from the uninfected cats as much as possible.

Of course, the RABIES VACCINE is extremely important, and is required by law. This vaccine is given every year, or every three years, depending on the rabies laws of your state.

Special Considerations

Vaccinations by the BREEDER:

Many BREEDERS will vaccinate their puppies or kittens themselves. They purchase vaccines in bulk and administer them themselves to save money. Sometimes these vaccines are fine, but many times, depending on the manufacturer, they are not good quality vaccines. Sometimes they are not handled properly, and thus will be ineffective, and sometimes very unreputable breeders will say that they have vaccinated when in fact they have not. A reputable breeder will be sure that they buy very good quality, effective vaccinations and they will give them as they are supposed to be given. Howver, in this situation, your safest course of action is to disregard anything the breeder tells you about vaccinations, and take the puppy or kitten right away to the vet to be vaccinated. It will not harm the puppy or kitten to receive an extra vaccine, but there is great risk in not receiving proper vaccines. If the breeder is able to provide you with proof that the puppy or kitten was vaccinated with a reliable vaccine, then you should show this information to your veterinarian, and let them make the decision as to whether or not the puppy or kitten should be vaccinated right away. There are also very good breeders who have all of the offspring vaccinated by a licensed veterinarian, and they will also provide you with a form to indicate such. You should still show this information to your veterinarian, so that they can verify that this has been done, and let you know when your pet should receive future vaccines.

ORPHANED puppy or kitten:

These babies may not have received any colostrum from their mother, therefore may have no protection whatsoever, and it is especially important to start their vaccinations as soon as possible. It is also especially important to see to it that they do not get exposed to disease, so extra stringent measures should be taken to protect them. You should call your veterinarian and describe your situation, let them tell you just exactly what you should do.

OLDER Puppies and Kittens:

If you have a puppy or a kitten that is older than 6 weeks, and never vaccinated, or you do not know whether or not it has received vaccinations, or you could not afford vaccinations when it was younger, what do you do? If the puppy or kitten is less than four months old, you do not have to double up or catch up on the vaccines it has not received. Or if you do not know if it has had vaccines in the past, it does not hurt to have it revaccinated. You just need to get the vaccinations that are appropriate for the pet’s age. And you can ask your veterinarian about what is best. Even if the pet is an adult, and you do not know its history, you should have it vaccinated. Adults may not be quite as vulnerable to some diseases, but they are all at risk, if never vaccinated.

DURATION of PROTECTION from a Vaccine

There is much current research being done to determine just how long protection (this is referring to the length of time the antibodies stay in the blood after a vaccine – this is called a “titer”) lasts from a vaccine. This research is being done in both human and veterinary medicine. There is evidence to show that protection from several vaccinations in cats and dogs lasts longer than a year, but the length of time will vary for each individual dog or cat, and it will depend on what the vaccine is protecting against. So why should you vaccinate your pet every year? Well, until all of this research leads to more specific information, you should do this to be sure your pet is protected. Also, and I think this is most important, with most veterinarians, when your pet goes in for a vaccine he or she will be given a physical exam. In fact, you can and should insist on this, if your vet does not do it routinely. This is so important because there are many diseases out there that can cause subtle changes in your pet that you may not be able to recognise. And many of these diseases or problems are quite serious, and must be caught as early as possible for treatment to be effective. They may not be so serious, but could be causing great discomfort to your pet. Since they can’t talk, how are you to know?

What Are the Negative Side Effects of Vaccines?

VACCINATION REACTIONS:

Dogs and cats can have allergic reactions to vaccines. This does not occur very often, but can occur. Most often, within several hours of receiving the vaccination, they will develop hives, large bumps all over the body. This reaction will occur within several hours of receiving the vaccine. They may experience swelling in the face and neck. If this occurs, the pet needs to be seen by a veterinarian right away, but the reaction is easily treated with steroids, and should disappear by the next day. Rarely, and I stress rarely, they can develop an anaphylactic reaction, which is a severe, life-threatening allergic reaction. It is the same thing that will happen to a human, for example, you have heard of someone who is allergic to eggs or seafood, and they eat it, this will cause this sort of reaction. Signs of this reaction include vomiting, sometimes diarrhea or defecation, falling over or fainting, agitation, respiratory distress. If not treated medically, immediately, death will result. Allergic reactions occur only when reexposure occurs, and only if the immune system has responded in such a way as to make a human or animal allergic. This is a special response of the immune system that only occurs sometimes, in certain individuals, to certain substances. Such reactions should never happen with the first vaccine given, however on rare occasion a puppy may show a severe reaction to its first vaccine. It is not clearly understood what causes this, but it is thought that there may be some added ingredient in the vaccine that the puppy has been exposed to previously that causes this reaction. And most pets never develop an allergic reaction to any vaccine. But if you are concerned at all about your pet having a reaction you can handle this in a simple manner. You can take your pet to your veterinarian early in the morning, and leave it all day, to get vaccinated. Inform your vet of your concerns, ask him or her to vaccinate your pet very early in the day, and to watch it closely for any signs of reaction. They will be able to deal with such a reaction promptly and successfully should it occur. If your pet has had any reactions in the past, you should by all means inform your vet of this, and discuss with him or her whether or not your pet needs to be vaccinated in spite of the risk. There are medications that can be given prior to vaccination that will help prevent this allergic reaction and other ways of minimizing the risk to the allergic pet.

