VACCINATIONS

Vaccination schedule for puppies

8 weeks, 12 weeks, 16 weeks -if only two vaccines are given - 12 and 16 weeks

Colostrum

A mother's first milk - very high in fat for energy and extremely high in maternal antibodies for protecting young pups or kittens from infectious disease. colostrum must be consumed immediately after birth. If ingestion is delayed for even 12 hours, the ability of the newborn's intestine to absorb antibodies into his bloodstream has already dropped significantly. If puppies and kittens are slow to nurse, they may not get enough protective antibodies into their bloodstream.

What is a titer ?

A titer is simply a measure of the amount of antibody in the bloodstream to a particular antigen. For example, if a dog has a measurable antibody level to distemper, we would say that the dog has a positive antibody titer. If we want to get more specific, we can measure the actual level. Obviously, the higher the level of antibody, the better the protection. The graphs that are included in this lesson indicate the level of antibody and we could as easily change the vertical axis to "titer." The terms antibody level and titer are interchangeable for our purposes. When we measure titers (versus vaccinating), we want to know what level is present so that we know if it's protective and whether or not we need to revaccinate.

Are antibodies produced by a rabies vaccine able to protect against distemper?

Antibodies are specific to the disease in the vaccine and they don't provide cross-protection against others.

Which Vaccines Should a Pet Receive?

Basically, the risk of a pet contracting any or all of these infectious diseases determines which vaccines he should receive

What is a hypersensitivity reaction?

Because the amount of vaccine needed to create an immune response is so much greater in the noninfectious vaccine (compared to infectious vaccines), there is a greater chance that the immune system will overreact. This allergic reaction can be mild or severe enough to be fatal.

Why don't infectious vaccines require boosters?

Because the organism is multiplying, it's like giving several vaccinations over a period of time. The response is significantly more than the response against a noninfectious vaccine. As long as nothing interferes with the immune response, only one vaccination is required.

Rabies

Canine & Feline - Normally causes a mild upper respiratory infection with coughing. Transmitted in kennelling situations. Occasionally triggers a high fever and pneumonia. Possible death.

Bordetella

Canine- Causes coughing and sneezing. Transmitted by nasal secretions. Antibiotic treatment helps speed recovery. Part of the kennel cough complex.

Parainfluenza

Canine- Causes coughing and sneezing. Transmitted by nasal secretions. Antibiotic treatment helps speed recovery. Part of the kennel cough complex.

Lyme

Canine- Causes fever and joint inflammation. Transmitted by ticks. Treatment is usually successful with antibiotics.

Hepatitis

Canine- Causes fever, vomiting and diarrhea. Dogs pick up the virus from feces or saliva. Treatment is aggressive fluid therapy. Often fatal.

Leptospirosis

Canine- Causes kidney and liver disease. Picked up from water contaminated with infected urine. Many infections go unnoticed. Severe infections often fatal.

Distemper

Canine- Causes pneumonia and seizures (hence the name distemper). Picked up by contact with secretions from an infected dog's nose. Treatment is difficult and most die.

Parvovirus

Canine- Causes vomiting and diarrhea. Picked up by exposure to contaminated feces. Treatment is intensive, requiring intravenous fluids and medications. Older dogs survive better. Mainly a puppy disease.

Corona virus

Canine- Causes vomiting and diarrhea. Transmitted by infected feces. Most dogs recover without treatment. Exception is young puppies.

Canine Influenza

Canine- Normally causes a mild upper respiratory infection with coughing. Transmitted in kennelling situations. Occasionally triggers a high fever and pneumonia. Possible death.

If I work at an animal shelter, can I bring diseases home to my dog and cat?

Definitely!ome of the diseases I see as a risk in this situation are distemper and parvovirus (both in dogs), and in cats, panleukopenia and the feline respiratory viruses. If you are working at a shelter, or even at a veterinary hospital, take some precautions. Wash your hands well before touching your pets. You may even want to take off your clothes and throw them directly in the washer as soon as you arrive at home. Also, make sure your pets are protected with vaccinations.

Feline Bordetella

Feline- Causes coughing and sneezing. Transmitted by nasal secretions. Antibiotic treatment helps speed recovery.

Calicivirus

Feline- Causes eye infections and sneezing/coughing. Transmitted by nasal secretions. Antibiotics help prevent secondary bacterial infections. Kittens can die from this disease.

Rhinotracheitis

Feline- Causes eye infections and sneezing/coughing. Transmitted by nasal secretions. Antibiotics help prevent secondary bacterial infections. Kittens can die from this disease.

Feline infectious peritonitis

Feline- Causes fever and fluid accumulation in the chest and abdomen. Seen mainly in breeding catteries or multicat houses. Don't understand transmission. Treatment unsuccessful.

Feline leukemia

Feline- Causes lack of immunity and triggers tumor formation. Passed between cats through bites and grooming. Can't be treated.

