Effect on Puppies
 The combination of multiple
vaccinations and parasite preventatives is an aggressive and possible unnecessary method of treatment
which can be quite an
overload for a puppy's immature immune system.
It is our belief that, at the
very most, puppies should receive single-dose vaccines (no combo shots)
containing the serum for ONE disease at a time. Our main concern is parvovirus
and distemper.
 Ideally,
vaccines should be administered once after the age of 12 weeks with the second
vaccine, for the second disease two to three weeks later. If a puppy is given a vaccine prior to the age of 12 weeks,
then it probably needs to be repeated a few weeks later. This is because mom provides lingering antibodies , which
will interfere with the puppy's ability to produce the desired antibodies.
We encourage you to keep your puppy away from high traffic dog areas
until at least the age of 12 weeks, vaccinated or not.
So How Do I Know What My Dog
Needs?
Our answer is self-education and titers. A titer is a blood test, which will
report the level of antibodies still present in the dog for a specific disease.
Approximately one year after the puppy's final vaccination, we
suggest testing the dog's titer for specific diseases.
If they are still protected, then further vaccination is unnecessary. If
they require a booster, then a single dose vaccine is preferred.
More Information
The
following books and Web sites
are a great guide for beginners and we encourage you to research the limited
vaccination method very carefully. You might want to consider finding a
holistic/homeopathic veterinarian.
We
do not proclaim to be health experts or veterinarians. We suggest that you
do your research and decide whether a limited vaccination lifestyle makes sense for your
pet.
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