# Vaccine timing :)



## Kev (Sep 11, 2011)

Hi guys, my pup is still at the breeder and he is 7 weeks, 2 days old. The breeder brought the pups to the vet Thursday and vaccinated them at 7 weeks old. My question is, should I give my pup his second shot when he's 11 weeks or 12 weeks? I heard that vaccinating after 4 weeks of the previous shot will have to make me restart all the shots again from square 1.


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## msvette2u (Mar 20, 2006)

Your vet will give you the correct timing for the vaccines.
We follow these guidelines for our rescued dogs and puppies.

http://www.vetmed.wsu.edu/depts-vth/vaccinations.aspx


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## Kev (Sep 11, 2011)

Thanks  
Also my breeder recommended me to get a vaccine for my pup that protects him from raccoon urine/feces. I was wondering if it was called lepto? And what is the average cost of DHPP and lepto in your area? 
thanks again


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## Msmart (Dec 18, 2011)

Lepto would fight against that. My vet recommends lepto for any dog that is eagerly and frequently going in the water so yes I would recommend that. For me. In cape cod mass the DHPP and lepto costs around 30 dollars roughly.


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## msvette2u (Mar 20, 2006)

Lepto is the one for raccoon urine, etc. yes.
But be aware it can make puppies very ill.


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## Kev (Sep 11, 2011)

Thanks again 
What are the side effects of the lepto shot? I tried googling and came up with allergic reactions but that can happen with any vaccine :s


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## msvette2u (Mar 20, 2006)

No, it's much higher w/a lepto.
MUCH higher. In the 10yrs. I've been vaccinating dogs, I've seen one possible reaction to a 5-way.
Almost every pup who gets a Lepto vax gets extremely ill. 
Also google "thrombocytopenia" and "IMHA".

Smoke and Mirrors | The Leptospirosis Vaccine for Dogs While I do give 5-ways, we avoid LEPTO, recommend all our adopters do, and I'll never give it to my dogs.


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## vomlittlehaus (Aug 24, 2010)

Look up some information on vaccines, reactions, over vaccinating, etc. We can give you advise on what we do or dont do, but you have to decide what is best for your pup. I do minimal vaccinations on my pups (follow Dr Dodds protocol). I never give a combo. I will do titers and only vaccinate for what is low.

It is believed that the maternal antibodies fight against the vaccine. It is believed the maternal antibodies wear off differently (length of time). There fore a series of vaccinations are given to protect the pup as the maternal antibodies lessen in the bloodstream. If you wait longer to give the initial vaccinations, only one or two are needed. 

Be the best informed puppy owner you can be. Vets only make money if you go there.


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## vomlittlehaus (Aug 24, 2010)

KEV...where are you located? Some areas of the country dont even recommend lepto vax.


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## Kev (Sep 11, 2011)

Well, im not in a city but I'm not in a rural area either. I guess you can say a "town". I'm pretty sure there are some wildlife where I live because I see footprints on my land that are smaller than an average dog, let's say a coyote or raccoon.


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## msvette2u (Mar 20, 2006)

Well, what state/region??


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## Kev (Sep 11, 2011)

Canada 
north of toronto/vaughan... Schomberg


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## llombardo (Dec 11, 2011)

I would stay away from the Lepto...I worked at a vet and its not really something they went out of their way to give..it can cause problems. You need what is called a 5 in 1 distemper shot, this should be given every 3 weeks after the first vaccine and and german shepherds it might be best to get four in there because shepherds like Rotts are more prone to parvo. So the schedule would be 7 weeks(done), 10 weeks, 13 weeks, and 16 weeks at which time you can get the rabies shot also. I give my dogs their distempers at home--it cost a whopping 3.50 versus 30.00-35.00, unless you can find a low cost vaccine clinic then you can get them for about $20.00.


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## msvette2u (Mar 20, 2006)

What we advise is do the 5 ways. You can't go wrong with them. And ask your vet about the Lepto. Ask them (if they say "yes" without hesitation) why they feel your dog is at risk enough to risk doing the vaccines, for the benefit. 
Vaccines are all benefit vs. risk. Yes there's a small risk (very small) a 5- way can make your dog sick. A larger risk a lepto can make your dog sick. 
Be sure the vet can justify the benefits of the lepto over the risk.


