Our Vaccination Beliefs
WORMING AND FLEA TREATMENT
We are very pro natural, so after much research and reading we would like to explain our views and beliefs regarding tick, flea and worming treatment, as well as our feelings and understandings surrounding vaccination.
Based on much research over the years we feel putting unnecessary chemicals in to our dogs cannot be good for them. Although not proven, we think it has got a lot to do with the increase of cancer in dogs, that has brought our beloved breeds average length of lifetime, from 12 years down to 10 years in the last 5 years.
Having spoken to a lot of professionals in this field and although we are still learning all the time, we came to the decision 4 years ago to leave out all chemicals where possible in our dogs. So we changed Worming and flea treatment to all natural products. We worm count and only treat if there is anything present to treat.
VACCINATIONS
Recommendation of the CHC (Canine Health Concern) is to only vaccinate at 12-14 weeks.
There seems to be much confusion about vaccination, immunisation and antibodies.
To explain about this, here is an explanation of why we chose to follow these recommendations.
Vaccination is the method of delivery of the disease antigens into the dog. Immunity is hopefully the result of vaccination, but not necessarily so. If vaccines are given too young the vaccination is stopped by the puppies remaining MDA (Maternally Derived Antibodies).
MDA is passed to the puppies via colostrum suckled from the bitch in the first 36 hours of life, which can be present in the puppies for up to 20 weeks, although 14 - 16 weeks is more common.
The usual vaccination protocol of 8 & 10 weeks, or 10 & 12 weeks falls within the range of MDA, so although most puppies are vaccinated at this age, many are not immune.
A dog, as with all mammals have two immune defence systems, - the humoral immune system, which circulates antibodies, and the cell mediated immune system, that remembers the disease and can signal the humoral immune to circulate antibodies, when a disease threat is encountered.
When blood is drawn for a titre test, it is tested for the level of antibody for each of the three diseases covered by the core vaccine, Distemper, Hepatitis and Parvovirus.
The level of Antibodies will vary, depending on recent exposure to the disease virus, but the level of immunity remains constant. Titre testing does NOT test the level of immunity, just the level of circulating antibodies present at the time of testing, which is why it can vary greatly from test to test.
The method of vaccination that i follow is to wait until the puppy is at least 14 weeks of age and then have one single shot of DHP.
We Minimise use of chemicals and believe that one initial vaccine at 12-14 weeks is sufficient, we do not give a booster . At three years of age we titre test which advises us of the level of immunity the dog has and therefore only vaccinate if required not as a routine procedure..
I would never use any form of Leptospirosis vaccine - the risk of adverse reactions is far greater than the minimal level of protection that the vaccine may offer. Bacterin vaccines, which Leptospirosis is, are ineffective and short-lived.
We are very pro natural, so after much research and reading we would like to explain our views and beliefs regarding tick, flea and worming treatment, as well as our feelings and understandings surrounding vaccination.
Based on much research over the years we feel putting unnecessary chemicals in to our dogs cannot be good for them. Although not proven, we think it has got a lot to do with the increase of cancer in dogs, that has brought our beloved breeds average length of lifetime, from 12 years down to 10 years in the last 5 years.
Having spoken to a lot of professionals in this field and although we are still learning all the time, we came to the decision 4 years ago to leave out all chemicals where possible in our dogs. So we changed Worming and flea treatment to all natural products. We worm count and only treat if there is anything present to treat.
VACCINATIONS
Recommendation of the CHC (Canine Health Concern) is to only vaccinate at 12-14 weeks.
There seems to be much confusion about vaccination, immunisation and antibodies.
To explain about this, here is an explanation of why we chose to follow these recommendations.
Vaccination is the method of delivery of the disease antigens into the dog. Immunity is hopefully the result of vaccination, but not necessarily so. If vaccines are given too young the vaccination is stopped by the puppies remaining MDA (Maternally Derived Antibodies).
MDA is passed to the puppies via colostrum suckled from the bitch in the first 36 hours of life, which can be present in the puppies for up to 20 weeks, although 14 - 16 weeks is more common.
The usual vaccination protocol of 8 & 10 weeks, or 10 & 12 weeks falls within the range of MDA, so although most puppies are vaccinated at this age, many are not immune.
A dog, as with all mammals have two immune defence systems, - the humoral immune system, which circulates antibodies, and the cell mediated immune system, that remembers the disease and can signal the humoral immune to circulate antibodies, when a disease threat is encountered.
When blood is drawn for a titre test, it is tested for the level of antibody for each of the three diseases covered by the core vaccine, Distemper, Hepatitis and Parvovirus.
The level of Antibodies will vary, depending on recent exposure to the disease virus, but the level of immunity remains constant. Titre testing does NOT test the level of immunity, just the level of circulating antibodies present at the time of testing, which is why it can vary greatly from test to test.
The method of vaccination that i follow is to wait until the puppy is at least 14 weeks of age and then have one single shot of DHP.
We Minimise use of chemicals and believe that one initial vaccine at 12-14 weeks is sufficient, we do not give a booster . At three years of age we titre test which advises us of the level of immunity the dog has and therefore only vaccinate if required not as a routine procedure..
I would never use any form of Leptospirosis vaccine - the risk of adverse reactions is far greater than the minimal level of protection that the vaccine may offer. Bacterin vaccines, which Leptospirosis is, are ineffective and short-lived.