PERSISTENT SWELLING at the vaccination site:

Sometimes, at the location where the pet was vaccinated, a hard lump will form. This is just a local reaction to the ingredients in the vaccine and should disappear slowly, within a month or so. You should take your pet to the vet, should such a lump appear, to have them check it out, and make sure that is what is causing the lump. They should do this at no charge for you, if your pet was vaccinated there. As with any lump you should keep a very close eye on it, if it is growing, getting larger, or becoming irritated or abscessed, this is a cause for immediate concern, and requires immediate veterinary attention. In light of this, sometimes in CATS a certain type of tumor will form at the vaccination site, called a FIBROSARCOMA! These tumors are very nasty, they are very aggressive at their site of location, they invade the tissues and grow to be quite large. They will most often result in the loss of life of the cat, if not treated, and many times the treatment is unsuccessful. However, it has been shown that when surgery is performed to remove this tumor, if done correctly, with lots of tissue around the tumor removed, that sometimes the cat can be cured of this tumor. At least this can greatly extend the life of the cat. If not completely removed, the tumor will grow back. Many veterinarians these days will vaccinate a cat in the hind leg, in case the vaccine results in a tumor. This way, if a tumor develops, the leg can be amputated and the life of the cat will be saved in most cases. Cats that have only 3 legs actually do almost as well as cats with four, they do not seem to notice the difference, and they can get around quite well, so don’t let this alarm you! The surgery is not nearly as painful as it would be for you or I, and the cat will be up and around as if nothing happened within a day to several days.

FEVER, LETHARGY, OR PAIN after vaccination:

Very frequently a YOUNG PUPPY, especially if it is small and/or this is its first vaccines, will appear to be sleepy, lethargic, and painful (for example, it may cry when you pick it up or pet it) for about 24 hours after receiving the vaccine. This is nothing to worry about, the puppy should be back to normal the next day. DO NOT give your puppy any ASPIRIN, TYLENOL, IBUPROFEN, or any other over the counter pain reliever/fever reducers. Aspirin is sometimes fairly safe to give a dog, but this must be only with the approval and direction of your veterinarian. Tylenol (acetominophen) and ibuprofen and related drugs should never be given under any circumstance. Usually this does not reccur with subsequent vaccines. However, if you have any concerns at all about this, just give your vet a call. They should be able to allay your fears. And if the puppy is not 100% the next morning, be sure to call your vet and let them know, something else may be wrong.

CATS will sometimes do the same thing, even when they are adults, especially if they have received multiple vaccines in one visit. DO NOT UNDER ANY CIRCUMSTANCES GIVE YOUR CAT ASPIRIN, TYLENOL (acetominophen), IBUPROFEN, or any other over the counter pain reliever/fever reducers. These can easily kill your cat. Vaccine related fever and pain seem to occur more frequently when the cat is vaccinated in the leg. In this case, it might be a good idea to take the cat back to the veterinarian for a check up, he or she may want to prescribe antibiotics if there is a fever, just to be on the safe side. If this occurs, the next time you have your cat vaccinated, you can split the vaccines up, that is, you can have the cat vaccinated with each vaccine at separate times, a week apart is a reasonable schedule.

REMEMBER:

The vast majority of pets do not experience any significant problems with routine vaccinations. The protection that these vaccines give your pet from deadly diseases far outweighs the risks they may encounter in receiving them.

source: http://www.angelfire.com/ab3/rescue/whyvaccinate.html

How Often Should My Dog Receive Vaccinations?

What Vaccinations Should My Dog Get?

