Many people see current on shots and assume that this means a pup is fully immune to the diseases he is vaccinated against. They assume that a vaccinated pup whether he is 8 weeks or 12 weeks old is fully protected against some very bad diseases if he is current on his shots.
It is not that simple.
When a pup is born, if he is nursed by his dam (mother) he receives her antibodies via colostrum (first milk) and her regular milk which she will start to produce about 2-5 days after she has whelped (given birth, whether naturally or c-section).
Antibodies are what dogs produce because of the shots we give to them. When you give a vaccination, you are injecting a small portion of the disease into the dog. It is a controlled, non virulent strain (meaning it cannot give the dog the disease). The body finds this and attacks it. It sets up defense mechanisms to deal with this particular disease. 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 develops a fighting force that will attack the disease when he is exposed to it in the real form.
Pups do not have this. They have maternal (mom) antibodies, if raised by mom. Bottle raised pups have none unless they received some colostrum from mom prior to being hand raised.
This is the only thing that protects young, unvaccinated pups from disease.
How many antibodies a pup has is dependent on several things. A dominant pup, one that hogs the nipples and gets a lot of milk, will have more of them than the pup who is constantly pushed away from the dinner plate. A litter born to a bitch (female) that was vaccinated just prior to breeding will get more.
Antibodies are great and needed to protect young babies. But here's the problem. They interfere with vaccinations. Each pup will retain his antibodies a certain amount of time but we cannot be certain when he will lose them. Vaccinate a pup with mom's antibodies still in him, useless. The maternal antibodies will attack and kill the shot and the pup will not make his own as long as mom's are in him.
To put it in other words, let's say the Smith's have two pups, for our purpose we will call them Fred and Fanny. Both were raised with mom. Fanny was a hog and got a lot of antibodies, Fred got fewer. Both are weaned at 6 weeks of age, no more milk. The Smith's vaccinate both with Parvo shots. Because both pups still have maternal antibodies, neither shot offers any protection. But because they are still protected by maternal antibodies, it's OK.
At 8 weeks of age both Fred and Fanny are vaccinated again. Because Mom had high level of them, both are still protected by her antibodies and again this shot is useless. We cannot know how many each has without blood testing, so we vaccinate instead because if breeders tested the blood level of each pup, you would pay A LOT more for that pup.
The Miller's come to visit Fred and Fanny. They are interested in getting pup. They chose Fred. They are given 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. The Miller's are told they must take Fred to the vet, he is due for another shot in 8 days. On the way home, they stop at a way side rest and let Fred out into the dog area to go potty. He is current on shots right? Fred is exposed to a small amount of parvo when he sniffs an area. But he still has some maternal antibodies, so he is not infected.
Fred's antibodies leave him and he is unprotected. He is not due for another shot for 7 days. The Miller's take Fred to the park. They see there are no other dogs there. Doesn't matter because one dog that came through 3 weeks ago was shedding parvo. Fred comes into contact and because his antibodies have left and the shot he got 7 days ago was attacked and destroyed by maternal antibodies, he has no immunity. Plus he is stressed. He loves his new home and the Miller's love him but he has left Fanny and the Smiths and he is stressed out. He has a bit of loose stools because of the water change and his stress. His immune system which is under developed anyway 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 Fred 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, Fred is sick. He has severe diarrhea now and there is obviously something very wrong. The Miller's take him to the vet. The vet runs several tests for other infections and so on that do cause diarrhea. Fred rapidly goes down hill and the test for Parvo comes back postive.
There is no cure for Parvo. You can only support the dog and hope he recovers. One kind attacks the heart, the other the GI system.
The Miller's are stunned and keep saying, he was supposed to be current on shots! Those breeders must have lied. (Please note, some "breeders" do lie! But all good breeders will be certain that any pup is vaccinated before it leaves them)
Meanwhile back at the ranch, Fanny is fine. She has not been exposed to Parvo and she still has some antibodies left. When she is one day shy of 10 weeks old, her antibodies leave. She is given another vaccination at 10 weeks of age and this one produces antibodies in a few days. Viola, immunity. Of course since we don't know this for certain, she will receive serveral more shots in the weeks to come.
Reading this you may be thinking you will have to keep your pup in a bubble. Not so but you must keep him clear of other dogs and places they visit for the first couple of weeks. Wooded areas where racoon, fox or coyotes visit can also harbor Parvo.
