Safeguarding your dog with vaccines...

Dogs, cats and some other pets such as ferrets must receive a series of vaccines beginning at about five to six weeks old, then repeated every three to four weeks until they're twelve weeks to build up an immunity to common contagious viruses. The vaccines must then be given every year for the rest of their lives to continue the protection.

The easiest way to discuss these vaccines is by labeling them as core (ones that are essential to protect against viruses that are found everywhere ) and noncore (vaccines that are only administered in areas where the viruses are a problem).

Core vaccines for dogs include the four way vaccine DHPP because it protects against the four most contagious of viruses that affects them; Distemper, Hepatitis, Parvovirus, and Parainfluenza.

• Distemper is an airborn virus that mostly affects the dog's respiratory system and causes diarrhea but can result in sever neurological problems and death if it goes untreated.
• Canine Hepatitis affects the liver and is transmitted through infected dog's bodily fluids like saliva and urine. The virus affects the liver and the dog usually shows no outward sypmptoms of infection like vomiting or diarrhea. This, like Parainfluenza is more just in the mix, rather than a major danger.
  
• Parvovirus is an extremely strong and nasty virus that is transmitted through the infected feces of dogs. As mentioned in my last blog, puppies are particularly susceptible to this virus and it has a high mortality rate because of dehydration. Treatment is very expensive and owners often euthanize rather than treat for that reason.
• Parainfluenza is a virus that affects the respiratory system and is not necessarily a core vaccine, but comes with the four way automatically.

One more vaccine that could be considered a core and is often given with the above four, to make it the five way DHPP/C, is the one against Coronavirus. If you have doubts about what you should include in the vaccine-colada for your dog talk to your veterinarian to see what vaccines they carry and what they deem as necessary for your the area you live in and your lifestyles.

• Coronavirus is transmitted through the infected feces of animals and causes diarrhea and sometimes vomiting. This virus' symptoms can mimic the ones of Parvovirus, but the diarrhea of a dog with Coronavirus will not have digested blood in it.

The last, and arguably the most important, because it's generally required by law for dogs and in some cases for cats, is the rabies virus. Usually this vaccine is given around twelve weeks old with the dog's last set of vaccines. The frequency of this vaccine varies by state though. For example, in Michigan a dog gets its first rabies vaccine when at twelve weeks and it must be re-administered the following year. After these first two, it must only be given ever three years whereas some states require it to be administered every year as the virus is more prevalent in those areas.

Some noncore vaccines include ones against Kennel cough, Lyme disease, and Giardia. These are noncore because some dogs aren't in danger of contracting the illnesses. Kennel cough is airborne and usually only prevalent in places that dogs are kept in closed quarters, hence its name. Lyme disease is transmitted through parasites called ticks, most commonly deer ticks, so dogs that live in apartments etc. aren't in danger of the virus. Giardia is transmitted through beaver stool in stagnant water, so again a dog that doesn't have access to environments hospitable for these conditions wouldn't be at risk.

This is the basic outline of what the suggested vaccines for man's best friend are. Always discuss all of the different options with your veterinarian as, "the doctor knows best" (usually, anyway) as the old adage states.

As this took up much more time and space than I had originally anticipated, my next blog will discuss what vaccines are suggested for our feline friends.