Vaccinating Your Dog

Vaccinations

So to my surprise I’m often asked, what can we do to help prevent illnesses from affecting our dogs and the simple answer to this is Vaccinations to begin on the right foot. Vaccinating is one of the oldest simplest ways of maintaining a healthy dog that may live a long life; which comes with risks and benefits that have to be weighed for each individual dog according to its lifestyle. Vaccines are highly important to the health of your dog, although every dog may not need to be vaccinated against every disease; it’s important that you discuss this with your vet so that you will know what vaccines are right for your dog while taking in the consideration the dog’s age, medical history, environment, lifestyle, and travel habits. Most vets highly recommend administering core vaccines to healthy dogs.

Understanding Vaccines

The main roll of vaccines is to prepare the body's immune system to fight off the invasion of disease-causing organisms. Containing antigens that look like the disease-causing organism to the immune system which don't actually cause the disease are introduced into the body to stimulate the immune system. This prepares the immune system to recognize and fight off the disease entirely or reduce the severity of the illness in case the dog is ever exposed to the real disease. 

Core Vaccines & Non-Core

Based on the risk of exposure, severity of the disease, or transmissibility to humans, core vaccines are extremely vital to all dogs. Canine: Parvovirus, Distemper, Hepatitis and Rabies are considered to be core vaccines. Non-core vaccines are given depending on the risk of exposure to the dog these include Bordetella, Influenza, and Leptospirosis.

Determining the Timing and Frequency of Vaccinations

I always say “only healthy dogs should be bred” and so if the dam (mother) has a healthy immune system, the puppies will most likely receive antibodies in the milk of its dam while nursing; which doesn’t mean the puppy is fully or even vaccinated. Here at NoVACAIN Kennels we start our vaccinations starting at 3 weeks of age with our puppies and administering the proper vaccines at the ages of 3, 5, 6, 8, 11 weeks of age and the Rabies vaccine being administered at 16 weeks of age by a licensed Vet here in Virginia. We here at NoVACAIN Kennels begin with the Parainfluenza & Bordetella vaccine at 3 weeks of age then repeated at 6 weeks and the final puppy dose being given at 11weeks of age; and then at 5 weeks of age we begin the 5-way combination vaccines, then its repeated at 8 weeks, and the final puppy dose being administered at 11 weeks of age.  So when it comes down to our adult dogs they receive certain vaccines once a year like Parainfluenza & Bordetella and a 5-way Combination vaccine, while the Rabies vaccine first initial vaccine being given at 16 weeks of age, repeated a year later from the first administered date and then given every three years after the second Rabies has been administered.

Risks Associated with Vaccination

Immunizations should mildly stimulate the dog’s immune system in order to create protection from specific infectious diseases. This stimulation can create mild symptoms, ranging from soreness at the injection site to fever and allergic reactions. There are other, less common side effects like injection site tumors and immune disease associated with vaccination, with that being said, it is important to realize that vaccines have saved countless lives, and play a vital role in the battle against infectious diseases. As with any medical procedure, there is a small chance of side effects, while in most cases, the risks are much smaller than the risks of the disease itself. But it is important that you talk to your vet about your dog’s medical history before it is vaccinated.

Most dogs show no ill effect from vaccination, yet vaccine reactions may be minor and short-lived or require immediate care from a vet. The clinical signs include:

·         Fever

·         Sluggishness

·         Loss of appetite

·         Facial swelling and/or hives

·         Vomiting

·         Diarrhea

·         Pain, swelling, redness, scabbing or hair loss around the injection site

·         Lameness

·         Collapse

·         Difficulty breathing

·         Seizures

·         Lameness

It is best to schedule your dog’s appointment so that you can monitor them for any side effects following administration of the vaccine. If you suspect your dog is having a reaction to a vaccine, call your vet immediately.

Local Laws Regarding Vaccines

Each state has its own laws governing the administration of core and rabies vaccine. Some areas require yearly rabies vaccinations; other areas call for vaccines every three years. In almost all states, proof of rabies vaccination is mandatory.

Mei Xiang

Staying True To Myself

From 1995 to 1998 to 2000 to 2009 to my current dogs, I have maintained the same caliber of dogs with many lessons learned along the way. 

Ivermectin 1% Heartworm Pervenative

Ivermectin is an anti-parasitic medication that is used for Heartworm prevention, and also a treatment for ear or hair mites. Ivermectin prevents or kills parasites by causing neurological damage to the parasite resulting in paralysis and ultimately the death of the parasite. Ivermectin is the active ingredient against Heartworms in Heartgard Plus, Tri-Heart Plus, and Iverhart Max. Please do NOT use Ivomec Plus, Ivomec Super, or any other products that contain additional active ingredients which may be harmful to your dog.

Giving the appropriate dosage of Ivermectin is extremely important in keeping your dog’s safe and providing adequate protection from heartworms. Here at NoVACAIN Kennels we use liquid Ivermectin (Ivomec is the brands) which is available in a 1% injectable solution for treating cattle and pigs. This is given orally to dogs and not injected or poured onto the body.

The most common recommendation you would read or hear for giving Ivermectin is 0.1 cc or ml of Ivermectin per 10 pounds of body weight which provides 37 times the amount of Ivermectin needed for heartworm prevention, and to be honest I feel as well as others that this recommended dose could be extremely dangerous for dogs over time. In high doses Ivermectin can be seriously dangerous and even fatal to dogs, especially dogs that carry the MDR1or ABCB1 mutation, although healthy dogs also can be harmed if the dosage of Ivermectin is too high. So once again its EXTREMELY important to give the proper dosage.

Here at NoVACAIN Kennels we feel comfortable giving our dogs 0.2 of a cc or ml for dogs under 50 pounds and 0.5 of a cc or ml for dogs over 50 pounds of Ivermectin orally once a month for heartworm prevention and this also has been recommended by trusted experienced vets who have been in business for more than 30 years.

Higher doses of Ivermectin up to 50 times higher than the recommended amount for Heartworm prevention can be safe to use for dogs when used properly and under guidance to treat demodectic mange on dogs but it is still not recommended for dogs with the MDR1 or ABCB1 mutation. Very high dosages may be problematic for dogs that are infected with Heartworms, and those being treated with Comfortis a monthly flea and tick preventative. It has also been said that higher doses of Ivermectin is unlikely to be more effective against the resistant strain of heartworms that has been identified in the Mississippi River Valley.

We do not recommend using Ivermectin as a common dewormer because it isn’t as effective as using Safeguard.

MDR1 or ABCB1 is typically found in breeds like Collies, Shetland Sheepdogs (Shelties), Australian Shepherds, Old English Sheepdogs, German Shepherds, Long-haired Whippets, Silken Wind Hounds, and mutts that may be derived from these breeds