Parvo is every where. It lives a long time and common disinfectants don't kill it. Freezing does not kill it, it preserves it. You can carry it on your shoes into your home. This is why sometimes when you visit a kennel, you are restricted from certain areas. Granted there are some horrible people out there that don't want you to see their mill but in most cases, it is this virus and the people's knowledge of it that restricts you. I am always wary of places that allow free, unfettered access to whelping and young pup's living quarters. For breeders, this is a darned if you do and darned if you don't case. Don't show people, many assume you are hiding some horrible secret. Show people and you may have just infected the place with Parvo compromising the pups for a long long time to come. Remember, it does not go away easily.
When you buy a pup from us, he is current on shots. He will get one every 2-3 weeks he is with us without fail. The people I import from vaccinate as well. But until he is a certain age, when you take him home, keep him safe. Limit his exposure to other dogs unless you know for certain they are fully vaccinated. Limit his exposure to people, places dogs go. Keep him in your arms if you want to go to Pet Co.
This is why you see pups with 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. A bottle raised pup should have more shots than a momma raised one. But be wary of people who start pups at 2 weeks of age on shots. They either have a disease problem or are totally ignorant. Be wary of people who have 8-10 week old pups with one shot, they are either trying to save money or are also ignorant of the best way to prevent disease unless they have had blood testing performed to determine titer levels (antibody levels)
When your pup 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 Bull breeds. 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 pup has a higher occurance for infection than a 10 or 12 week one, simply because of his age. That's not to say a 12 week old pup cannot become infected even if current on shots. Some pups 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 pup has a faulty immune system. Just like a small child, he has not been exposed to a lot of bacteria and viruses. He is also stressed out until he gets to know you and feels safe. All of these factors can contribute to illness. Either cause it or make it worse. It is so very important to allow your pup to settle in before you stress him further with more new environments etc. Once he is settled you can take him everywhere with you, dogs are social and enjoy stimulation. But for the first few weeks, please keep it quiet and boring.
We feel this is the best way to vaccinate.
6 weeks Parvo Vaccine
8 weeks DA2P+PV and bordetella
10 weeks DA2P+PV and bordetella
14 weeks DA2LP+PV and Rabies
Most vets agree this schedule is a good one. We are trying to bridge the gaps in young pups. Some vets prefer the every 3 weeks shedule. Sometimes we space the shots to every 3 weeks. You will get a record of every vaccination your pup has received in his life.
The one exception to this rule is this. If a pup is due for another shot let's say on Tuesday Dec 1 and he is flying or coming home to you on the same day, we will delay this shot. The excitement (read stress) of his moving and the vaccination on same day can cause overload on his little body. It is in his best interests to settle into your life (keep him safe) first and then be vaccinated. No matter if your pup has had 1, 2, 3 shots, you should keep him safe, avoid areas where Parvo is a risk until he is a bit older (12-14 weeks). If you are purchasing an older pup from us, then you are free to roam where you may.
Recently this information has been taken from me and used by "breeders" whose pups are often infected with parvo. This is not my intention. Parvo in correctly vaccinated pups is RARE. But you still need to be careful and continue on with vaccinations. This is doubly important if you have gotten your pup from a breeder who is trying to cut corners!
Worms-intestinal worms, round, hook, whip and tape. All but tape are easily kicked out by de wormers. We use Stongid T on all pups here. Most pups are born with round worms. The deworming meds only kill adults so it is vital that pup be given 2 doses 2 weeks apart. It takes larvae 2 weeks to mature. If you only give one dose, you kill the adults but leave all those baby worms to grow up, which they will in 2 weeks..they they will breed and make more. We will sometimes de worm a pup 3 times to be certain.
Your pup can become infected with worms at any time. Unlike vaccinations, de wormer does not keep working. Please do not assume because your pup was dewormed, he will never be infected again. He can become infected several days after a deworming. Speak to your vet about heartworm prevention as well. They are found in all 50 states now. Heart worms are a deadly infection.
