Vaccines

Vaccination Schedule

Recommended vaccine schedule

At 12 weeks, your puppy may get a vaccination of MLV (modified live vaccine) Parvo only. You must ask specifically for this vaccine, and then double check before it is given that it is indeed only Parvo in the shot. Most vets only stock combo vaccinations, so if you just ask for a “Parvo shot”, they will assume you meant the combo! Since that is NOT what you want, be very sure to insist the correct vaccine is being used. Although more vets are starting to carry them, your vet might well have to special-order this vaccine!

Two weeks after the Parvo vaccine, have the vet draw some blood and have it sent to the lab for a Parvo Titer test...this will show if the previously given Parvo vaccine has worked. If the Parvo titer comes back at zero or very low, it means that the puppy still had maternal antibodies at the time of vaccination, and the vaccine didn't take. In that case, you give another Parvo only at 16-18 weeks. 95% of the time, the titer will come back moderate to high, meaning the vaccine worked and the puppy established immunity to the disease. Do not repeat this Parvo vaccine if you had a good immune response to the vaccine – you can not make an immune animal more immune!

At 16 weeks or older, your puppy possibly may get a vaccination of Distemper only. Only give this vaccine if Distemper is an issue in your area – check with local vet clinics for the prevalence of this disease in your area. The Distemper vaccine is well known for causing long-term side effects (vaccinosis) in dogs. Common side effects to this vaccine include temperament issues (fearfulness), pitted teeth, belly rash, chronic itchy skin, and cystitis. Some of these are temporary problems, others have life-long effects.

At 2 weeks after the Distemper (if given), you can optionally have the vet draw blood again, and send off for a Distemper Titer. This titer is optional because by this age and for this disease it would be exceptionally rare for a dog to not have formed a titer.

If you have ended up giving a Parvo at 16-18 weeks, you may opt to do another Parvo titer 2 weeks later (18-20 weeks) to make sure that one took, although it almost certainly will be effective by that age. But if it makes you feel better, go ahead and test it!

Rabies is given after the age of 6 months (8-12 months is much better), if required by law in your province. If it isn’t required please don’t give it. Also do not give the Rabies shot (or any vaccine for that matter) within a 30 day period before or after any surgery (such as spay/neuter) or within 30 days of any other vaccine.

That is it for the vaccinations! If it makes you feel better, you can run titers at a year old, and every 1-3 years after that, but it is not necessary, and doesn't really tell all that much, since titer levels will rise and fall through the dogs lifetime in accordance to their frequency of exposure. Remember, a low titer does not equal low immunity, as it is the memory cells that are the important part, and we have no way to measure those. So you can pretty safely consider any measurable titer to be proof of current immunity.

The information presented is for informational purposes only and is based on our experiences with our own dogs; Mountain Pine Canines accepts no responsibility, nor liability in the event these recommendations do not work for your dog. Should you have questions, or concerns, please consult a (holistic) veterinarian who has experience in this area.