Why Should I Vaccinate My Dog?

A vaccine is something that is given often by injection, sometimes through other means, but it provides your pup with the immunity to fight off a number of different diseases. Vaccines will contain a small amount of the illness, enough for the body to detect but usually not enough to make your pup sick. Every illness spreads through a dog’s body in cells and it’s up to your puppy’s immune system to work out how to fight these off and protect themselves.

When a vaccine is given, it allows the body to learn what each illness is and how best to fight it off so that if your pup ever comes into contact with the disease, their bodies already know how to protect themselves from it!

You can vaccinate your pup against a number of diseases and illnesses. Dogs can be vaccinated at any age but puppies will usually get their initial vaccination at six to eight weeks followed by a second course either two to four weeks later to make sure their immune system is robust. You usually only need to give annual boosters after this to keep it strong.

You can vaccinate a puppy against:

●      Canine distemper

●      Canine parvovirus

●      Kennel cough

●      Leptospirosis

●      Parainfluenza

You can also vaccinate against rabies however, as the UK is a rabies-free country it’s not part of the standard vaccines but if you plan to travel with your pup, they may need this too.

The Canine Distemper Virus is a highly contagious disease that affects the respiratory system, gastrointestinal system and eventually the nervous system. It’s given as part of a puppy’s initial course of vaccinations. What makes distemper an important virus to vaccinate against is how severe it can become along with how easily it’s spread.

Some wildlife are able to spread the disease as well. Foxes and domesticated ferrets are also able to contract and spread the disease. Pregnant mothers can infect their puppies before they’re born and transmission can even occur between food bowls and shared toys, as well as any equipments an infected pooch may have come into contact with.

Treatment includes a supportive therapy of treating the symptoms rather than the disease itself and quarantining infected animals to limit the further spread. Signs to look out for include:

 

●      Runny eyes

●      Fever

●      Nasal discharge

●      Coughing

●      Lethargy

●      Reduced appetite

●      Vomiting

●      Walking in circles

●      Head tilt

●      Muscles twitches

●      “Chewing gum fits” jaw moves in chewing motions

●      Paralysis

Seeking veterinary care as early as possible and providing the support they need can mean the difference between something they can overcome with help and distemper being fatal.

 

Canine Parvovirus is another of the diseases a puppy’s first vaccines will cover. Developing an immunity to parvo is very important, especially for puppies. While adult dogs are less prone to developing symptoms of parvo, it’s a nasty disease that once it comes into contact with a surface can remain there for months and infect your pooch. Under the right conditions, it can even survive for a year outside, so when you’re walking your pooch at the local park where plenty of other people also walk their dogs, having an unvaccinated pup means they’re always at risk.

Parvovirus is a virus that causes gastrointestinal issues most commonly in puppies. It spreads easily through faeces and vomit and it’s hard to keep contained once contracted. As the virus attacks cells in the intestines, a puppy becomes unable to process nutrients and becomes weak very quickly. Once symptoms occur without treatment, it can be fatal from 24 to 48 hours after they become unwell. They can shed the disease both before and after contracting the virus, so they may continue to spread it even after a full recovery.

There is no cure for parvovirus, but supportive fluids and treatment can be provided by a vet to give a pup the best chance at survival. One study found that between 2008 and 2019, if a dog survived the first five days after contracting the illness, their chances of survival were 86.5% so with quick acting and supportive treatment, the survival rate is very positive.

Symptoms of Canine Parvovirus include:

●      Persistent and bloody diarrhoea accompanied by a foul smell

●      Vomiting

●      Loss of appetite

●      Collapse

●      Lethargy

●      Fever

●      Weight loss

●      Sudden death

 

Kennel cough is an infectious disease that can be spread by a number of different viruses and bacteria. It tends to present itself very similarly across all strains and is an airborne disease which means that the dog only has to be in an environment after an infected pooch to contract it. The kennel cough vaccine is not part of the initial puppy vaccination course, however they can be vaccinated as early as eight to fourteen weeks. The vaccine for kennel cough is squirted up the nose for your pup to inhale and allow their immune system to develop a barrier against it.

Since there are so many strains of kennel cough, the vaccine can’t reduce the chance of your pup catching it by 100% but it does help their immune system know how to react to it. Most dogs will recover speedily and may not even need treatment however older pooches and flat-faced breeds are more at risk of suffering from severe symptoms that may need treatment.

Symptoms include:

●      Loud and repetitive coughing

●      Discharge from the eyes or nose

●      Swollen tonsils

●      Lack of appetite

●      Lethargy

●      Wheezing while breathing

Whilst it’s not a legal requirement to vaccinate your beloved pets, it’s strongly recommended to protect them from numerous potentially life-threatening illnesses that are easier to combat and avoid with the proper immunisation protocol.

No vaccine will guarantee that your pup doesn’t contract an illness but they do help to prevent it. Vaccines are a vital part of maintaining your dog’s health and welfare as so many diseases can now be protected against. While it’s not a part of pet care that is legally enforced, it does mean that you are taking steps to prevent the suffering of your beloved pet. By building up a form of immunity against a number of illnesses with puppy injections, there’s a far lower chance of your pup becoming sick which keeps them happy and healthy!

Living with a puppy pal can be an expensive extra family member, and while cutting corners and not vaccinating might save you money in the short term, if your pet contracts a virus, not only will they suffer but treatment is bound to be far likely much more expensive than a vaccination. Many of the more serious illnesses we vaccinate against such as distemper and parvovirus usually require around-the-clock care which means staying in the vets for several nights in a row. This around-the-clock care comes at a price so you won’t just be paying for the medication and supportive treatments, you also have to pay just to have a professional keep an eye on your furry family member all day and night.

If you live in a multi-pet household and one dog becomes unwell, the risk of contaminating your other pets can be very high depending on the illness and the vaccination status of your other pets. If you have a number of unvaccinated pups living under one roof, the chance of them all getting sick is much higher when their immune system isn’t prepared.

Financial and welfare reasons aside, many businesses like dog walking, dog boarding and doggy daycare businesses require all dogs they interact with to be fully vaccinated. Even taking your pooch to puppy training classes requires them to be fully vaccinated. Anywhere there’s going to be a number of dogs or a professional person interacting with multiple dogs, they’re going to want to protect themselves, their business and all the pups they actively care for. Therefore, these businesses will usually insist on seeing proof of your pooch’s history of vaccinations before you can book with them.