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## Kev (Sep 11, 2011)

Ah man I'm confused now 
Is the 5 in 1 shot similar to DHPP? Is DHPP in one shot or is it broken up to 4 shots? :crazy:


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## vomlittlehaus (Aug 24, 2010)

Just look up some vaccines, and you will see what they offer. You can only get what your vet carries.
Dog Healthcare: Vaccination Center

Dr Dodds recommendations:
W Jean Dodds Vaccine Protocol VACCINATION PROTOCOLS

Some great info that was posted in another thread:

Puppy Shots

Revaccination

You can read up for yourself. Dont take the word from someone that is not informed. I used to think vaccinating every year was the right thing to do too.


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## llombardo (Dec 11, 2011)

Kev said:


> Ah man I'm confused now
> Is the 5 in 1 shot similar to DHPP? Is DHPP in one shot or is it broken up to 4 shots? :crazy:



It is one shot that covers five different things...the one with the L also covers the Lepto. The 5 in 1 is sufficient enough and I'm guessing the vet will think so too. Just remember after they have these puppy shots they go in yearly and have rabies and distemper shots--once they are a year they only need one dose of each.


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## llombardo (Dec 11, 2011)

dawnandjr said:


> Just look up some vaccines, and you will see what they offer. You can only get what your vet carries.
> Dog Healthcare: Vaccination Center
> 
> Dr Dodds recommendations:
> ...



I am informed enough...the puppy already has started its shots so not to give him shots is putting him at risk. I've had dogs for over 35 years and I wasn't the biggest believer in shots...back in the day my dogs had rabies for the first 3-4 years and that was it-why? Because I do think that once its in their system after that time frame it stays there, but we are in a new time. *If you can tell me you have ever seen a dog with Parvo, or smelled the smell of rotting insides coming out in the form of bloody vomit or bloody poop or a puppy too week to walk, running a fever and dying in your arms because it didn't have its shots....then and only then can you say I'm not informed..*I worked at a vet through one of the worse epidemics of Parvo and seen way to many puppies die because they weren't vaccinated--I will never forget the smell of death or look of sadness in their eyes... Just recently I picked up a stray that had parvo and I didn't know it, well thank the good lord my dog had all of his puppy shots, because he didn't get it


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## msvette2u (Mar 20, 2006)

LL, WSU has gone to every three years. Things do change.

Community Practice Vaccination Protocols from the College of Veterinary Medicine

DA2PP
Puppies 6,10 and 14 weeks or 8, 12 and 16 weeks
Repeat 1 year later
Then repeat every 3 years
Each patient should be evaluated for increased risk of exposure – may consider yearly protocols for these patients
Give in right shoulder

Rabies
Start puppies at 12-16 weeks of age
Repeat 1 year later
Then repeat every 3 years or as required by state, provincial, and/or local requirements
Give in right rear limb


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## llombardo (Dec 11, 2011)

I'm willing to bet the vet will tell him every three weeks--especially for a shepherd.. I can't find one in my area that wouldn't say every 3 weeks and instead of the usual 3 for most dogs, they will recommend a fourth one.


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## vomlittlehaus (Aug 24, 2010)

Yep...worked in vets for 10 yrs...seen them die too...things change. We learn from our mistakes.


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## llombardo (Dec 11, 2011)

msvette2u said:


> LL, WSU has gone to every three years. Things do change.
> 
> Community Practice Vaccination Protocols from the College of Veterinary Medicine
> 
> ...


And I do agree with this schedule for most dogs..except the rabies, most vets won't give a rabies shot if they are under 16 weeks--I had to wait for mine because the rabies and distemper didn't coincide together


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## msvette2u (Mar 20, 2006)

3 mos. is fine for rabies, learned this when sending dogs into Canada. Their requirements are 12 weeks/3mos. (to cross the border). We are pushing it but have waited past the 12 weeks and just state on the paperwork that it's "too young to vaccinate for rabies". Never got called on it.

And the vet said it didn't matter much (that was a fine age) but that they did usually wait until 4mos.


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## BlackGSD (Jan 4, 2005)

If I had a puppy that got the shot at 7 weeks, I would give the others at 11 and 15 weeks. Then rabies later. Not the same day as the other shot.


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## WVGSD (Nov 28, 2006)

Kev:

I am in rural West Virginia with lots of wildlife around. None of my dogs (bred, purchased, rescued or fosters) are given the lepto vaccine and I have no reason to begin giving it to them. It is a risk that I won't take with any of the dogs that are in my care.


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## Wolfgeist (Dec 4, 2010)

Hello there!

I really like, and follow myself, Dr. Dodds' vaccine protocol. I highly recommend it, so if you're interested it wouldn't hurt to read into it. I wrote a blog article on vaccines, which contains a link to Dr. Dodds' website. Have a look:

K9 Instinct. Unleashing your dog's true potential!


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