VMD 513: Pet animal Breeding, Management, Nutrition and Health Care (1+1)

NEED OF MORE THAN ONE VACCINATION

• When the puppies feed from their mothers’ milk, they obtain temporary immunity under the form of proteins called antibodies. During the first 24 to 48 hours after the birth the puppy’s intestine absorbs these antibodies which enter directly his bloodstream. This form of immunity protects the puppy during his first weeks of life, but at a certain time this temporary immunization gradually fades and the dog has to be able to produce its own long term immunity.
• The mother’s antibodies are neutralizers and, as such, while they are present in the puppies system the vaccines won’t have the capacity to stimulate the dog’s immunology system.
• As we can't determine the exact moment that the dog loses the maternal immunity (the exact time of maternal immunity's fading is very variable) we follow a schedule of several injections to increase the probability that an inoculation is administered at the precise moment that it is effective. If only one inoculation is made (even if the vaccination is effective and is not neutralized by the maternal antibodies) the probability that it stimulates long term immunity is narrow.
• The rabies vaccine is an exception, because a single inoculation, when administered at the right time, is enough to produce long term immunity.