Thursday, September 10, 2009

Diseases That Vaccinations For Puppies Prevent

By Moses Wright

Owners of puppies should guard the health of their dog by providing the appropriate vaccinations for puppies. The vaccines for puppies protect them from many dog diseases, some of which are potentially deadly.

Before birth, puppies receive some antibodies from their mothers through the placenta. For the first two days after birth, the puppies continue to receive antibodies in the mother's first milk.

Puppies typically get their first vaccines when their natural immunity from the mother's antibodies wears off. Prior to this time, vaccinations for puppies will not provide protection against disease. Many veterinarians recommend that the puppy be vaccinated between six and nine weeks of age.

The veterinarian will typically recommend vaccinations for distemper, parvovirus, leptospirosis, and hepatitis. Additional vaccinations for puppies such as those for rabies and kennel cough may be recommended by the veterinarian.

Parvovirus causes abdominal pain, bloody diarrhea, vomiting, depression, and refusal to eat or drink. Canine distemper causes lethargy, loss of appetite, vomiting, coughing, diarrhea, runny nose, and seizures.

Infectious canine hepatitis is a virus that attacks the liver that can quickly lead to death. Symptoms of canine hepatitis include diarrhea, vomiting, lethargy, fever, and lack of appetite.

Leptospirosis is a bacterial infection that causes abdominal pain, vomiting, lethargy, bloody diarrhea, increased thirst, and fever. A dog can die from leptospirosis within hours of the onset of symptoms.

A highly contagious upper respiratory infection that causes a slight fever, loss of appetite, dry cough, and lethargy is called kennel cough. Dogs that spend time in a kennel may be required to have the vaccination for kennel cough before they are accepted for boarding.

Rabies is one of the few diseases that can affect both dogs and humans. At the end stages of rabies, the dog could begin foaming at the mouth, drooling, and show signs of paralysis before slipping into a coma and dying of respiratory failure.

Other diseases for which a dog can be vaccinated include coronavirus, bordetella, parainfluenza, and measles. Some of these vaccinations are only recommended if the dog is to spend significant time in kennels or with a large number of other dogs.

Some vaccinations require that the puppy not be exposed to other dogs dropped to two weeks after the vaccination. Any necessary precautions and possible side effects of the vaccines should be explained by the veterinarian.

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