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TTS Great Danes 
VACCINE PROTOCOL

WHY WE VACCINATE:
Vaccination  in order to prevent diseases is crucial to your dog's health.  A vaccination program should start at 8 weeks of age, and boosters are given at approximately 4  week intervals until the puppy is  20 weeks of age.

The reason for these boosters is that the antibodies the puppy got from his mother actually interfere with the vaccine's effectiveness. Since these maternal antibodies are lost at different ages in different puppies, we need to give boosters to ensure we have protective levels of antibodies.

DISTEMPER
Canine distemper is a highly contagious and fatal virus that can affect any dog of any age but puppies are most at risk. The virus is transmitted in discharges from the nose and eyes. Early symptoms include fever, loss of appetite, discharge from the eyes, vomiting, diarrhea and respiratory problems (coughing, runny nose). Later the dog may show convulsions and other nervous system disorders. If the dog does survive there may be permanent brain damage.
  TTS WORD ON DISTEMPER:  Yes it is still out there.  We see cases every year in clinic.  Most are from stray dogs or dogs that are brought in from rescue ( SPCA, BARK and other sources) Vaccinate your dog and take extra precautions with introducing your pet to dogs from rescue, kennels, and keep away from stray animals or pets you do not know.

PARVO   
Canine PARVO virus is a very hardy virus that can survive in the environment for over 12 months. It is also easily transmitted, there is enough on a fly's foot to contaminate your block.  PARVO virus causes a severe gastroenteritis that affects puppies of all ages, but is most severe in puppies under 6 months. Death can be swift, within 24 hours. Symptoms include bloody diarrhea, vomiting, severe abdominal pain, depression, fever and, in some cases, heart failure. The virus attacks the puppies own lining of the intestine allowing bacteria to enter the blood system.  Parvo is expensive to treat and if treated aggressively only a little over half survive.

TTS WORD ON PARVO: This is the most prevalent disease in our area.  In clinic I saw many cases most during the busy "puppy" months ( spring and early fall WHEN TEMPERATURES ARE IN THE MID 70'S TO MID 80'S) in mild years we saw it year round. ( every single month at least one case a month) Most were due to uneducated owners ( Farmers market type pups that are brought in from puppy mills) and uneducated owners that took there little pup to places like pet smart and dog parks prior to vaccination protocol being completed.  We also see the "pound" puppies who through no fault of there own were exposed to it just by being there.  The interesting "new" case we saw was a case of "viral" diarrhea at a breeder facility that was vaccinating ( and vaccinating well) the only explanation was the protocol to vaccinate the bitches just prior to breeding ( and thus boosting the parental immunity) and the the pups had a longer then average natural immunity and were not vaccinated after it wore off.

Hepatitis  
Canine Hepatitis is another highly infectious virus that damages the liver, like viral hepatitis in humans. Puppies are most at risk and symptoms vary from lethargy and appetite loss to depression, diarrhea, abdominal pain and even death. The virus is passed on to other dogs from the urine of infected dogs, which can continue for up to 6 months after recovery. Long term kidney and liver problems can occur.

TTS WORD ON HEPATITIS: We do see cases, not very many though.  Most of the cases I have PERSONALLY seen were in older dogs that had not been vaccinated since they were puppies.


Parainfluenza  
Parainfluenza is caused by a virus which produces a mild respiratory tract infection. It is often associated with other respiratory tract viruses. In combination these viruses are usually transmitted by contact with the nasal secretions of infected dogs. The vaccine to protect against this disease may be combined with other vaccines to offer broader protection.

TTS WORD ON PARAINFLUENZA:  This is another benign disease that I do not believe is life threatening ( like chicken pox in children) though is will be pointed out that to some breeds it is ( short nosed breeds like bull dogs) Chicken Pox kills kids every year, but this was not the reason the vaccine is now given to our children, it was economical and to the parents and schools advantage. Again this is another vaccine that comes in the 5 way combo.  So until more vets carry there vaccine separately and not in combination we will be forced to give it.


Carona
This virus causes an acute gastrointestinal disease.  It lives in the environment for months.
It is shed in the feces and is transmitted much the same way as parvo. Symptoms are loss of appetite, lethargy, and diarrhea.  Most dogs recover naturally in
8-10 days.  This vaccine is of questionable value at this time. 
  TTS WORD ON CARONA: There are many questions about many vaccine's hence why our protocol might differ from your vets protocol. Living as close to A & M as we do makes the controversy more in our faces.  I have seen results from viral tests performed there that diagnose Carona as the reason for the viral diarrhea raging through a kennel.  Have I seen deaths?  I don't recall any. Is it a nuisance?  Yes.  Anytime you have a dane ( especially so when they get full grown) and it goes through a run of diarrhea you will soon come to consider this an emergency.  More for you then the poor fellow going through it!  This is not a small 20 pound dog with a case of the runs, it is a dog, your size with no key to the bathroom.  At this time my Vet does not carry a vaccine with out the Carona, and at this time I see no reason to not include it in our protocol, we will continue to use it until more research is done.

