Dog vaccinations are an important part of preventing canine diseases. They contain antigens that trigger a dog’s immune system. This article introduces dog vaccination pros and cons, and cautions as well.

Dog vaccinations protect against adenovirus, coronavirus, distemper, leptospirosis, parainfluenza, rabies, and viral hepatitis. In the past, vets administered a single vaccination designed to combat all of these diseases, but now many vets believe it’s too much – too soon. Known as DHLPPC or DALPPC, the single vaccination is thought to be an overload and do more harm than good. Today, vets prefer to spread vaccinations out to a single or double treatment.

Vets also believe that core vaccines designed to combat adenovirus, distemper, parvovirus, and rabies are critical. Vaccinations against bordetella, coronavirus, giardia, leptospirosis, lyme disuse and parainfluenza should be reserved only for dogs that are at a high risk for these diseases.

Vaccination Risks

Vaccinations can have adverse effects ranging from simple allergic reactions all the way to seizures. Akitas, Harlequin Great Danes, Miniature Dachshunds, Old English Sheepdogs, Shetland Sheepdogs, Weimaraners, and Wet Highland White Terriers are known to experience adverse reactions to vaccinations so if you have one of these breeds, ask your vet to reduce or eliminate unnecessary shots and consider vaccination every three years. A three year dog vaccination schedule is called a triennial schedule and it’s appropriate for dogs over two years old.

A lot of veterinarians agree with this schedule, and recommend that dogs get a booster when they’re one year old. If you have a sensitive dog, see if you can get your vet to test your dog’s blood with a titer blood test prior to getting a booster. A titer test measures how much antibodies are already in blood serum, and it may show that a booster shot is unnecessary.

The only problem with titer tests is that they’re not cheap or always reliable. Your vet should know of a different test that will detect adenovirus, distemper, or parvovirus.

Dog breeds known to be prone to allergies in general are:

American Bulldog

American Pit bull Terrier

American Staffordshire Terrier

Australian Terrier

Bearded Collie

Bichon Friese

Boykin Spaniel

Bull Terrier

bulldog

Cairn Terrier

Cavalier King Charles Spaniel

Clumber Spaniel

Dalmation

English Cocker Spaniel

English Setter

Fox Terrier

Glen of Imaal Terrier

Irish Water Spaniel

Jindo

Komondor

Maltese

Miniature Schnauzer

Name

Newfoundland

Owczarek Podhalanski

Pharoah Hound

Portuguese Water Dog

Pudelpointer

Rat Terrier

Saint Bernard

Samoyed

Sealyham Terrier

Shih Tzu

Stottish Deerhound

Vizsla

Welsh Terrier

Xoloitzcuintli

Puppy Vaccinations

Vaccinations aren’t guarantees against diseases, and their success really depends on timing as well as a dog’s health. To work, vaccines must be administered at the time its maternal antibodies wane. If parvovirus were to enter a puppy’s system before getting vaccinated (or at the same time) for example, the puppy is put at serious risk. Even stress or poor nutrition will influence the effect of vaccinations.

Normally, puppies are born with a natural resistance to disease, obtained from their mother’s milk. The colostrums in the milk contain antibodies, but those antibodies are only effective for a few weeks. This immunity is known as passive or maternal immunity and by the time a puppy is just two weeks old, it’s already only 25% effective. A 14 – 16 week old pup has lost its passive immunity completely.

Because maternal immunity will interfere with vaccinations, shots are effective only when passive immunity is at a low threshold. When they're administered in a series, they’re even more effective because they work to combat the resistance that existing maternal immunities put forth. So a vet may vaccinate a puppy every 3 – 4 weeks once it’s 8 weeks old and then vaccinate it again when it’s 18 weeks old.

If you live in an area that has a higher incidence of infectious disease, your vet may recommend a more frequent or vigorous vaccination schedule.