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Vaccinations - Dogs
Distemper
Distemper vaccination is important for all puppies. This disease is still present in most areas and it is still hard to treat successfully. Even when a puppy is nursed through the acute phase of the disease there can be long term health problems. The most common of these is a tendency to develop seizures.
Adenovirus Type 2
This virus causes a form of kennel cough and also protects against hepatitis in dogs. This is fortunate because there were more vaccine reactions using the hepatitis virus itself, even in a weakened state. While viral hepatitis is not as common as it once was in dogs, it has not been eliminated as a threat.
Leptospirosis
This is actually a bacterial disease, so the protective "vaccination" is actually a "bacterin". In many areas of the country, this disease is not common. However, the Tampa Bay area has one of the highest occurrence rates in Florida according to the a recent veterinary survey. Therefore, vaccination is important in protecting your dog. Leptospirosis most commonly causes kidney and liver disease.
Parainfluenza
Parainfluenza is a minor contributor to the problem of tracheobronchitis (kennel cough) in dogs. This vaccine is included in most of the combo vaccines given to puppies and dogs as part of their routine vaccination protocol.
Parvovirus
Parvovirus is probably the most common viral illness of dogs at the present time. It is much more common in puppies than it is in adult dogs. It can be very hard to successfully vaccinate a puppy for this disease because the antibody protection the puppy acquires from its mother can interfere with vaccination. It is important to vaccinate puppies every three to four weeks for this virus starting at 6 to 8 weeks of age and continuing until they have received a total of 4 injections, given every 3 weeks. Regular boosters are given to continue protection.
Coronavirus
Coronavirus may cause viral diarrhea and may make fatality from parvovirus more likely if the infections occur concurrently. On the other hand, this virus causes minimal damage to the intestines and may not cause clinical illness on its own. However, routine vaccination as part of a combo injection is recommended. Prevention is better than treatment.
Bordetella
Bordetella is the most common cause of tracheobronchitis (kennel cough) in dogs. It is a bacterial illness that is most common among dogs that congregate at things like shows, kennels or other places frequented by large numbers of dogs at once. However, even exposure on your local walk or visit to the pet store is enough to transmit infection. It does not appear that this bacterin gives a full year of immunity. We recommend that all dogs should be vaccinated twice a year. There are intranasal as well as subcutaneous bacterins available for this disease. The intra-nasal bacterin confers immunity more quickly but the injectable version may last longer.
Lyme disease (Borrelia)
Lyme disease is caused by a bacterial organism, Borrelia burgdorferi . It is carried by ticks and may have other insect carriers. It is more common in some areas of the United States than in others. We can tell you whether it is necessary to protect against this disease in our area or if there is to be traveling.
Rabies
Rabies is a fatal disease. Exposure to bites and scratches containing saliva of the rabies virus from a rabid animal is required for disease. Since rabies is almost always fatal and the potential for human exposure and death is great, legal requirements for rabies vaccination is in place for all cats.
Giardia
Giardia is a protozoal parasite that causes gastrointestinal disease (vomiting, diarrhea, loose feces, etc.). Diarrhea, severe or mild, is most common sign of giardiasis. The diarrhea can be either intermittent or chronic. Typically there is a high volume of diarrhea with soft, almost frothy, mucousy stools. Weight loss and malabsorption can occur. A rancid odor to the feces is often noticed. Medication can treat the disease. We do not recommend vaccination of all dog for Giardia. We do, however, recommend vaccination of those pets that have clinical disease as we feel the vaccination helps to booster the immune function against the parasite and may help reduce future outbreaks of clinical disease.
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