As most everyone knows, we must immunize our dogs against a few of the most common and sometimes fatal diseases. The most common being distemper, parvovirus, and rabies. Rabies is always given separately from the others. Normally the shot given is a combination of several items including distemper, adenovirus type 2, parainfluenza, and parvovirus. Some vets recommend leptospira and it too is included in the one shot. Coronavirus is another one that may be added. Now, bear in mind, I know very little about the diseases themselves because I've never experienced them. We all know that rabies kills. Parvo can also kill, especially if left untreated. But, at least it can be treated. Coronavirus is usually no worse than a flu virus for humans, so it's not important to immunize against it. The latest research that has been done indicates that immunizing for leptospira can be harder on the dog than the immunization is worth. A recent survey was done at various research hospitals and they recommended not including leptospira and coronavirus in your immunization program. I don't even know what leptospira does to a dog. But I do know that it's the hardest immunization on a dog's immune system. Giving a leptospira immunization to a pregnant bitch could abort the litter.

Immunizations for puppies should be given at three week intervals beginning at six weeks of age and ending at eighteen or twenty-one weeks of age. The reason for this is because the pups get a temporary immunization in their mother's colostrum that wears off with time. They could lose this natural immunity somewhere between six and twenty weeks of age. If you give a shot when the pup is still immune from the colostrum, the shot will not take effect. So, because we don't know when the natural immunity may wear off and we don't want the puppy to go unprotected, we give the shots every three weeks. It's that simple. There are a couple of high titer shots on the market now, meaning they have the ability to override the natural immunity. One of them (and the one that I use) is Progard-5 made by Intervet. It has canine distemper, adenovirus type 2, parainfluenza, and parvovirus. Three shots are recommended starting at six weeks old and ending at twelve weeks old. Tests have shown that puppies are normally fully protected after the second shot at nine weeks old. Just because tests have shown this doesn't mean you should skip the shot at twelve weeks. The other high titer immunization is Vanguard Puppy 5. It was shown to be 100% effective after the third shot. These shots don't cost any more than the standard old shots, so why not use them.

After puppyhood is over, it's recommended that all dogs get a booster shot a year later for the same diseases and then every three years until the age of ten. This can be the last one. Researches feel that after age ten, no more are needed. They should retain their immunity for the rest of their life. This is the latest belief anyway, from all the research that's been done. They believe that we have been over immunizing our dogs with yearly boosters. Rabies shots, on the other hand, are governed by state law. Here in Tennessee we have to give a rabies shot yearly. I feel that's rather stupid as the shot is supposed to be good for three years. I think most states require them every two years. That makes more sense.

What I've said so far should work ok for most dogs. But, in the world of man made pure breeds, we can have weak immune systems where these combination shots can over work the immune system causing reactions in some dogs. Some researchers feel that the parvovirus shot should be given separately, about a week and a half before the other shot, which would contain distemper, hepatitis, and parainfluenza. So, then you'd be giving a parvovirus shot at six weeks and the other at seven and a half weeks, repeating at nine weeks and so on. I'm not sure of the exact schedule. My advice is to ask the breeder you buy your puppy from what they always do. If they give the all-in-one combination shots to their puppies and never have a problem, it should be safe to continue that, but do give one of the high titer shots described above, it makes sense.