Vaccinations and De-Worming
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Conservative Vaccination Protocol
We believe in a conservative vaccination protocol which utilizes only "core" vaccines and require our puppy buyers to adhere to the same protocol. Failure to do so will nullify all health guarantees. Parvo/Distemper Vaccine Your puppy will receive his first Parvo/Distemper vaccine at 8 weeks of age, before you take him home. After receiving the first Parvo/Distemper vaccine, your puppy may still not be protected and great care must be taken to prevent exposing him to disease. Do not let your puppy walk anywhere where other dogs have walked. Do not let your puppy walk into the vet’s office to get his 2nd immunization or for any other reason. Either put him in a crate or carry him in your arms, but do not let his paws touch the floor. Visitors to your home should be asked to remove their shoes and leave them outside, and wash their hands before handling your puppy. Do not let anyone visit your puppy if they have an animal that is ill or has recently been ill. Do not let your puppy near any animals who have not been fully vaccinated. Do not take your puppy to puppy kindergarten until he’s received the 2nd Parvo/Distemper vaccine. After the 2nd vaccine, the puppy may still not be protected and you must continue to exercise caution to protect him from exposure to disease. You can take him to puppy kindergarten, provided the facility maintains a clean, hygienic environment in the puppy training area. Do not allow your puppy to walk near, or go potty on, the designated potty area at the training facility. Take him somewhere else to potty. Please wait until one week after the 2nd Parvo/Distemper vaccine to take your puppy to a puppy kindergarten. After receiving the vaccine, your puppy’s immune system is weakened for about one week, so it is wise to give him a week to recover. Parvo/Distemper Vaccination Schedule When you make an appointment with your vet for his Parvo/Distemper vaccination, be clear that you want Parvo/Distemper (MLV) only. Many vets use 4 and 5 way combination shots that include other vaccines that are not to be given to your Swissy. Make sure your vet carries the single injections for just Parvo/Distemper beforehand and ask to read the vial before it’s injected into your puppy. Your puppy will receive the first Parvo/Distemper vaccination at 7 weeks of age. Follow this schedule for completing vaccinations:
After your puppy has received the above immunizations, DO NOT repeat annual Parvo/Distemper vaccinations. The immunization your dog has will most likely last his lifetime and there is no point in administering unnecessary vaccines that can compromise your dog’s health and immune system. Instead of administering more vaccines, run a titer on your dog every 1-3 years to test his level of his immunity. We have NEVER had to repeat this vaccine for our dogs. If your veterinarian insists on repeating Parvo/Distemper vaccinations every year or every 3 years, find another vet! Rabies Give the Rabies vaccine at 6 months of age and again at 18 months of age. Make sure it is given at least 4 weeks after the Parvo/Distemper booster. After that, give the rabies vaccine every 3 years as required by state laws. Do not ever give any vaccine within 4 weeks of any other vaccine. Do not ever give the following vaccines to your Swissy:
Worming Your puppy will have been de-wormed four times before you take him home, at 2, 4, 6, and 8 weeks of age. Additional de-worming will be necessary at 12 and 16 weeks of age, 6 months of age, and 1 year of age. Follow your veterinarians advice for a worming schedule for your Swissy after 1 year of age. |
How Do I Know When My Puppy is Fully Protected From Parvo/Distemper?
________ You will not know if your puppy is protected after receiving the first two vaccinations, which is why continued caution against exposure to disease is important. The unknown factor is the amount of maternally derived antibodies (MDA) that have been passed from the mother's milk (colustrum) to the puppies during their first 12 hours of life. Mothers pass different amounts to their babies based on their own antibody levels and puppies receive different amounts depending on how much colustrum they consume. The amount of MDA that the puppy has declines each week until at some point, the puppy no longer has any MDA protection. If the puppy still has MDA when a vaccine is administered, the MDA may attack the vaccine, rendering it ineffective. However, between 14 and 16 weeks of age, puppies no longer have MDA so your puppy will be protected after receiving his 3rd Parvo/Distemper vaccine. |