Coccidia- a one celled parasite that loves pups. The bane of all breeders. Symptoms are watery, sometimes bloody diarrhea. Cocci can be carried by healthy dogs with the dog showing so signs of illness. Pups are usually infected through healthy mother who is only a carrier and not ill. It lives in the digestive tract and infects pups under stress. It's highly contagious to other pups. You cannot cure cocci but you can limit its reproduction until the pup's immune system can catch up, usually 10 days. Cocci can lie dormant and only be noted when the pup comes under stress. The first 21 days after your pup comes home to you, is the time cocci will flare. A plane trip, change in weather, change in food, water, just the change of residence can be enough to cause this parasite to flare up and reproduce very quickly. A seemingly non affected pup can become ill in a very short period of time. In fact I may get a negative on a stool sample conducted by my vet and you may get a positive just days after the pup comes home to you. It is easily controlled and every pup that leaves here has been treated for it or to prevent it. It is possible even after treatment that your pup may become infected with it again after leaving us. You need to understand that even though we have been treating them here, it's possible you may need to give another round to truly wipe it out. It is so common, we treat every pup here for it. Again this does not mean that you won't have to treat for it again when pup comes home to you. Leaving us is a stressful time for your pup and this opportunist parasite may flare again. We may have it completely under control and the pup showing no signs (we do not allow a pup to leave us until he is showing NO signs) only to have you get a whopping case several days after the pup comes to your home. We highly suggest that you take stool sample to your vet and test for this within 2-4 days of him coming home to you!!!. Nothing kills cocci, there are no disinfectants that will even touch it. Fortunately the medication for it is readily available and the pup's immune system with this help will catch up and help him through it. If your pup's stool is found positive for this parasite, be very clean with all feces, practice very strict clean up schedule. Coccidia is impervious to freezing, high heat and as stated above, EVERY disinfectant we have. If your vet RX's meds, finish them as prescribed. Do not miss doses! If we send you home with some, finish it according to our instructions, do not miss doses or stop until the full course has been given!! Treatment: Albon injectable, Albon Suspension, SMZ-Tmp Supension. Some pups are feces eaters, in spite of being raised in good conditions and given all the food they want. This only further spreads the parasite. If your pup is a feces eater, we suggest sprinkling his food with FORBID, a product made for this nasty habit. If the FORBID does not work, Try DETER. If that does not work, carry a bottle of hot pepper sauce with you and put a few drops on the feces. He will not eat it if its seasoned! If you have other pups in your home, we strongly urge you to keep them seperate until you get the pup to the vet for a check up. Adults, with their stronger immune system are fine but all pups have underdeveloped immune systems making infections easily passed between them. We strongly suggest feeding unsweetened plain yogurt to a pup diagnosed with this. It will help replace the good bacteria in the gut and they will fight this parasite more effectively. This parasite will not always show up in fecal testing. It is not always shed into feces and several tests may be needed to rule it out or confirm it.
Giardia- one celled protazoan found in rivers, puddles, creeks, streams, backyard wading pools and sometimes people water sources. This is why you don't suck water out of a stream in the mountains and one reason that when you travel to Mexico you do not drink their water. It is contagious to man. Causes diarrhea and nausea. Treatment for this is Flagyl or Metronidazole, affectionately called metro by breeders. Can be diagnosd though fecal testing but is difficult because it is not constantly shed. Several random fecal samples may be needed to prove its existance or non existance. If your pup is ever diagnosed with it, handle the feces with care. Clean all areas with a disinfectant, bleach (1 part to 6 parts water) or lysol straight. Its important to note that you must allow bleach to sit for at least 5 minutes and lysol for the recommended time on the container. Many people wrongly assume that a shot of lysol kills all. It won't if you dont let it sit!! You must remove feces before you disinfect, many of them are rendered useless in the presence of organic material. In other words, you cannot just spray the poop. Clean it up. Bathe your pup throughly every day for 3-4 days with a mild shampoo to remove any oocysts (the giardia bug) from him pay attention to undertail area. Wash all bedding. Clean, clean clean. If any of it remains in environment, pup can become reinfected quickly. You can become infected as well so wash your hands after petting pup or handling clean up. LIke cocci, we may get a negative result and you can get a positive result days later when you bring your pup home. If your pup has diarrhea, we strongly suggest you test his feces for this as well as cocci.
