Dog Vaccinations; Canine Bordetella & Parvovirus

Vaccination treatments must be done exclusively by your veterinarian by law. If you have just bought a puppy, make sure the person who sold it to you has a vaccination certificate signed by a veterinarian. A puppy’s first vaccination must be done at the age of seven to eight weeks of age, that is, except puppies that have not been breast fed, in these cases it needs to be done before. Before anything else, your veterinarian will want to check the dog to make sure the puppy does not have any symptoms of disease (if this were the case, the veterinarian would not apply the vaccination). The second vaccination is done the next month and so forth. As far as how many and what type of vaccinations your puppy will need to get is entirely up to the veterinarian who will decide in function of his or her experience.

Dog diseases

Canine Parvovirus: Unknown before the ’70s this highly contagious virus attacks your dog’s intestines, white blood cells and heart. Dogs with Parvovirus generally suffer from severe vomiting, followed by bloody diarrhea. Although it can be fatal to young dogs, adult dogs that receive the intense medical treatment (which lasts about 10 days) necessary, usually survive.
This disease is prevented with the adequate vaccination and by isolating the puppies from any potentially infected animals they came into contact with. Taking these kind of measures are extremely important because when an animal is infected with parvovirus it lets off large quantities of the virus through its feces contaminating the whole environment it lives in.
It’s also very important for impregnated female dogs to get vaccinated so that they pass on good resistance to their babies. Puppies that have not gotten enough maternal immunity are at more risk of getting a disease.
The vaccination against parvovirus is done at the age of six to eight weeks and then two or three times every month. It’s suggested that adult dogs get an annual vaccination against it.
Canine Bordetella: This disease is also called kennel cough and it is a bacterial infection that causes a nasty cough, lasting about 2 weeks. It is generally not that dangerous because it only hurts the higher respiratory tubes. It does not affect the appetite of a puppy nor does it cause fever and the puppy remains to be just as active as usual. In some cases of animals that do not have a high resistance, it can turn into a complication and in some cases it has caused pneumonia causing the animal to die. Canine Bordetella is often times seen in places where a lot of dogs live together, such as in canine residences, pet shops, breeding kennels etc. and when one gets it, it very quickly spreads to all the other animals. Because of this factor it’s advisable to isolate the infected animal or animals to avoid it from spreading on. The vaccination against canine Bordetella is advisable for both puppies and adult dogs especially for those that live in big groups together. No other treatment is necessary because it usually lasts for about two weeks; the only exception would be for animals with low resistance and defenses. Talk to your veterinarian if this is the case.