 You can read links to toseveral serious diseases ofdogs that veterinarians prevent with their vaccinations.

Lots of my articles are plagiarized and altered on the web to market products and services. There are never ads running or anything for sale with my real articles – other than my time. Try to stay with the ones that begin with http://www.2ndchance.info/ in the URL box or find all my articles at ACC.htm.

Here Is Some General Information About Vaccines You Should Know:

How Long Will It Be Before My Pet Is Protected ?

It can take a full 14 days after vaccination before your should trust that your pet is fully protected. The vaccine itself does not protect your dog. Your pet must make antibodies of it’s own to the virus or bacterial product that was introduced by the vaccine. That is why vaccination just before boarding or exposure to a disease is a waste of time.

Does The Quality of Vaccines Differ ?

Yes, products sold in feed stores are often of lower quality. When these stores sell Nationally respected brands, the products have been diverted from legitimate sales to veterinarians. In that case, there is always the risk that they may not have been shipped or stored properly. Many vaccines contain live, but weakened, disease organisms. Those organisms must be living to be effective. If vaccines are stored in areas that are too warm, or exposed to too much sunlight, they can loose their effectiveness.

Do We Give Our Pets Too Many Vaccines?

Yes.

Just like children, puppies need vaccination at the proper time or they will be susceptible to illnesses. But yearly vaccination for many disease is entirely too often. Please read an article on the subject regarding cats. The same facts about over-vaccination apply to dogs. We are just luck that dogs don’t get the number of vaccination-associated tumors that cats do.

The exceptions are vaccine against leptospirosis, which seem to only last a year and vaccination against kennel cough (which last six months to a year) and vaccinations against Lyme disease. When your pet is likely to be exposed to these pathogens, it will need booster vaccinations at regular intervals. However, injecting these foreign-protein containing products into your pet is not without risk so you should consider how likely exposure really is in your pet’s specific case. Sometimes the risks out weight the possible benefits. Kennel cough is not a fatal disease. Leptospirosis usually requires exposure to stagnant standing water, wildlife or vermin (rats) – so the risk to a pet like an indoor poodle is low, while the risk to a dog taken into rural settings is much higher. The risk to your pets also increases when you or your neighbors feed urban wildlife (raccoons).

Some owners give their pets Lyme disease vaccine every year. Pets get this disease from ticks. If you are very fearful of catching it from your pet, that is a valid option. But my suggestion is that before you decide, see if there is actually a high incidence of Lyme disease in pets or wildlife where you live. You can view a map of the areas of the United States where your pet is most likely to be exposed to Lyme disease . We know that Lyme vaccine has the potential of causing adverse effects including generalized arthritis, allergy and other immune diseases, so it should not be given needlessly.

Another commonly administered vaccine is for kennel cough (bordetella,etc.). This is usually a mild and transient disease – often contracted during boarding or grooming or at dog shows. Your pet may not need this vaccine since not all pets visit breeding or boarding kennels, most do not go to dog shows and most pets have only occasional contact with dogs outside their immediate family. Also, the immunity this vaccine imparts is quite short-lived. I recommend this vaccine only when owners anticipate a likely exposure. I suggest it more frequently in toy breeds in which coughing can persist for quite some time due to the narrow tracheas (windpipe) common in these breeds. These small pets also tend to spend more time at the groomer and kennels where kennel cough disease lurks.

What Are Adjuvants ?

Adjuvants are compounds that are added to vaccines in an attempt to increase their effectiveness. I no longer use vaccines that contain them because they have caused so many side effects. At least one company, (Intervet), offers a non-adjuvanted 3-year vaccines. This is the vaccine that I most often use in dogs. It appears to contain none of the adjuvants that might cause cancer or immunological disease later in life. Other good choices are vaccines which require no needle injections such as Merial’s products (Purevax) that use recombinant canarypox vector vaccine technology. All these products have been on the market for too short a period to make long-term judgements. I would prefer that your pet receive a rabies vaccine that also contains no adjuvants. But even non-adjuvanted injectable vaccines are not risk-free. If your dog has had prior vaccine reactions, think seriously before having any vaccines administered and be sure that your veterinarian jots down the brand name and lot number of the vaccines that have been given.

When Should My Puppy Get It’s Shots ?