Upper Respiratory Infection- UPI-This is cold that is fairly common in pups. It can be caused by viruses, reactions to vaccines, plane trips, bacteria or mycoplasmas (super germs) Symptoms are runny nose and sometimes a cough. The incubation ranges from 2-14 days. A pup who is not exhibiting signs, can still be infected. Its like when you get a cold, it takes time for it to set up in your body, until you feel sick, you are not really sick. Impossible to tell what organism is causing it without running extensive testing. We feel that antibiotics are useful in the fight against walking pnemonia. The cold itself is usually self limiting, meaning it will run its course and be done if caused by a virus. But in a stressed pup, one that has just been shipped to us or to you, or in the case of bacterial or mycoplasmic infection, the infection can travel to lungs easily. This infection is very very resistant to most antibiotics. Which means most of what other vets prescribe must either be given for long periods of time (up to 4 weeks) or given in ever increasing dosages. Things that do not work? Clavamox, Amoxicillin, Penicillin. We highly recommend one of these meds: Azithromycin (brand name Zithromax), Clarithromycin (brand name Biaxin) or Tribrissen (also called TMP/SMZ suspension or SMZ/TMP suspension). The first two should be given for at least 10 days. The last one, at least 14 days. Your vet can decide on how long and which one. In very very resistant cases, gentocin or amikacin is the cure. Since these are often injectables and they can have side effects, your vet will want to monitor your pup. It is a last resort and only should be used if all else fails. Nasal discharge and any lung conjestion should clear. Coughing may last for a few weeks past cure. Like babies at a day care, who are often ill with colds etc, pups have underexposed immune systems. When they are exposed to respiratory illness, they often get it. As the pup grows, his immune system will become better armed to deal with this just as adult people don't get nearly as many colds as babies. Stopping an antibiotic, treating with one that does not work is responsible for the super bacteria which is resistant to antibiotic use. Keeping your pup warm, well fed, running a vaporizer and keeping his nose wiped will help him stay comfortable. We do not recommend cough suppressants, the cough is needed to clear mucous out of airway. Keep him quiet and limit his excercise instead. This is highly contagious to other puppies. If pups nose is stuffed, he may not eat. Try feeding small meals of broth or a good canned puppy food, warmed slightly to enhance the smell. This illness can come on fast. We will not let any pup go that is showing any signs of this. If your pup has a runny nose or any other warning sign, we will keep him/her and treat him. If, after coming home to you, your pup shows any signs, runny nose, cough, get to your vet ASAP. Because the infection is in the respiratory passages, it can take awhile for this to cure 100%. There is very little blood flow to this area so systemic antibiotics need a lot of time to clear this infection. Again, this is common in pups and can take a few weeks to clear up. The coughing that is often accompanied by the runny nose can continue past a cure. This is rare in adult dogs. In addition to the oral antibitics, we STRONGLY and FORCEFULLY suggest you use a nebulizer machine. These machines can be purchased on Ebay for about 30 bucks. They are for asthmatic people. The medication is dispensed in steam. You put the pup in a crate, after taping up the most of the ventilation panels and the door on the crate, put the mouthpiece into the crate and steam the pup for 25 mins 3-4 times per day. The medication delivered is a combination of a steriod, antibiotic and distilled water. The pup must breathe this in and the medication gets delivered to where it needs to go. Far more effective than oral antibiotics. in fact the results are astonishingly fast! Because very few buyers or their vets will listen to our advice on this subject, we do not cover any respiratory illness in our guarantee.
Fleas-in this day and age with Bio Spot, Revolution, Frontline, there is simply no reason for flea infestation on ANY dog. However we hesitate to use these on pups under 12 weeks of age. To date we have not had any flea infestations on any pup. I think I would move if fleas ever showed up in my yard!! Speak with your vet about prevention. A flea infested Bull will scratch himself to a very nasty staph infection in a matter of days. Fleas carry disease and tapeworms. Flea shampoo does NOT protect against fleas. It will only kill what is already on him. Flea shampoo should never be used in place of regular shampoo, its too harsh and you should never use it on a dog that is on a flea preventative. Many dogs are hyper sensitive to the saliva in a flea's bite. They will lose hair and look as if they are patchy or have mange from a single flea bite.
Ringworm- Not a worm at all. Its a fungus and it lives all over the place, usually in the soil. Pups with underdeveloped immune systems are the most apt to pick it up. A few spots are easily cured with Athletes foot spray, yes Tinactin or another one, spayed directly on area 4 times daily for 3 weeks should kill it. There are also antifungal oral meds, available at your vet and dips and creams to kill the fungus. Contagious but not life threatening. Cats often carry it without being affected. This one takes time to clear up. Be persistant and patient.
Mange-Two types sarcoptic, (when people get this, we call it scabies) and demodex or demodectic As mentioned elsewhere in this site, all dogs carry some demodex mites on skin. It is when a pup is under stress that the mites reproduce at a faster rate and cause secondary trouble. We do not believe that localized demodex warrants spaying or neutering. It is easily cured and in my considerable experience with these breeds, not genetic. In many cases it will be brought back under control with time and the maturity of the immune system. However we do advocate helping it along with treatment. Be patient, it takes awhile to bring it back to normal, un-noticed levels. Sarcoptic mange is rare in well cared for pups. The treatment to kill fleas will kill it.
Antibiotics if your pup is on a course of these, we STRONGLY suggest feeding probiotics. Antibiotics kill all bacteria, including those good ones needed for digestion. A course of antibiotics can cause diarrhea in many many pups. You can find these in the human health food store, often in fridge case or in softgels. Usually called Acidophilus. There are also certain ones made for dogs, we favor FASTRACK Canine Gel. If nothing else, please please feed your pup 1 TB plain, unsweetened yogurt 3 times per day. You need to replace the good bacteria in the gut.
For those of you who want to know more about parasites, coccidia, bacteria, viruses and so on, CLICK HERE
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