TWILIGHT PUPPIES

***Never vaccinate a small dog or young pup with Lepto.  The vaccine is not needed & can cause harsh & sometimes fatal reactions.  House dogs do not need to be vaccinated for Lepto; adult inside dogs need to be vaccinated for Lepto only if there is a possibility of traveling in the same area as feral animals.  Please always remember to read label instructions & consult your vet before administering any vaccines.

IF HIGHLIGHTED IN RED WE HAVE GIVEN THE PUPS THOSE SHOTS.

 This information is the standard vaccination schedule and may vary with manufacturers, therefore further instructions may accompany each vaccine.  Please always read your label instructions & consult your veterinarian before administering.

Vaccines to consider are:

1. Distemper: causes a fatal disease that starts with respiratory signs and ultimately causes seizures and death. This disease may be making a come back.

2. Kennel cough viruses: these virus are highly infectious and cause disease in the major bronchi and trachea resulting in a loud, dry, nonproductive cough. Although, this is a very annoying disease and should be treated it rarely is fatal.

3. Leptospirosis: causes serious disease in the kidneys and liver of dogs. The disease is uncommon in dogs and is primarily a large animal disease. Combination vaccines frequently include these infectious agents.

4. Parvovirus: causes serious dehydration from profuse vomiting and bloody diarrhea often resulting in death even with intravenous support. Severe destruction of white blood cells severely compromises the dogs immune system. Some breeds are more sensitive to the disease (Doberman and Rottweiler). The mortality can be as high as 25% in puppies and older dogs.

5. Lyme Disease: causes short term serious arthritis and lethargy. Occasionally a relapse will occur several months after the initial infection (see update on Lyme Disease). The disease is never fatal, responds well to antibiotics and long term problems are extremely rare.

6. Corona virus: causes minor diarrhea in puppies that can add to the severity of a concurrent infection with parvovirus. The virus alone is not fatal or serious.

7. Rabies: the disease is always fatal and provides serious potential public health problems. The disease is on the increase in some states. Some states have three year vaccine booster is available after the initial vaccine.

Many of the vaccines can be combined into one injection depending on the manufacture. Vaccines should never be administered to an unhealthy or sick animal. Their immune system may not be capable of responding effectively to produce protective antibody levels. Schedules usually recommended by manufacturers start injections at eight weeks of age and repeat every four weeks until sixteen weeks of age. Between three and four months an initial rabies vaccine is given. All the vaccines are repeated again in one year and then annually. This schedule can vary depending on the dogs age, your state's Rabies laws and requirements, and the incidence of disease in your area.

Canine Distemper: An infectious viral disease occurring in dogs, characterized by loss of appetite, a catarrhal discharge from the eyes and nose, vomiting, fever, lethargy, partial paralysis caused by destruction of myelinated nerve tissue, and sometimes death.

Hepatitis: A highly contagious viral disease affecting the liver and other organs. It is spread only among domestic dogs and wild dogs and is not related to human hepatitis. Symptoms range widely, from mild to severe, and include nausea, vomiting, loss of appetite, jaundice, light-colored stool, and stomach enlargement.

Leptospirosis: Dogs become infected by leptospires when abraded skin comes into contact with the urine of an infected host. The organisms quickly spread through the bloodstream leading to fever, joint pain, and general malaise which can last up to a week. The organism settles in the kidneys and begins to reproduce, leading to further inflammation and then kidney failure. Depending on the type of leptospire involved, other organ failure (especially liver) can be expected as well. Leptospirosis is a life-threatening disease.

Parvovirus: Characterized by severe, bloody diarrhea and vomiting, high fever and lethargy. The diarrhea is particularly foul smelling and is sometimes yellow in color. Parvo can also attack a dog's heart causing congestive heart failure. This complication can occur months or years after an apparent recovery from the intestinal form of the disease. Puppies who survive parvo infection usually remain somewhat un-healthy and weak for life.

Parainfluenza: Can be caused by many bacterial or viral agents. It is highly contagious and can cause mild to severe inflamation of the trachea, bronchi, and the lungs. It is characterized by a non-productive cough, occasionally productive. It is usually considered to be self-limiting unless pneumonia develops from a secondary bacterial infection.

Corona: Causes infectious peritonitis and a mild intestinal disease.

Canine Bordetella: One of the causes of the canine upper respiratory disease, tracheobronchitis or "kennel cough." It is a bacterial infection of the respiratory system of dogs characterized by severe coughing and gagging. It is a very contagious airborne disease. Most cases appear after contact with other dogs in kennels, grooming parlors and other places where dogs congregate.

Rabies: An acute, infectious, often fatal viral disease of most warm-blooded animals, especially wolves, cats, and dogs, that attacks the central nervous system and is transmitted by the bite of infected animals.

Parasites

Intestinal worm checks are tests done on a dog's bowel movement to see if there are any worm eggs present in the dogs' body. In SC we see hookworms, roundworms, whipworms, Coccidia, tapeworms, and Giardia.

Only two of the six worms common to SC can be seen without the aid of a microscope. Hookworms can be spread through a dog's feces or can penetrate the dog's skin, or travel through the milk to nursing puppies. They attach to a dog's intestines to feed on the blood. Hookworms can cause major blood loss which is sometimes fatal to puppies. The baby stage of hookworms are called sandworms. These baby worms can penetrate the skin of people and migrate under the skin causing a human health hazard.

Roundworms can be spread for mother to puppies or through soil that has eggs in it. They can cause bloated bellies and diarrhea and vomiting. Roundworms can be transmitted to people also and can cause some serious health problems relating to loss of sight.

Whipworms can cause diarrhea, weight loss and dehydration. They are very hard to detect and also to eliminate. Whipworms do not lay eggs very often so they can be overlooked during the worm checks performed by a veterinarian.

Heartworm Prevention

Prevention of heartworm disease is very simple. Heartworm preventative for dogs is usually started between 2-3 months of age and the preventative is given once each month for life. A daily heartworm preventative is also available. Since heartworms are spread by mosquitoes which are prevalent in Louisiana all year long, the preventative must be given all year long unlike some other areas of the United States where the pills can be given only 6-9 months of each year. Heartworms are the most life threatening parasite dogs can have. The microfilia (baby heartworms) are deposited in the dog's body by a mosquito bite. These baby worms grow and move to the heart where the damage to your pet's health is done. Symptoms of heartworms do not show up sometimes for years. but early tests performed by your veterinarian will diagnose the disease before much damage is done. Your dog should be on the medication every month for life with once yearly testing to make sure the preventative is doing it's job.