Vaccination opinions

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danped
Posts: 4
Joined: 03 Jan 2020, 09:13
First Name: Dan

Vaccination opinions

Post by danped »

Hi all,

Our pup Barney is 11 weeks old tomorrow. He was vaccinated at 8 weeks old for Nobivac L4 and Nobivac DHP. I had him booked in with our local vet for his next vaccination on his 10 week old date but as this was the day after the Coronavirus lockdown the vet deemed it non-urgent and cancelled.

Fortunately I managed to get a same day appointment at a different vets and he had his Nobivac DHP again at 10 weeks. I was keen to get it done asap in the case of a longer lockdown period and vets being unavailable. I also made a booking for his second Nobivac L4 which he can have a twelve weeks but that might not go ahead. I understand two weeks after that he is fully vaccinated.

In the mean-time the vet said as long as we avoid stagnant water, rivers and puddles we would be OK to walk him at 11 weeks on the pavement round the estate. Obviously I am keen to socialise him especially as we can't go into peoples houses with him. I have already been walking around holding him like a baby for the last two weeks but increasingly that's more difficult as he want to wriggle free.

I understand its all a balance of risk factors. But I'm interested to hear what anyone else did or would advise?

Thanks
Oscar 12345
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Re: Vaccination opinions

Post by Oscar 12345 »

Yes I would let him go on the ground without the lepto jab and quite honestly I would never give Lepto 4. Please google it for some dreadful side effects. I gave Otto L2 when he was a puppy but won't give it again. I have determined the risk to be very low and an annual vaccination of Lepto does not cover the whole year in terms of immunity nor does it cover all the strains. Drinking from stagnant pools of water where rats are known to be is the main problem.
Man cannot survive with wine alone...
we also need a schnauzer.
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zeta1454
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Joined: 19 May 2011, 16:58
First Name: Leigh
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Re: Vaccination opinions

Post by zeta1454 »

Hi Dan, regarding the DHP vaccinations, only a single jab is needed to provide immunity (which in many cases will be for the lifetime of the dog). However the timing of the vaccination is the significant factor as young puppies can retain antibodies against infection which they receive from their mother when they first feed from her. This maternally derived protection can last up to 16 weeks in a few cases although has usually waned by 10-12 weeks. While the puppy still has maternally derived antibodies the vaccine is unlikely to have any effect - this is the reason for the one year "booster" which is actually only needed to immunise those puppies which were not in fact immunised previously despite having the vaccine.
The vaccine manufacturer of Nobivac DHP does state that at 10 weeks or over a single jab will immunise and this may well be the case for the majority of puppies. I would suggest that once this current crisis has passed and vet surgeries re-open fully that you request a titre test for Barney which will establish if he has been immunised by the 10 week jab and, if so, he will not require another vaccination for DHP until a least another three years but, at that stage, another titre test will confirm whether he actually is still protected and any "booster" is unnecessary. Titre testing is best practice and should be carried out by all vets before repeating DHP jabs in dogs over 16 weeks of age.

As Julie has said above, the Leptospirosis vaccine (especially the L4) does have a poor record as regards causing illness and death in puppies and, even the L2 is not without issues. There is a comprehensive overview of information on this disease on this link:

viewtopic.php?f=49&t=24226

Two doses of Leptospirosis vaccine are required to immunise and this vaccine is less effective and very short lived- possibly only a few months in some cases. We have never used Leptospirosis vaccines on our dogs (11 of them now aged between 2 years and 12 years old) and I know many other people who also avoid this and are just careful to keep their dogs away from stagnant water. Hunting or water dogs may have a higher risk of contracting Leptospirosis if they are regularly in and out of water but for most small breed pet dogs this is rarely an issue.

The European Medicines Agency have been monitoring L4:

Image

and the manufacturer has been required to add the following to the product data sheet:

"In very rare cases, clinical signs of immune-mediated haemolytic anaemia, immune-mediated thrombocytopenia, or immune-mediated polyarthritis have been reported. In very rare cases a transient acute hypersensitivity reaction may occur. Such reactions may evolve to a more severe condition (anaphylaxis), which may be life-threatening. If such reactions occur appropriate treatment is recommended."
Dogs are not our whole life, but they make our lives whole. ~Roger Caras

Magic - Silversocks Sharade at Darksprite
Trilby - Darksprite Rosa Bud


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zeta1454
Moderator
Posts: 5136
Joined: 19 May 2011, 16:58
First Name: Leigh
Dog #1: Magic
is a: P/S Mini Bitch
Born: 20 Apr 2010
Dog #2: Trilby
is a: P/S Mini Bitch
Born: 15 Mar 2012
Dog #3: Pip
Born: 21 Feb 2014
is a: P/S Mini Bitch
Location: North Yorkshire
Contact:

Re: Vaccination opinions

Post by zeta1454 »

Nothing specific to vaccinations but you may find the article and video clip on this link useful re socialising a new puppy if you are restricted as to where to go and who to meet:

https://boughtbymany.com/news/article/h ... istancing/

The aim is to get your puppy bonding and trusting you and to be calm and confident with strange noises, unusual sights and different people. You are never going to be able to introduce a puppy to every possible unusual event or individual but the more a puppy gets used to strange or new things being part of his or her life and nothing to worry about, the less they will be concerned by any new experience. It is all about building up confidence and resilience and much of this can be done even within the current restrictions :)
Dogs are not our whole life, but they make our lives whole. ~Roger Caras

Magic - Silversocks Sharade at Darksprite
Trilby - Darksprite Rosa Bud


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Oscar 12345
Member
Posts: 1592
Joined: 02 May 2017, 11:28
First Name: Julie
Dog #1: Oscar RIP Sweety
is a: P/S Mini Dog
Born: 21 Dec 2002
Dog #2: Otto
is a: B/S Mini Dog
Born: 04 Jul 2017

Re: Vaccination opinions

Post by Oscar 12345 »

Here's another puppy socialisation during lockdown piece.

https://www.brilliantfamilydog.com/blog ... n-lockdown
Man cannot survive with wine alone...
we also need a schnauzer.
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