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Shot effectiveness

Discussion in 'Drugs & Medications' started by Mom2Melli, Aug 17, 2014.

  1. Mom2Melli

    Mom2Melli Forums Enthusiast

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    I have heard research that says shots take effect in 4 hours (my vet even agreed to this). I have heard shots take effect in 10 days.

    Does anyone know for certain -- if you give a shot at 16 weeks just how long it takes to protect the dog?

    Meaning -- you get your final 16 week multi-shot -- when can you walk, like on the ground, in the real world?
     
  2. Justicemom

    Justicemom Forums Celebrity

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    10-14 days to reach full effect. the 2-4 hours hours is intranasal Bordatella.
     
  3. Mom2Melli

    Mom2Melli Forums Enthusiast

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    Ah, thank you. THREE more weeks and we are free and unfettered like the wind in the trees, ships in the night, trains crossing the prairies, etc. etc.

    However, I actually imagine there is a high chance we are covered with our last shots 2 days short of 12 weeks. But, we have come this far very STERILE and careful and we will wait til the weekend following our final round.
     
  4. Cooper'sMama

    Cooper'sMama Forums Enthusiast

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    How exciting!! Only 3 more weeks!!!!
     
  5. Judyg

    Judyg Premium Member

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    We are at 8 weeks and counting. All I can say for now is that I'm well potty trained. We go out about every hour to hour and a half and she goes. So not much pee in the house yet, but it's me. I'm potty trained!!1
     
    Last edited: Aug 17, 2014
  6. Watson's Mom

    Watson's Mom Forums Enthusiast

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    I'm still confused by all of this vaccination stuff... I understand HOW vaccinations work. But, I don't understand the isolation...

    Are they able to interact with dogs when you know they vaccination status or could they be considered carriers with their fur and paws? And also why the limited access to the ground?

    Watson was 9 months when we got him- so he had his shots and we didn't go through any of this. But ya'll with your puppies have gotten me researching breeders. That and I just hate when I don't understand something. :smile2:
     
  7. Mom2Melli

    Mom2Melli Forums Enthusiast

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    Let's see how accurate I can be . . .

    Let's say you vaccinate your puppy with the most common schedule: 8, 12, 16 weeks. However, IF the puppy is started earlier you would end up with 4 shots 3 weeks apart instead of 3 shots 4 weeks apart but no matter what landing on or after 16 weeks.

    Now, Mom's immunity if it is still active will kill the first shot (and it is highly likely this will happen), if not the shot will protect the pup in 7-10 days after the shot when it becomes effective. The next set is given so if Mom's immunity killed the shot try again for immunity. This one is probably effective but who knows without an expensive blood titer. There are some puppies whose Mom's immunity lasts a long long time so you have to do it again one more time at 16 weeks to be really sure your pup is protected. By then, Mom's immunity WILL be dead and the shot will cover the pup.

    The problem is that Mom's immunity winks out at some unknown moment and at that moment the pup is completely at risk with NO immunity. If your pup is exposed to anything at the magic moment where mom's immunity winks out after having killed the last shot, bingo. Parvo or distemper. You lose.

    Point in question: My breeder gave Cubby a shot at 6 weeks. Not ideal. Seeing this, I chose to bring the puppy home at 7 rather than 8 weeks. I brought him home at the point the shot immunity would be strongest before mom's immunity killed it off. Like a bell curve. Expose to the new environment at the most covered moment. However, when I took the pup in at 9-1/2 weeks for his first visit, I was 100% sure the vaccine had been killed and maybe Momma's immunity was gone too and we were naked as a jay bird. I mean, maybe he would still have mom's immunity covering him, but more than likely he had zero immunity which is why the dog arrived to the vet in a carrier, I put piddle pads on the scale, handled my own dog, put pads on the vet table, and only let the vet handle him after she washed hands and with the assurance they had had no sick dogs that day (on her scrubs). The vet tech I sent away, knowing she does the dirty work in the back. Hate to swoop off the broomstick, but hey, safety above all else. The vet understood and appreciated that this is one puppy who will not get parvo this year. Now by the next vet visit at 13 weeks, it was questionable if the pup had any immunity so I was a nutcase again, maybe not so fanatical. At 13 weeks, this shot probably was the keeper. But maybe not. We go a week from today and I really am fairly certain he's covered. I mean, the pup was weaned by 6 weeks, has already had THREE shots that last being at 13 weeks, and I have a sneaking suspicion they didn't update momma's shots right before pregnancy or anything. I wouldn't rank momma on the highest immune level to transmit strongly to the pups. But, that is a random guess and I am not willing to risk the boy's life on that. Thus, at 16 weeks, same regimen of carrier, safety clean padding, wash hands, do not take the dog to the back. It takes about a week to 10 days after the shot for it to take effect, so we wait. Then, we run away, on our own four feet, in grand celebration.