When it comes to puppies most veterinarians are in agreement. Puppies should receive their first canine distemper, canine adenovirus (infectious canine hepatitis) andcanine parvovirus at 7-9 weeks of age, then at 12-13 weeks of age, and finally at 16-18 weeks of age to insure they are solidly protected against these diseases. Shots given earlier than 9-12 weeks usually do not work because they are blocked by residual immunity passed on from its mother. This is because antibody from the puppy’s mother is usually still in their bodies. But in rare occasions there is not enough of it to protect the puppy if it is exposed to these diseases. So rather than take that risk, veterinarians usually give them all an early vaccination. An alternative is to have the puppy’s antibody level checked instead. But that procedure is more expensive and time consuming than just giving the vaccine.

I generally give the intranasal kennel cough (bordatella) vaccine at 12 and 18 weeks of age. At 12-16 weeks of age I give puppies a killed three-year rated rabies virus vaccination (such as Merial’s Imrab-1).

Veterinarians differ on when they give these vaccinations. But my schedule has worked well for me and my clients.

What Vaccinations Should My Adult Pet Get ?

With the exceptions I have mentioned (Kennel Cough, Leptospirosis, Lyme) adult dogs do not need to be vaccinated more than every three years.

Rabies is a special cases.The problem are state laws that mandate yearly rabies vaccination. You need to obey those laws for the benefit of the human and dog-population of your State as a whole. If States allowed exceptions, rabies could get out of control. Several rabies vaccines are federally certified for three years of protection (such as Imrab-3) . However, many states disregard these federal guidelines and require yearly vaccination. When yearly rabies vaccination is mandated, I prefer thiomersal-free, non-adjuvanted vaccine.

Until recently, veterinarians simply gave all dogs booster shots every year. This is what the vaccine manufacturers suggested. Besides, it brought our clientele back to our animal hospitals yearly, which increased our income and gave us the opportunity to detect problems early before the owners were aware of them. Most veterinarians do a thorough physical examination on pets at the time of their yearly vaccinations and we often detect problems during the exam. Also, by law, most states require a yearly rabies vaccination even though studies have shown that many of the rabies vaccines we use give us three years of protection.

Many veterinarians, myself included, were suspicious that the vaccines we used were giving much longer periods of protection than one year. We knew this because we never saw distemper, hepatitis or parvovirus disease in dogs that had been vaccinated – even many years earlier.

Part of the problem involved the typical fee structures of veterinary practices. We tended to undercharge for complex surgery and subsidize those procedures with the money we earn on yearly vaccinations. I do not know how this practice came about, but it has existed at least since the 1950’s. There was also an incentive for vaccine manufacturers to sell more vaccine if boosters were recommended annually. There was also a one-year mind set among the staff the USDA and FDA. It has been taken to the extreme, to the point where there is now a two-year expiration date on a vial of water.

There are many risks associated with too frequent vaccinations. For one, the immune system of your pet is stressed by these vaccinations. Occasional dogs develop allergic reactions, facial swelling, stomach and intestinal upsets, mopiness, fevers, itching, nausea and coughing after they receive a shot. But we also suspect that vaccinations trigger certain autoimmune diseases such as Addison’s disease in dogs.

Occasionally these reactions are life threatening (ref). Vaccines contain many ingredients besides the dried virus. Some of these, antibiotics and adjuvants (enhancers) are implicated in vaccine reactions. If I am suspicious that a dog might have a reaction to a particular vaccine, I pre-administer antihistamines (Benadryl) and give a minute test dose of 0.05ml. If the dog is normal thirty minutes after the test dose, I give it the remaining one-milliliter. However, even this small test dose has caused reactions in some animals.

High-risk dogs

High-risk dogs are dogs that roam or take unsupervised strolls; dogs that play with other dogs that are not from their household, dogs that have contact with wild animals, or swim and drink from pools puddles and streams. Other high-risk dogs are coprophagic (eat stool). Some are more at risk because they attend dog shows, field trials and other activities that expose them to greater stress and disease than most pets. For these dogs, you and your veterinarian need to work out an individual vaccination plan or better yet, have the pet’s antibody levels checked yearly. 

Newer Information

In a 2007study  , scientists studied the lengh of time vaccination immunity persisted in humans. We know that the immune system’s memmory in all mammals, cats-dogs-and-people is very similar. Measles, for example, is a virus very much like distemper of dogs. The immunity confired by a two-dose series measles vaccine lasts a human lifetime. Vaccina (cow pox), mumps, Epstein-Barr virus, varicella/zoster and rubella also last a lifetime; tetanus 11, years, diphteria 19yrs. So although no studies have followed dogs or cats that long, veterinarians have no reason to suspect that their immunity would be shorter lasting.

