BIJOU STANDARD POODLES

Available Puppies !!... Meet Our Poodles... Pups Of Our Past... Puppy Layette ... About US & Our Poodles

Contact us: brownpoodles@yahoo.com

Dog Vaccinations Be Informed

DHLPPC:

This is a combo vaccination that covers numerous diseases with one injection. What do all those letters stand for?

• D = Distemper:
Distemper is a nasty virus that is highly contagious, occurs world wide, and at one time was the leading cause of death in puppies. Young puppies are more susceptible to the virus then adult dogs. You may see signs of an upper respiratory infection with a high fever, the dog may also have neurological signs. This disease is often fatal.


• H = Hepatitis or Adenovirus-2:
This is spread by contact with the urine and feces of infected animals. The virus causes liver and kidney damage, animals that survive may have chronic illness. Symptoms include but are not limited to: fever, lethargy, anorexia, abdominal pain, and bloody diarrhea.


• L = Leptospirosis:
This disease affects the liver and kidneys and is deadly. Animals with this disease are contagious to other animals and humans. A positive dog should be isolated and the caregiver should wear protective clothing and gloves. The disease is spread through contact with urine of infected animals. Dogs with leptospirosis may show signs of lethargy, dehydration, jaundice, and fever.


• P = Parainfluenza:
This is a virus that causes an upper respiratory infection. Dogs usually contract the disease through contact with nasal secretions of infected dogs.


• P = Parvovirus:
This virus attacks the intestinal tract and causes severe vomiting and diarrhea. Parvo is highly contagious, dogs contract the virus through contact with an infected animals stools. Without treatment dogs become dehydrated and weak and often die. This virus is very common and puppies who are not properly vaccinated are often afflicted. Rottweilers and Doberman Pinschers seem to be at greater risk for parvo.


• C = Corona virus:
This virus attacks the intestinal system similar to parvovirus. Infected dogs suffer from vomiting and diarrhea and dehydration. Keep your pet vaccinated and your yard clean to protect your pet.

Bordetella:

This is an upper respiratory infection also known as kennel cough. This infection is usually not fatal but is a pain to get rid of. The infection can spread quickly through boarding and grooming facilities and any place dogs congregate. The vaccination can be in the form of a nasal spray or injection. The injection form will need a booster in one month. Your veterinarian can help you decide if this vaccination is necessary for your dog.

Lyme Disease:

This is a tick borne illness. If you live in a wooded area and have a large number of positive Lyme disease cases in your area you should consider this vaccine for your dogs. The deer tick must stay attached to your dog for one to two days in order to transmit the illness, so checking your dog daily for ticks will help prevent Lyme disease, also use a good tick preventative like Frontline and Preventic Tick Collars.

Symptoms include but are not limited to: fever, swollen lymph nodes, and loss of appetite. Talk to your veterinarian if you think your dog should be vaccinated against Lyme disease.

Giardia:

Giardia is a parasite that lives in the intestines and can be passed into the environment through the stools of infected animals. Dogs become infected with giardia by drinking contaminated water. Humans can also be infected. At risk dogs would be those who live primarily outdoors, hunting dogs, or dogs who may come in contact with ponds or creeks. If you feel your pet is at risk then talk to your veterinarian about vaccinating against giardia. This vaccine needs boosted 3 weeks after the initial dose then given annually.

Rabies:

Rabies is a virus that affects the nervous system and is always fatal. There is no known cure for rabies, to confirm a case the brain tissue must be examined. In the United States raccoons, skunks, bats, foxes, and coyotes are the main wild animal hosts for the illness. Symptoms generally include behavior change, difficulty swallowing, hypersalivation, depression - stupor, and hind limp paralysis. The disease is spread through the saliva of infected animals and can be transmitted through a bite or an open wound. Vaccinated pets who are exposed to rabies should be re-vaccinated and observed for 90 days, un-vaccinated pets exposed to rabies should be euthanized or kept isolated for 6 months. Keep all pets current on their rabies vaccinations - this will protect humans and animals.
The latest Rabies vaccination protocol is that after a series of two vaccinations the dog will only need to be revaccinated every 3 years depending on the Rabies Brand of Vaccination. Ask your vet if you can read the label if you are unsure.