    I know that was long, but that's the best example. Now pup will need the full dealie at 1 year for a booster -- multi / rabies. Shots seem to last for 5-7 years in an adult. I kind of prefer the 1, 4, 7, 10 with only rabies at 13, 16 for licensing purposes. I haven't gotten to 13 on any dog, maybe if I do I will titer instead and try to convince my county we are immune leave us alone.

    Why not touch the ground? While distemper is more of a personal contact disease, parvo is awful. It lingers in the soil for months, even years. If your property has ever had parvo on it in like 8 years, a pup could be at risk just walking around. Example: My niece got a pup. They bought a house. The pup died of parvo in it's own backyard. The people before them, years ago, had had a couple dogs die of parvo in the yard. The pup caught it in the magic moment between mom's immunity winking out and the next shot since they were going with a 4 week protocol. And now, more parvo in the yard, fresh parvo. They got a new pup and vaccinated every 3 weeks instead and only took the dog in the front yard until 16 weeks. No problem. You just never know where parvo is laying on the ground and when you are vulnerable. And puppies being taken in pet stores! Wow. They have tons of in and out, some have vet's offices, most adopt animals. Heck, I have sterilized my shoes just going into the pet store while the dog is not even with me! Same for the vet's office.

    What about other dogs? My two other dogs stopped going out to public places a couple weeks before the pup came and have not gone out since. That is very cautious, but interacting with them is fine because I know they are pretty sterile. Would I let my friend's dog visit? Not without knowing that shots are current and the dog has not been out and about or if there had been parvo in its yard. I am not worried about the pup's interaction with dogs, having 2 here to maul (I mean play with).

    As to public, yes, the pup has been in the car dealership in carrier, in the vet's in carrier, at my mom's but not her backyard because foxes run through there and she doesn't wear shoes in the house to track stuff in -- pup potties in the garage where no foxes have been. We have been carried into Hobby Lobby and Home Depot but I didn't allow petting without a handy wipe. We have met workmen, the ups guy, and our neighbors at home with hand wipes.

    Is it excessive? Probably. Could I have done less and gotten away with it? Probably. But I am not betting our life or a lot of money to the vet on it. When a husky breeder who lives up here (Karamad) tells me she won't breed for pups at this time of year because she can't socialize them properly due to the high parvo in this area, well, that says something. We have a real problem in Central CA.

    Better safe than losing my boy. We are in the countdown and though he is probably covered we are so close I will go the distance.

    Hope this helps people understand more about how and why the puppy shot series works like it does.
     
    Last edited: Aug 23, 2014
  8. Watson's Mom

    Watson's Mom Forums Enthusiast

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    Hmm... interesting. With all that I can't believe how many little puppies I see at Petsmart. There were even a couple of little golden retriever fluffballs romping around the dog park.

    We have all sorts of critters through our yard- foxes, coyotes, random cats that people don't keep contained, some sort of animal that had diarrhea in my driveway, and racoons... apparently we had two of them on the roof today.

    My work takes me literally, over the river and through the woods.. tracking who knows what onto my boots.
     
  9. Judyg

    Judyg Premium Member

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    It's better to be safe than sorry. We have been to the vet, the the pet store and an overnight at Auntie Dawn's.

    Yesterday after Thursday's shots at the vet, we went to Staples (in a carrier) and the yarn store. I did let a friend touch her, but no one else. People are pretty understanding if you tell them the pup is not fully immunized.

    Today we are going to visit Home Depot, but as always in her carrier. My breeder told me to just use common sense. He said they are at shows every weekend, but then all the dogs there are immunized.

    We have lived here 25 years and out dogs have always been immunized, but we do get the occasional coyote in the yard. It's been years since we had one though.

    I would rather err on the side of caution, then have a sick puppy. I want to keep her safe at all costs, so we mostly stay home.
     
  10. Mom2Melli

    Mom2Melli Forums Enthusiast

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    Yes, today I needed to go to Petsmart and on second though, forget it. I will order what I need on the big A. Yes, let's all take little puppies to try on collars and see if we like toys that other dogs/puppies have tried on and put in their mouth.

    Nope. Petsmart is my least favorite place to take any dog, let along a puppy with questionable immunity.

    Two weeks from today I will be with friends in Monterey with the pup. I can do this.

    We have a friend who lives up here, his dog is named Millie (the wife speaks Spanish) because it took $1000 to save her when she had parvo. Mil = $1000 in Spanish.
     

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