Vaccines
It is important for us to take our dog in for its vaccines to the veterinary. When an person who is not qualified to do this administers the vaccine, we might be making a mistake. The purpose of any vaccine is to create anti-bodies (usually known as defences) against certain diseases which don't have a specific treatment. These diseases might lead to the death of our dog if it attacks. In order to do this, our puppy, and an adult dog as well, needs to be completely healthy. If its organism is fighting against a particular disease, the necessary anti-bodies won't be sufficient to be able to protect it from future attacks and the mission of the vaccine will be diminished or nullified.
A dog is vaccinated starting from a quarantine, as long as any anti-parasite process or infections have been ruled out.
Usually, when a dog arrives for the first time, it is undergoing quite a lot of stress for the first few days. This reduces its defences. Thus, it is advisable for it to stay at home for a few days before having its first vaccine.
A single dose is not enough to make an animal immune, and much less a puppy. Depending on its age and the place in which you live, your veterinary will divide or group the vaccines, but we need to complete the guideline. Another common mistake is leaving the vaccination process incomplete.
Common diseases which are usually vaccinated are:
1. parvovirus: viral disease which produces hemorrhagic gastroenteritis, high level of mortality.
2.distemper: viral disease which produces respiratory and gastric problems, and in the end, it affects the nervous system, high level of mortality if not treated in time and it is difficult to diagnose on the first days.
3.viral hepatitis: its name indicates it is a virus which causes some type of hepatitis in dogs. It is difficult to diagnose. Due to this, owners usually find out at an advanced stage.
4.leptospirosis: bacterial disease which infects humans. In dogs, it produces jaundice and nephritis (severe renal complications).
5. rabies: being so important, we will discuss rabies in the following lesson.
There are other diseases which need a vaccine as a preventive measure. However, they are not so common and they are usually advised in those specific cases the veterinary sees fit. For example, there is a vaccine against herpesvirus for pregnant female dog which have a history of abortion due to this virus. There is another against an disease known as dog cough for those dogs which have a cardio-respiratory pathology which has been enhanced by this disease. There are some which are collective, such as coronavirus for rotwailers.