Immunological Effects of Vaccines

We used to vaccinate our puppies at 6 weeks of age, 8 weeks of age, 10 weeks of age and a final shot at 12 weeks of age. The buyer would then vaccinate at 16 weeks of age for the rabies. My Vet informed me that I was "over vaccinating". I was amazed that there could be such a thing as overdoing a good thing. I was wrong. The stress I was putting on my little ones was huge. Not only that but totally not needed. Then I found out more about the Rabies Vaccination. What I found out was it is a 3-year protection. Meaning it is not to be given more than once every three years! Here my pups were routinely vaccinated every year, plus given a booster and then don't forget that heart worm medication and flea medication. Wow that is really getting the poor puppy's body to work overtime especially during key growing periods !

Due to recent studies and also health related problems from Vaccinosis (seizures to name one) especially in Weimaraners, we ask that our puppy buyers..or anyone concerned about their puppies health, to really research vaccination options, prior to following any vaccination schedule. Remember the Vet you choose is working "FOR" you. You are "their" employer. You have the ability to choose what is best for your puppy and to find a vet that will work with you, even if it means less income for the vet.

You have a few choices with your puppy to make sure he is protected against disease. You can vaccinate with "live" vaccine (strain of disease that is not able to cause actual disease), an "all killed" vaccine(vaccine that contains the "disease" but it is dead but in large amounts that may cause allergic reaction because of the amount of disease used), Anti-idiotype antibodies(vaccine containing cure/antibodies), or you could just immunize against Distemper and Parvovirus and use an all killed Rabies (every 3 years), you can vaccinate with a vaccine containing "modified Live" Vaccine also referred to as "MLV" (vaccine containing antigen or actual disease). You need to speak with your Veterinarian to decide which type of vaccination (if any) you choose to use.

Antibody to put it simply means it is the body's "cure" to fight disease, the antidote.

Antigen to put it simply means it is the "disease".

The rational behind giving a human or animal the Antigen is that it will "kick start" the body to produce antibodies to fight the disease it is exposed to. Thus down the road if the body is exposed to a disease it will have enough antibodies to quickly fight and kill the disease.

Now mom has already provided the puppies with immunity and antibodies from her milk. Many people are now just doing a titer level for Distemper and Parvo Virus (blood sample to test levels of antibodies) on their puppies figuring if there is antibodies already in their system why tax their fragile puppy systems that are already hard at work just in growing, with also fighting an illness. It makes sense. Vaccinating can also overwhelm the immunocompromised, or even a healthy host, that is continually bombarded with other environmental stimuli and has a genetic predisposition that promotes adverse response to viral challenge. This scenario may have a significant effect on the recently weaned young puppy that is placed in a new environment. Furthermore, while the frequency of vaccinations is usually spaced over a 2-3 week span, some veterinarians have advocated vaccination with half doses once a week. To me, this practice makes no sense from a scientific or medical perspective. While young puppies exposed this frequently to vaccine antigens may not demonstrate overt adverse effects, their relatively immature immune systems may he temporarily or more permanently harmed from such antigenic challenges. Consequences in later life may be the increased susceptibility to chronic debilitating diseases. Some veterinarians trace the increasing current problems with allergic and immunological diseases to the introduction of MLV vaccines some 20 years ago. While other environmental factors no doubt have a contributing role, the introduction of these vaccine antigens and their environmental shedding may provide the final insult that exceeds the immunological tolerance threshold of some individuals in the pet population.

What is Vaccinosis ?

Vaccinosis Link
More research on Vaccinosis

There is increasing evidence that repeated vaccinations may contribute to immune suppression, manifesting in both chronic and episodic disorders such as arthritis, various skin diseases, diabetes, epileptic seizures, loss of motor control, cancer, and can even result in death. Kirk's Current Veterinary Therapy XI, states that annual revaccination of dogs and cats "lacks scientific validity and verification." Also, "Almost without exception, there is no immunological requirement for revaccination."

