questions about new puppy

[rebelcowboysnb]

Was the one at 6 weeks all he got?

 

[BlackBrookPoultry]

I was going to warn against getting a hound, then I saw you've owned a beagle. I guess you can handle it! Those little beagles are a handful. All they want to do is follow their nose.

 

[welsummerchicks]

"If he got sick 3 days after being at the vets office I would assume he got it there"

An infected dog can start shedding the virus in three days, but that's before any symptoms show. FYI, recovered dogs, I think are actually infectious for quite some time after they recover. Any other dogs in the home should be vaccinated asap.

Sometimes dogs don't show symptoms for quite some time, til they're under stress or get another infection.

Some of the tests for it can read 'false negative' if given too early in the course of the disease.

The key to prevention is vaccination. Nasty disease.

 

[phaethona]

Quote:
yes it is a nasty disease, we didn't know if he was going to make it through it. and yes, you're right, infected dogs can carry it for up to 6 months and it's spread through their poo. we had to be very cautious about cleaning up after him to make sure it wouldn't spread(we lived on the edge of a park without a fence so it wasn't uncommon for the occasional dog to wander through). He was our only dog at the time, this was almost 5 years ago.

as far as his vaccinations, I only remember there being one course at 6 weeks on his papers, when he should have had one at 3 and 6 months as well.

 

[ams3651]

Quote:
I was lucky our girl always came home after about an hour run. She knew where the food came from.

Im not sure what shots these puppies have had, if any, as they are freebies. I know all about parvo because my son just went thru it with a puppy he got for free, not sure what the circumstances were there just that he incurred a $700 + bill. Im still considering this. We might wait because my boyfriend just bought a truck a couple days ago so thats more money out every month. But I do know Tractor Supply here has a pet clinic each month with low cost shots and simple care.

 

[BlacksheepCardigans]

If he only had one shot at six weeks, that's the huge mistake. A shot at six weeks only "takes" on a very small percentage of puppies. Most puppies will actually become immune after the 11- or 12-week shot.

The best schedule is nothing until as close to 8 weeks as possible (practice sensible biosecurity while the puppies are unvaccinated), then one Recombitek parvo + distemper. Repeat at 12 weeks (or have the owners repeat) and you're done. We use Recombitek exclusively because it has demonstrated immunity at 12 weeks. The others require a third dose at 16-ish weeks.

We NEVER do rabies until close to a year old. Rabies is the shot with the most side effects and should never be given with other shots and we wait as long as possible.

At one year we booster the parvo+distemper and then they never get another. We repeat rabies as required by law, but honestly it's nonsense. Rabies has a demonstrated duration of immunity of at least 10 years and one shot should be enough for the dog's entire life.

 

[arabianequine]

distemper should be repeated yearly....if you dog is older and only had one shot when 6-8 weeks then do one now and one 3-4 weeks from now and they should be good that is parvo/distemper

rabies should not be done any sooner then 6 months old and at a year and then every 3 years

 

[Hound]

We do a 5-in-1 at 6 weeks, 8 weeks (so that they have had two before leaving) and send the third with them (with a cool pack) to administer at 11-12 weeks.

 

[equine623]

The vaccine protocol taught to vet and vet techs is changing. Distemper, the combo DHLPP, shot is usually not given yearly anymore. Vaccines should NOT be given earlier than 6 weeks and in a lot of cases its better to wait until 8 weeks. Assuming the pups are nursing, that is. If colostrum wasn't received and the pups aren't nursing due to maternal death or maternal issues that didn't allow for nursing, then vaccine schedules will be shifted. Lepto is an issue, the vaccine can cause major reactions in some breeds/dogs and the effectiveness of it doesn't last quite as well as some others. Keep in mind that lepto and distemper can be carried by wild animals, so even just being on one's own property there is still a risk of infection. And parvo can survive on the ground for a long time, its readily transmissible via inanimate objects like shoes so again, even if you walk through a place where a parvo infected dog has been recently, there's a small chance you can bring it home.

Ultimately, it isn't a cut and dried as some people make it out to be, and as new research is done and protocols are changed it does make sense to go with a vet's advice.

Sorry for the loss of your beagle

Good luck if you decide to take in a new family member

 

[ams3651]

thanks for the advice, they gave the puppy to someone else

but we're still looking.