OPINION: Prevention better than cure when it comes to your dog
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By Alison Laurie-Chalmers, a senior consultant at Crown Vets in Inverness
There are several potentially fatal diseases out there that dogs can catch, and vaccinations are the best way to protect them.
The diseases we can protect dogs against with vaccinations are: canine parvovirus; distemper virus; infectious canine hepatitis; leptospirosis and kennel cough.
Puppies can be vaccinated from eight weeks old.
They will need a primary vaccination course to get their protection started, but are not protected enough to be around other dogs or out in public parks and walkways until one week after their second vaccinations.
After the primary vaccination course, remember that your dog will then need to be vaccinated annually, to keep up the protection against these diseases. This is called a booster vaccination, as it boosts your dog’s ongoing immunity.
It is not necessary to vaccinate against every disease every year, but all dogs do require annual boosters against leptospirosis, which is a disease which could potentially affect humans, and are given boosters against distemper, hepatitis and parvovirus every third year, after their first annual booster vaccines.
Adult dogs whose vaccinations have lapsed and who have not been vaccinated within the last 15 months will need to resume a full primary vaccination course, involving two sets of vaccinations.
Your vet will choose a vaccination regime in line with their practice vaccine protocol, your pet’s health, local disease prevalence, and the most up-to-date professional guidelines.
Parvovirus is still a threat to dogs throughout the UK and, worryingly, there has been a rise in cases over the Covid-19 restriction period, probably due to a lapse in vaccination protection at the present time.
Parvovirus causes terrible suffering and any treatment requires intensive veterinary nursing if they are to survive.
Sadly, despite all best efforts, severely affected puppies and dogs do still die of this terrible disease.
The virus attacks the heart muscle of young puppies and the intestinal tract of adult dogs.
It is particularly serious in young puppies as they are also at potential risk of heart disease from the virus. It also affects dogs’ intestines and symptoms include vomiting, a foul-smelling profuse diarrhoea that may contain blood, severe dehydration, lethargy and loss of appetite.
If a dog develops any of these signs, they should receive immediate veterinary attention
As long as a puppy is not already infected and incubating this disease when acquired, parvovirus is preventable through vaccination. So, please do make sure that you acquire your pup from a healthy, well-researched, known reputable source or breeder.
Prevention is always better than cure.
Generally, once your dog’s puppy course and his first-year annual booster vaccinations are completed, the parvovirus protection is given as a booster every three years.
If your puppy or dog is not vaccinated, or vaccinations have lapsed, call your practice about how to arrange protection.
Contact your vet for good, professional advice on vaccinations against this debilitating disease and for advice on all other viral diseases.
