Title: Vaccinations and Your Dog
Author: Debbie Ray
Vaccinations and Your Dog
It is very important to vaccinate your dog and it is also a
very important part of a total dog health care program.
However knowing what to vaccinate for and how often to give
your dog vaccines are two very important questions. Regular
vaccinations can prevent your dog from contracting many
diseases. Overall, the two most important viruses to
vaccinate for are canine parvovirus and canine distemper.
Most vets agree that it is vital to vaccinate puppies at 6
weeks of age and again at 8, 12, and 16 weeks for
Distemper, Canine Infectious Hepatitis, Leptospirosis,
Parainfluenza, Parvovirus, and Coronavirus (DHLPPC). It is
suggested that puppies are also vaccinated for rabies at
six months and then to be repeated annually.
Although your new puppy may squirm or even cry when getting
his vaccinations, it is just as important for your dog as
it is for your children to receive these "annual shots".
In fact, by keeping up to date on your dog's vaccinations,
you could be saving his life. Basically, vaccinations are
injections of a small dose of a specific disease, which
will prevent your puppy from developing that very disease
by creating the necessary antibodies to fight it off later
in life.
Some dog owners have concerns whether the repeated dog
vaccinations are really necessary and whether they are
doing more harm than good. Vaccinations work by
stimulating the dog's immune system, encouraging it to
readily produce antibodies to fight against many specific
types of bacterias and viruses.
Stimulating the dogs immune system this way does come at a
price when the actual introduction of the offending agent
in some form to the dog's system leads to illness. Once
vaccinations are given, your dog's immune system will
recognize the presence of a disease and will then create
antibodies to fight it off. These antibodies only last
from six months to a year, which makes regular vaccinations
extremely important for your puppy or dog.
The question on the minds of many pet owners is usually -
"is it dangerous to repeatedly vaccinate my dog each year"?
Fortunately the experts do agree that the answer to this
question is a resounding "no."
While there are rare cases of dogs that have become very
ill or even died as a result of receiving a vaccination,
there is no evidence to suggest that this practice poses
any real danger generally speaking. Oftentimes, the dogs
that are adversely affected to vaccines may have already
been sick or have some form of allergy to a specific part
of the vaccine.
When using a vaccine that must be mixed first, there are
four simple steps to follow. First: mix the vaccine by
withdrawing all of the liquid from the appropriate vial and
then injecting it into the vial containing the dried
portion of the vaccine. Remove the syringe, shake the vial
to mix up the vaccination, re-insert the needle and then
withdraw the entire 1 ml contents of the mixed vaccination.
Two different types of vaccinations exist which are a
Killed Vaccine and a Modified Live Vaccine. A Modified
Live Vaccine is the live disease being injected, while
having been altered by the drug company to be unable to
cause the disease it is protecting against. A Killed
Vaccine is when the virus itself has been killed before any
injection occurs.
Most vaccinations are administered subcutaneously (by
injecting the vaccine just under the skin). One of the
best areas is located in the shoulder or neck area. Simply
lift a tent of skin into a triangle with one hand, and
inject the vaccine with the other hand. Note: always use a
separate sterile needle and syringe for each dog and also
for each injection, and then dispose of all used needles
and syringes in a safe location.
I feel that the best advice I can offer is that dog owners
continue vaccinating their dogs according to local laws and
the recommendations of their veterinarians. Since the
annual vaccines are not harming dogs in any evident way,
there is no cause for alarm and no harm in continuing the
same routine until the veterinary community makes up its
collective mind that a change is in order with regard to
dog vaccinations. In the mean time, a little prevention can
go a long way to keep your dog healthy.
Copyright 2007 • Debbie Ray • All Rights Reserved.
About the Author:
Debbie Ray, owner of http://www.total-
http://www.pedigree
http://www.pedigree
http://www.the-
lover and owns several internet businesses. Want to learn
how to build a website? Thinking about getting a purebred
dog? The German Shepherd? Promote your dog related website?
Check my sites out for to learn more.
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