As you become more aware of this problem in your research of this subject as a concerned pet owner, you can shift your approach from automatic yearly revaccination to a physical examination accompanied by blood work, or titer testing (a tool to help assess the status of the immune system, and actually quantify its state of immunity in the blood, or the serum antibody level).

While titering has been around for many years and is routinely used in research, these tests are just beginning to be offered to the general pet owning public through veterinarians. Some of the panels available include distemper and parvovirus for dogs.

The next time you get one of those reminder post cards from your veterinarian, you can schedule an appointment for a physical exam and titer. If your veterinarian has been keeping up-to-date with the vaccination related literature and new protocols, he or she should agree to draw blood for a titer test. If your veterinarian is reluctant to do so and you are convinced that revaccination can compromise your pet's health, then calmly state your case (bring your research with you). If you still get resistance, it might be wise to look for another veterinarian who is more in line with your thinking.

Your veterinarian should know of a lab that will run the testing because they send in lab work all the time for other things. The titer is usually more expensive than the vaccine ($40 - $80) and the vet might try to convince you to go with the "cheaper alternative," but mounting evidence suggests that over the long run it is probably neither economically nor medically sound advice to automatically and blindly revaccinate your pet.

The use of titer tests is even more important if your pet is geriatric, immune-compromised, or has a chronic degenerative disease, since these animals are most at risk for problems stemming from vaccinations. It states right on the vaccine vial that they are only to be administered to healthy animals. Many times this warning label is completely ignored.

If your pet has ever suffered from vaccinosis after getting a shot, which can include: low- grade fever; weakness; loss of appetite; itchy skin; rashes; seizures; loss of consciousness; loss of motor control; or swelling (anaphylaxis may compromise breathing to the point of death), the effects may be resolved by giving a homeopathic remedy such as Thuja. More importantly, however, these pets should be particularly strong candidates for the titer testing instead of further vaccinations which may result in more severe reactions with each additional booster.

Discuss your pet's reaction with your vet because sometimes it might be related to a particular component of the vaccine given, or the brand or type (live virus or dead) and you will know to use a different vaccine or eliminate a suspect vaccine the next time a "booster" is needed. One anecdotal example is the trouble that many toy breeds and terriers have with the leptospirosis vaccines and that when that component is left out no immediately apparent problems result.

People who do not practice homeopathy may chose to stay at the doctor's office for a while after vaccinations are given to make sure there isn't a reaction, or may routinely use an antihistamine to counter some of these effects. At this point some pet owners wonder if the vaccine is worse of a risk than the disease it is supposed to prevent. Homeopathic literature further suggests that when homeopathic remedies have controlled a disease, the symptoms immediately return after a vaccine is given as the vaccination seems to counteract the positive effect of the homeopathic treatment.

When following the latest vaccination protocol or one agreed upon by you and your veterinarian, it is advised that you should request killed or inactivated type vaccines whenever possible. It is also unwise to vaccinate at the same time as any surgical or medical procedure that requires anesthesia, or during any period of stress for your pet.

Another part of the immunity story is cellular memory, which is described as a healthy body's inherent ability to fight disease when challenged. One of the studies by Dr. Halliwell and Associates suggests that animals can be protected by cellular memory even when levels of serum antibodies are below acceptable levels or are seemingly inadequate in number to fight off the disease. This explains why animals who have never had a certain vaccination can fight off a disease without succumbing to it.

Since the only way to test for cellular memory is to challenge the animal's immune system with the disease in question, we are left with only two mainstream options: to vaccinate, or to test for levels of serum antibodies. Since re-vaccinating is being questioned, then the more acceptable alternative is to test titers at least every three years in a young, healthy animal, and then vaccinate only as necessary to maintain titers at the acceptable protective levels. Older or less healthy animals may be checked yearly.

THE CHOICE IS YOURS TO MAKE. BE INFORMED :)

NEW PRINCIPLES OF IMMUNOLOGY

Return to Bijou Poodles Home Page