Dog Vaccines
Any time you see something written about vaccines by Dr. Ronald Schultz you can rely on it being the cutting edge of recent research. His Lab at the Univ. of Wisc. Vet teaching college does the clinical trials for the major manufacturers of vaccines. Georgia has had the pleasure and privilege of spending some time with him speaking on this subject. Georgia has also been able to attend one of his lectures. Here are some new protocols for vaccinating puppies.
The two most serious viral diseases to which dogs are susceptible are distemper and parvovirus. Distemper is an old, endemic canine disease, and in puppies often causes death. Parvovirus is an intestinal infection which first appeared in 1978, which also frequently causes death in puppies. Other diseases commonly included in dog vaccines are hepatitis, parainfluenza, corona, and leptospirosis. The vaccine for these diseases is called "DHLPP", or DHLPP-C when the coronavirus vaccine is included.
Distemper, parvovirus, and hepatitis vaccinations are extraordinarily effective, and according to Schultz, a single immunizing dose (which is not, he warns, the same thing as a single shot) should provide lifelong immunity. While Schultz says those who wish to take a more moderate approach can re-vaccinate adult dogs for these diseases every two or three years, he immunizes dogs with modified live virus vaccines for distemper, hepatitis, and parvovirus at six to eight weeks of age, and again at 14 to 16 weeks, with a last parvo vaccine at 22 weeks of age, and does not give any further vaccines.
Be sure, Schultz warns, that the vaccine used is an effective one; his study found brand differences in vaccine effectiveness as great as 100 percent. In other words, some vaccines are 100 percent effective at certain ages while at that same age others have no effect at all. According to his research, the most effective brands are Proguard and Duramune; the least effective brands are Galaxy, Adenomune, and RM.
Schultz also warns that the hepatitis component of the vaccine you use should be the one known as CAV-2; CAV-1, which is still widespread in commercially available vaccines, has been found to cause severe side effects. CAV-2 protects against both strains, one of which causes a liver infection and the other a respiratory disease.
Another vaccine which is becoming widely used is that for borreliosis, or Lyme disease. Lyme disease is a tick-born bacterial disease which in dogs causes a form of arthritis. Or at least, it may. Some researchers call canine Lyme disease "a vaccine in search of a disease", since it is actually unknown whether dogs even get Lyme disease. Dr. Christine Wilford, who is the veterinary columnist for the AKC Gazette, wrote, "In general, the efficacy of Lyme vaccination and the true incidence of the disease itself are still being debated by many specialists... (many of whom) still advise against using the vaccine, citing the absence of documentation of need and efficacy, and remind(ing) us that an effective human vaccine has yet to be developed." Neither Wilford nor Schultz recommend this vaccine.
Corona is a mild intestinal virus which usually causes no noticeable symptoms unless another intestinal infection is present as well. It can often be cultured out of the stool of healthy dogs. Schultz did extensive studies on coronaviruses. In his studies he concluded that corona is not a serious illness and that the vaccine is ineffective. (Schultz, "Emerging Issues: Vaccination Strategies for Canine Viral Enteritis": 1995.) He recommends against this vaccine, as does Wilford.
Parainfluenza is, by itself, a mild respiratory illness similar to a cold, but when complicated by bacterial infections can lead to pneumonia. The most common bacterial infections are those caused by bordetella, often erroneously called "kennel cough". Schultz recommends that while an injection is frequently used to vaccinate for these diseases, a nasally-administered combination of parainfluenza and bordetella should instead be given at six to eight weeks and again at 14 to 16 weeks, with annual nasal boosters of the bordetella alone for dogs at high risk of contracting the disease (show dogs, dogs in boarding kennels, etc.) The parainfluenza vaccine, like those for parvo, distemper, and hepatitis, should provide longer term immunity, probably lifelong. Bordetella, like all bacterial vaccines, requires more frequent administration.