Feline immunodeficiency virus

Feline- Causes lack of immunity. Passed between cats mainly through bites. Can't be treated.

Chlamydia

Feline- Causes prominent eye infections and sneezing/coughing. Transmitted by nasal secretions. Treated with antibiotic eye drops and sometimes oral antibiotics. Not generally fatal.

Panleukopenia

Feline- Causes vomiting and diarrhea. Picked up by exposure to contaminated feces. Treatment is intensive, requiring intravenous fluids and medications. Older cats survive better. Mainly a kitten disease.

If we conclude that vaccinosis exists, what are three ways we can prevent it?

First, we should only vaccinate healthy animals. But, there's no simple answer to this problem. Second, minimize the number of vaccines. We can do this by extending the revaccination interval and only giving vaccines that are necessary. Third,measure antibody titers in the patient with a blood test. An antibody titer is a measure of the number of antibodies the pet's immune system has produced in reaction to an infectious agent. It's not terribly accurate because an immune system does so much more than just produce antibodies, but it's still a measureable marker.

Intramuscular - IM

IM vaccines are injected with a needle and syringe directly into a large muscle.

Why is the timing of boosters critical?

If it's given two weeks (rather than four weeks) after the first vaccine, the immune system is already in high gear so it can't be boosted very much. The antibody level will rise a little, but not as high as is needed. If we wait until 8 weeks after the first vaccination the immune system has already backed off its antibody production. When we give the second vaccine, there will be a small increase in antibody production—higher than that generated by the first vaccine, but probably not adequate to provide protection. When we give boosters too late (after six weeks), we need to repeat the two vaccines to ensure protective immunity.

Diseases caused by direct contact - Vaccinate or not?

If you eliminate the contact, you eliminate the risk of catching these diseases.However, if you go out and come in contact with cats that have been exposed to and are carriers for these viruses, you may bring the infection home. Body fluids containing a virus can get on your clothing and hands, allowing transfer to your indoor cat. So, you not only have to look at the pet's lifestyle, but the pet owner's as well.

Stress & vaccine failure

In an overall view of health, stress is proven to negatively affect the immune system in humans and animals alike. More stress means less immunity.

Maternal antibodies & vaccine failure

In newborns that receive colostrum immediately after birth, there is an instantaneous rise in the levels of antibodies in their blood. The number of antibodies determines the kitten's or pup's ability to ward off diseases; a high level of antibodies means a high level of disease-fighting ability. If levels of maternal antibodies are still high when we vaccinate, the pup's or kitten's immune system has no need to respond because the antibodies neutralize the antigen in the vaccine.

What are the two types of vaccines?

Infectious and noninfectious

What are infectious vaccines?

Infectious vaccines contain organisms that are alive. When a live bacterium or a virus is injected, it multiplies in the dog or cat. This stimulates a strong immune response, which provides great protection. To ensure the safety of patients, the live viruses and bacteria in vaccines are modified so they can't cause disease themselves.

Oral

Injected with a syringe but no needle into the mouth

Intranasal - IN

Injected with a syringe but no needle into the nose

If an animal is taken in by a shelter, is there any harm doing the vaccines when the vaccine history is unknown?

It is common for shelters to vaccinate all animals when they arrive. If the animal was already protected, they aren't technically needed, but we want to ensure protection. It's better to generate the protection than worry about overvaccination. And, don't forget, if people get the vaccines done, their dogs are unlikely to end up in a shelter, and the ones that get lost are rarely vaccinated.

Why is the rabies vaccine give once, with no boosters?

It's a noninfectious vaccine that stimulates enough immunity with just one dose. It can do this because it contains enough antigen to trigger the immune response.

How do environmental factors affect recommended vaccinations?

Lyme disease is carried by infected ticks. You only add this vaccine if the dog lives in an area where there are populations of ticks and the disease is confirmed in those ticks. And canine influenza has only been found in kennelling situations so it is not generally recommended in dogs that aren't in that environment.

What are noninfectious vaccines?

Many noninfectious vaccines are made with a copy of the organism that causes the disease. To prepare this vaccine, we must have a way to ensure the organism is dead—usually radiation and chemicals. Once the organism is dead, the virus or bacteria can't cause the disease. So in theory, a noninfectious vaccine is safer than an infectious vaccine that could potentially trigger an infection.Noninfectious vaccines tend to be the poorer vaccines, generating a lower immune response than the infectious vaccines. Some contain an adjuvant—an ingredient that stimulates a more robust immune reaction than the organism (called an antigen) alone.

Vaccination schedule in kittens

Maternal antibodies don't last as long in kittens, so they can be vaccinated at eight weeks, given a booster at 12 weeks, and their protection will be complete.

Why is a third booster given?

Maternal antibodies may interfere with the animals ability to produce antibodies. A third booster ensures that antibodies will be produced. The extra vaccine gives enough time to allow the immune system to lose its maternal antibody interference and start working properly. It also ensures coverage to those pups that can't respond to the vaccines until they're older.