This is a Vaccine Your Dog Can - and Should - Do Without

**By Dr. Becker**

> One of my colleagues here at Mercola.com forwarded an article to me recently from an online news site. The title is “Dogs Also Need to Get Flu Vaccine.” The article is full of misinformation, which is truly disturbing given the serious subject matter.

>

> First the writer claims sick dogs and cats look similar to sick people. This is just silliness. Does your pet look like you when she’s well? Of course not, so how is it she’ll look like you when she’s sick?

>

> The writer goes on to say that if your pet is sluggish, not eating, or is behaving abnormally, he could be sick (true), and to prevent that from happening, he needs a flu shot (not true and a terribly misguided piece of advice).

## No, Your Pet Does NOT Need a Flu Vaccine

> The writer next states, _”There is a flu vaccine for dogs, among all the other vaccines you should get for your pets. It will not only keep your dog healthy, but other dogs he or she comes in contact with as well.”_

>

> She seems to be advocating not only for the canine influenza virus (CIV) vaccine, but also for every other dog vaccine available. This is in my opinion irresponsible and potentially dangerous advice. As for the CIV vaccine, it does NOT prevent infection. It reduces viral shedding once infection is present, and it may lessen the severity of symptoms and their duration. But it does not keep your dog from acquiring the influenza virus.

>

> Interestingly, the writer uses as her expert a supervisor at a local animal shelter. Shelters – especially overcrowded ones – along with boarding and racing dog kennels, are the types of facilities where most outbreaks of CIV occur.

>

> However, it’s unlikely your family dog will be in a situation to contract CIV. Even if she does, chances are she’ll recover uneventfully and without medical intervention thanks to her healthy immune system. It’s also important to know that canine influenza can’t be spread from dogs to people.

>

> There is an implied threat in the article that if your indoor pet gets outdoors somehow and winds up at a shelter, she’s sure to acquire the flu. This is a huge stretch in every direction.

>

> The article ends by pointing out that the area (around Lubbock, TX) hasn’t seen an outbreak of canine influenza virus in years!

## Why I Never Recommend the Canine Flu Vaccine

> The CIV vaccine is a non-core vaccine (canine core vaccines are for protection against distemper, parvo, adenovirus and rabies), and as regular readers here at Mercola Healthy Pets know, I recommend a very conservative approach with the cores, and I almost never recommend the non-cores for any pet. You can find my vaccine recommendations [here](http://healthypets.mercola.com/sites/healthypets/archive/2011/10/27/new-canine-vaccination-guidelines.aspx) toward the end of the article, along with Dr. Ronald Shultz’s.

>

> [Too many vaccines](http://healthypets.mercola.com/sites/healthypets/archive/2010/03/31/high-cost-of-pet-vaccinations.aspx), in particular non-core vaccines like the one for CIV, can seriously compromise your pet’s immune system, affecting its ability to protect your dog naturally from pathogens like the influenza virus.

>

> In addition, non-core vaccines have proved to be less safe in terms of adverse reactions than core vaccines.

## How to Help Your Dog Remain Flu-Free

> As I mentioned earlier, it’s uncommon for a family dog to acquire CIV simply because he typically will not find himself in overcrowded conditions with lots of other dogs.

>

> But if your pet should be exposed to the virus, as long as his immune system is healthy, he’ll either be asymptomatic (show no symptoms), or he’ll recover quickly without medical care.

>

> To keep your pet’s immune system in flu-fighting condition:

>

> * Feed a [balanced, species-appropriate diet](http://healthypets.mercola.com/sites/healthypets/archive/2011/02/15/raw-meat-the-best-and-healthiest-diet-for-pet-cats-and-dogs.aspx).

> * Avoid unnecessary vaccinations and overuse of veterinary drugs and [chemical parasite and pest preventives](http://healthypets.mercola.com/sites/healthypets/archive/2011/06/16/this-mosquito-borne-superworm-is-soaring-in-the-us.aspx).

> * Reduce the [environmental toxins](http://healthypets.mercola.com/sites/healthypets/archive/2009/12/23/environmental-allergies-and-your-pet.aspx) your dog is exposed to, which will in turn lesson his toxic burden and biological stress.

> * Talk to your [holistic vet](http://www.ahvma.org/) about natural immune boosters like turmeric, oregano and fresh garlic, as well as useful herbs and diffusing virus-fighting essential oils to support the immune system.

Sources:

* [EverythingLubbock.com January 28, 2013](http://everythinglubbock.com/fulltext?nxd_id=152062)

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