Dog and Puppy Vaccinations
Too Early, Too Often and Too Much?
Vaccination protects dogs against serious and potentially fatal infectious diseases. However, vaccination should be properly timed and tailored to the individual dog rather than given more frequently than necessary.
The aim is to provide effective protection while avoiding unnecessary vaccination. Decisions should take account of the dog’s age, health, lifestyle, location, previous vaccination history and the particular vaccine being used.
Core and Non-Core Vaccines
Core vaccines protect against serious diseases for which protection is considered important for dogs generally. These commonly include:
- Canine distemper virus
- Canine adenovirus
- Canine parvovirus
Non-core vaccines are recommended according to geographical and lifestyle risk. These may include leptospirosis, kennel cough and rabies for dogs travelling abroad.
Core and non-core vaccines do not necessarily have the same duration of immunity or recommended revaccination interval. Owners should ask which individual diseases are covered and why each vaccine is being recommended.
Maternal Antibodies
Newborn puppies receive maternal antibodies through their mother’s first milk, known as colostrum. These antibodies provide temporary protection against diseases to which the mother has immunity.
Maternal antibodies gradually decline, but the timing varies between individual puppies. While present at a sufficiently high level, they can interfere with a vaccine and prevent the puppy from developing its own active immune response.
As the maternal antibodies decline, there may be a period when they are too low to protect the puppy but still high enough to interfere with vaccination. This is one reason puppy vaccines are normally given as a series rather than relying upon a single early injection.
Why Very Early Vaccination May Not Work
A vaccine given to a young puppy may be effective, but it may also be partly or completely blocked by maternal antibodies. The response varies between puppies, even within the same litter.
This does not mean that every vaccination before 12 weeks is pointless. It means that an early dose cannot always be assumed to have successfully immunised every puppy.
In situations where puppies face a high risk of infection, early vaccination may provide valuable protection to those whose maternal antibodies have already declined. Later doses are then used to protect puppies whose earlier vaccinations were blocked.
The Puppy Vaccination Series
The precise programme depends upon the vaccine manufacturer’s authorised instructions, disease risk and advice from the veterinary surgeon.
Current WSAVA guidance recommends beginning core vaccination no earlier than six weeks of age and repeating it every three to four weeks, with the final puppy dose given at 16 weeks of age or older.
In particularly high-risk situations, vaccination may continue until approximately 20 weeks of age.
Some UK vaccine products are licensed for a shorter or different puppy course. The product data sheet should be checked and owners should understand when their puppy is expected to be fully protected.
Research by Professor Ronald Schultz demonstrated that a successfully immunising dose of an appropriate modified-live core vaccine, given after interfering maternal antibodies have declined, can provide long-lasting immunity in many dogs.
This is important evidence against giving core vaccines more frequently than necessary. However, it does not mean that every puppy receiving one injection at a particular age is guaranteed lifelong protection.
The vaccine must successfully stimulate an immune response, and the response can be affected by maternal antibodies, the vaccine used, the puppy’s health and individual variation.
The Six-Month or One-Year Follow-Up
Older vaccination protocols commonly included a first annual core booster at approximately 12 months of age.
Current WSAVA guidance recommends bringing this vaccination forward to approximately 26 weeks of age. Its purpose is to protect the minority of puppies that may not have developed active immunity after the earlier course.
Alternatively, titre testing from approximately 20 weeks of age may be used to check whether antibodies to distemper, adenovirus and parvovirus are present. A puppy with confirmed protective antibodies to these core diseases may not require the 26-week core vaccination.
Vaccinating Adult Dogs
Adult dogs should not automatically receive every vaccine every year. Modern core vaccines generally provide protection lasting for several years after successful immunisation.
For low-risk adult dogs, WSAVA advises that modified-live core vaccines should generally be repeated no more frequently than every three years. This does not mean that they must automatically be repeated precisely every three years if immunity has been demonstrated.
Some non-core vaccines may require more frequent administration because their duration of immunity is shorter. The interval should follow the product’s authorised data sheet and the dog’s actual risk of disease.
Titre Testing
A titre test measures antibodies in a blood sample. For canine distemper, adenovirus and parvovirus, a positive result generally indicates that protective immunity is present.
Titre testing can help owners and veterinary surgeons decide whether another core vaccination is necessary. It is particularly useful where there is concern about unnecessary core revaccination or a history of a suspected adverse reaction.
A negative titre does not always mean that the dog has no immune memory, but it may lead to a discussion about revaccination according to the dog’s circumstances.
Titre tests are not equally useful for every disease and should not be assumed to replace all non-core vaccinations.
Adverse Reactions
Most dogs do not experience a serious vaccine reaction. Temporary tiredness, mild soreness or a small swelling at the injection site can occur.
Seek urgent veterinary treatment if a dog develops facial swelling, difficulty breathing, widespread hives, repeated vomiting, weakness or collapse after vaccination.
Always tell your veterinary surgeon about any previous suspected reaction before another vaccine is administered.
Questions to Ask
- Which diseases does this vaccine cover?
- Is each component core or based upon my dog’s lifestyle?
- When was my dog last vaccinated for each disease?
- What duration of immunity is stated in the data sheet?
- Would titre testing be appropriate for the core diseases?
- Does my dog have any health reason to delay vaccination?
- Which reactions should I monitor for afterwards?
Further Information
Disclaimer: This page is provided for general information and discussion. Vaccination decisions should be made for the individual dog in consultation with the responsible veterinary surgeon.
Vaccine products differ, and their current authorised data sheets should always be consulted. Collielife recognises that owners, breeders and veterinary professionals may hold different views about vaccination frequency.