Glucosamine For Dogs

Dog vaccinations have come under a lot of scrutiny in recent times. Some experts are of the opinion that annual booster shots should be dumped in favor of a three year cycle. Others contest that annual shots as a must to ensure that a dog is protected against communicable diseases.

Whatever the truth, the fact remains that millions of dogs around the world receive vaccinations against the most common canine diseases, and only a very small percentage show any adverse reaction.

And while today’s vaccines may not be perfect, they do offer a great deal of protection. An unvaccinated dog is at serious risk of infection, so why chance it? Until science can conclusively prove that vaccines are dangerous or ineffective, it definitely pays to have your dog vaccinated.

Dog vaccinations protect against the most common canine diseases including, parvovirus, distemper and rabies. The initial shots are given to a puppy between the age of 6 and 8 weeks. Thereafter shots are given at scheduled intervals until the pup is 15 weeks old. Booster shots are then given annually, although some veterinarians recommend once every three years.

The core set of vaccines are normally administered together, and are commonly called a 5-in-1. This gives protection against;

Canine Distemper: A highly infectious and often deadly disease that causes seizures, convulsions, respiratory and heart failure. It is spread by discharge from the eyes and nose of an infected dog coming into contact with a healthy dog.

Canine Hepatitis: Usually spread by the saliva, urine or faeces of an infected dog, this diseases attacks the abdominal organs and is usually fatal within 10 days.

Leptospirosis: Transmitted via the urine of an infected dog, this bacterial disease, targets the digestive system, liver and kidneys, causing severe damage and usually resulting in death.

Parainfluenza: A highly contagious form of kennel cough that is normally spread through physical contact but can also be transmitted through the air.

Parvovirus: A virus that attacks the intestinal tract, lymphoid tissue and the immune system. It is usually fatal in not treated and takes a particularly heavy toll on puppies and older dogs.

In addition to these core vaccines, your dog will usually also be inoculated against rabies.

Why Dog Vaccinations Are Important

There are a number of reasons why vaccinations are essential. The main one, of course, is your dog’s well-being. But there are other important reasons too, and even some legal requirements.

Whether you want to enrol your dog in obedience courses, take him to doggy day care, or put him in kennels, you’ll have to provide a vaccination certificate. Ditto if you want to take your dog with you on your travels, or book into a pet friendly hotel. In addition, proof of vaccination is a licensing requirement in many cities.

These are all valid reasons for having your dog vaccinated, but the most important reason of all is still the quality of life of your pet.

Click here to read more about dog vaccinations, dog care, information on dogs and other interesting dog advice at dogsanddogtraining.com

Tags: dog care, dog health, dog vaccinations, dogs

This entry was posted on Friday, February 10th, 2012 at 8:52 am and is filed under Dog Stuff. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.