Question:

Can you tell me about the vaccines Corona Virus and Giardia virus? Also, what is the recommended vaccine schedule for puppies?

Thank you!

Steven

ANSWER:

Hi Steven,

Coronavirus is a highly contagious disease that attacks the digestive tract and causes gastroenteritis (vomiting and diarrhea) in both puppies and adult dogs. Symptoms include depression, fever, loss of appetite, vomiting and diarrhea. The illness lasts anywhere for two to ten days and can cause death in dogs that are young, old or are suffering from another disease or condition. It is passed through fecal matter containing the virus and symptoms begin within one to five days of exposure. Afflicted dogs are carriers for up to several weeks and the virus can live in the environment for up to several months. Treatment ranges depending on the severity of the symptoms but normally includes hospitalization, fluids to prevent dehydration, dietary restriction to allow the intestinal tract to calm down, anti-emetics to stop the vomiting, anti-diarrheals and broad-spectrum antibiotics to prevent secondary infections.

This is not a fun disease! Because of the severity of the virus, the coronavirus vaccine is part of the recommended vaccine schedule for puppies and adult dogs if the disease has recently been seen in your area. If there have been no cases for the past year, then it is not necessary to vaccinate for coronavirus.

Giardia virus causes similar symptoms but is generally not as severe – some mild cases cause only a bout or two of loose stool and owners are not aware there is a problem. Treatment of Giardia consists of administering a course of anitprotozoal drugs to reduce the incidence of secondary infections and monitoring the dog for dehydration or fever.

Because Giardia is not normally severe or life threatening, the vaccine is purely elective and not part of a regular vaccination schedule.

The recommended vaccine protocol for puppies includes vaccinating for canine parvovirus, canine distemper, canine adenovirus type 2, infectious canine hepatitis and canine parainfluenza. The first vaccine is given at eight weeks old, another at twelve weeks and the final booster at 16 weeks. However, because of the high susceptibility of certain breeds to parvovirus, a twenty-week booster of just the parvo vaccine is recommended. Ask your vet if your dog fits into the high-risk category. After the initial vaccine schedule is completed, dogs need yearly boosters for the remainder of their lives.

Rabies is given with the sixteen-week booster vaccine and again a year later. After that, dogs are vaccinated every three years against rabies.

Bordetella, Lyme Disease, Coronavirus and Giardia are all elective and depend heavily on where you are located and the incidence of the diseases or carriers in your area.

Vaccine protocols do change from vet to vet and also depend on what the dog may be exposed to in its daily lives. For example, dogs that never leave the farm are less likely to come in contact viruses transmitted from dog to dog but rabies might be a concern. On the other hand, dogs that regularly play at dog parks, live in the city, attend dog shows or obedience classes, etc are at higher risk of contracting these diseases and should be vaccinated for the disease transmitted from other dogs. Lyme disease is passed through the adult deer tick so dogs that spend time in the woods or hunting should be vaccinated against this debilitating disease.

Talk to your vet and ask specific questions. You know what your dog’s lifestyle will entail and making choices based on your dog instead of on what the vaccine manufacturers recommend will help better determine your dog’s needs.

Over vaccination is a hot topic in the dog world and there is a huge concern that the amount of vaccines given over the course of a dog’s life is increasing the incidence of autoimmune mediated diseases as well as cancer, allergies and who knows what all else. In general, I agree with this and I believe limiting vaccines is a smart move. However, vaccines have saved many more lives then they have taken and my guess is that many of the people that poo-poo vaccines have never seen a litter of pups wiped out from Parvovirus.

Want to do what is best for your dog? Keep to the puppy vaccine schedule and give the first year boosters. However, before giving any more vaccines, have the dog’s titer levels measured for each of the diseases especially rabies and Parvo. Titers measure the level of antibodies for a specific disease and if your dog’s titers are above the recommended level, the vaccine is unnecessary. This is the best of both worlds – your dog is protected from disease and you are not subjecting them to vaccines they do not need.

Remember, I lost one of my dogs to an autoimmune mediated disease and do I still vaccinate? You bet your life, or your dog’s life, I do and I recommend every pet owner do the same.

Vaccines are smart medicine that saves lives.