NOW THAT WE KNOW WHY TO VACCINATE. . .

Here are a few words of advise:  don't take your puppy to places were it can contract any of the above diseases until 2 weeks after his/her last vaccination.  You can play with your pup, run in the yard, go for a ride in the car, even visit with friends.  JUST keep in mind that anywhere another dog has been is a potential contact area for your pup.  Even going to the vet can be a source of infection.  Stay away from other puppies, remember that you are a source too, wash your hands, don't go to  dog shows, don't take them to PetSmart® or PetCo® ( I know it's were the pets go!) it is also a hub for disease.  This fly's in the face of all the socialization we preach, there are other ways.  I take my pups to the gas station, to the post office. I take them to pick up the kids at Karate and scouts ( and later will train them there)  I carry them around when they are little (under 10 weeks) and we are going to the vet.  I stay away from other puppies and change clothing before I come home from work.


TTS has used this modified  vaccine recommendation for several years and is very happy with it.  We have healthy happy dogs, we travel, go to shows and are exposed to more disease then most dogs will see in a life time. This protocol has worked for us.  Consult your veterinarian and do your research.  You own your dog, it is your decision what risks you are willing or not willing to take. 6

TTS  RECOMMENDS AND FOLLOWS THIS VACCINATION SCHEDULE, THIS HAS WORKED FOR US AND IS BASED ON OUR VETERINARIAN RECOMMENDATIONS AND RESEARCH DONE BY THE BREEDER.
At 8 weeks of age our first vaccines are given.  We currently only give Parvo at this time.
From here on out ever time we vaccinate we give
heart worm prevention.

4 weeks from the first vaccination at 12 weeks of age the 1st  DHPPC  vaccination is given.  

4 weeks later at 16 weeks we give the 2nd   DHPPC  vaccination is given.

20 weeks of age we give the a parvo  booster and the rabies vaccine.


We bring any pups that are not at there adult weight in to  our vet to be weighed every 6 weeks, they climb to that hundred mark very quickly and you want to make sure that you have them one the correct size heart worm prevention.  TTS uses Sentinel heart worm prevention, it works well though is more expensive then any of the others, it also has an inhibitor in it that makes fleas un able to form there exoskeletons and is now being shown to inhibit ring worm .  During the early fall to late spring we also use Front-line Spray to inhibit the ticks that come with the Deer passing through.  

Four weeks before the one year anniversary of their rabies vaccination we then take them in to have a "yearly" done.  We have them  check there stool for parasites, have a blood sample taken to check for Heart Worms, we then have the doctor give the DHPPC and  3 year Rabies Vaccinations.  A complete examination is performed.

At this point we do not vaccinate for DHPPC again for three years.  The rabies  is vaccinated every three years in most places as of 2004 most counties in Texas will allow three year vaccinations.   Heart worm test and fecal test should be performed at your veterinarians recommendation.  It is believed that the DHPPC vaccine can live  for up to ten years, at the very  least  3 years.  

THE NEW LEPTO SERAVARE DOES NOT LAST THREE YEARS, IF YOUR DOG IS AT RISK YOU MUST VACCINATE EVERY YEAR.

TTS has changed it's opinion on bordetella vaccination.  Bordetella  ( kennel cough) is not a life threatening problem to danes.  It can be costly if it goes through your whole house and maybe even bothersome to you.  After faithfully vaccinating with inter nasal vaccine for years  and still having kennel cough go through every one once a year I then moved to every 6 months thinking that would help.  I still have it go through the house, regardless of vaccination and I now view it as a waste of money.  As an owner you are held at the mercy of your boarding kennel and training class to vaccinate according to their recommendations.  I do not board my dogs and I give the vaccine only if forced to by training facilities.

Some research is now saying that if the vaccine is given every 4 months coverage is adequate. I will take the risk and leave the money in my pocket to treat my guys when it comes through the house next time.


**The lepto vaccine that is in most of the combinations does not cover the lepto actually found in this area.  If you are in an area where mice, rats and other rodents are plentiful we recommend you use the FORT DODGE NEW lepto.  It  covers the type that is in the Texas area and all the others in the United States. Only 7 cases of Lepto were reported in Texas in 2003.