Medications & vaccine failure

Steroids such as prednisone can be immunosuppressive, so they may decrease the immune system's reaction to vaccines.

Subcutaneous - SubQ

SubQ vaccines are given with a needle and syringe, injecting into the fat layer just below the skin. Most vaccines are given SubQ these days.

When did the first vaccine for dogs come out and what did it target?

The first vaccine for dogs came out in the 1940s. It was an early and rudimentary attempt at a distemper vaccine, but it helped prevent this devastating disease.

Why are follow-up/Booster vaccines used?

The number of antibodies produced following the first noninfectious vaccine isn't considered protective, which means there aren't enough antibodies to effectively fight off the real disease if it came along. We need to give a second vaccine four weeks (two to six weeks) later to boost antibody production to a level high enough to protect against the disease. The second vaccine is commonly called a booster and antibody levels climb up about a week later.

Vaccinosis

The term vaccinosis encompasses any condition that we see after vaccine administration, either when the pet's immune system is overwhelmed with too many vaccines or when the pet has received the same vaccine too often. The concept of vaccinosis has not been proven, but those who believe it exists have linked vaccine administration to many diseases, including allergic dermatitis (skin allergies), asthma, glomerulonephritis (kidney inflammation), hemolytic anemia (destruction of red blood cells), and the initiation of cancer. And while vaccinosis doesn't seem to trigger chronic conditions such as heart failure or liver failure, it may aggravate those conditions. But, many veterinarians don't believe that vaccinosis exists. They say there's little scientific data that backs up its existence.

What is the biggest cause of failure of vaccines to protect against disease?

There are many reasons for these failures, but the biggest one is maternal antibodies.

Transdermal

There's only one transdermal product, and it's the vaccine against canine melanoma—a skin cancer. We administer this vaccine through the skin with a special device. This is a specialty product that's only used when a dog with a tumor has already undergone surgery.

If a cat is infected with either feline leukemia or feline immunodeficiency virus, should it be vaccinated?

These are persistent viral infections a cat has for life. They cause suppression of the immune system. As such, it's unlikely that they'll mount an immune response to a vaccine. There's also concern that vaccination could trigger a flare-up of the effects of the virus. There's no correct answer to this question and you'll find that veterinarians differ in their opinions.

Does a one-year-old dog that has never been vaccinated need just one vaccine or a series of two?

This depends on the type of vaccination. With an infectious vaccine, only one is needed. If it's a noninfectious vaccine, a booster would be needed four weeks later to generate an adequate antibody response for protection. Of course, the exception is the non-infectious vaccine for rabies where just one vaccination is required for one year of immunity.

What is a feline sarcoma ? Is it caused by vaccines exclusively?

This serious tumor has been linked to giving subcutaneous injections (which includes vaccines) to cats. A sarcoma is a tumor that can occur anywhere on the body, but studies revealed that we were seeing a disproportionate number at the site of vaccination. The incidence is between one and ten for every 10,000 cats vaccinated. We now know that they can arise where any injection has been given. This was a major impetus for studies on duration of immunity and the concept of going longer than one year between vaccines.

Adjuvants

Used with noninfectious vaccines, an ingredient that stimulates a more robust immune reaction than the organism (called an antigen) alone.

Antigens

Viral particles

How do vaccines work?

When injected into the body, the immune system recognizes the vaccine antigen as a foreign object that doesn't belong, and this stimulates the immune system to manufacture antibodies. As a result of this production, antibodies stay behind to fight off an attack of the disease-causing virus. The antigens in a vaccine stimulate an antibody

Can pet owners give vaccines at home?

Yes. Pet owners can buy the vaccines and give them to their own pets. It isn't that hard, but where people fail is in the handling and timing. These vaccines are usually ordered through the mail and it's common for them to get warm, which destroys them. Timing refers to the vaccine schedule. Too many well-intentioned owners give vaccines too late or too early, or they don't do boosters. All these can mean no protection for the pet.

What are the core vaccines for dogs?

a combination that contains distemper, parvovirus, hepatitis, and parainfluenza. Rabies is another core vaccine, meaning all dogs should receive it.

What are the reasons that vaccines can fail?

poor timing of vaccines faulty vaccines due to poor storage improper administration biggest cause of failure is maternal antibodies.

What are the five ways to administer a vaccine?

subcutaneously (SubQ) intramuscularly (IM—rarely used these days), intranasally (IN) orally, and transdermally.

What are the core vaccines for cats?

the core vaccine contains panleukopenia (mistakenly called feline distemper), rhinotracheitis, calicivirus and, of course, rabies. Vaccines for feline leukemia and feline infectious peritonitis (FIP, an IN vaccine), and feline immunodeficiency virus (FIV) are also on the market. There is even a vaccine against Bordetella.

How long after a vaccination is a puppy or kitten protected?

two weeks after the last vaccination