To vaccinate or not to vaccinate, that is the question...
The short answer is yes and no! We have followed Dr. Jean Dodds protocol for many, many years. Yes, even back in the day when everyone thought she was out on the fringe with her ideas. She is now the most respected and sought after endocrinologist in the country.
Puppies always get their puppy shots, however they are limited compared to what your vet may recommend. You may even have to go out on a limb and ask them to order the Parvo/Distemper vaccines specifically for your puppy. Most vets will have on hand either a "5-way" or a "7-way" vaccine cocktail and not carry the Parvo/Distemper shot only.
Why is it important to limit this? Isn't it better for Fido to get more coverage from vaccines? Well, it's not better for a few reasons. One being that all the other stuff in those vaccine cocktails are usually not things that dogs general come in exposure to, so there really isn't a need to add those. Also, and most importantly, giving all those "extras" will bomb out the immune system and can actually leave the dog/puppy more at risk for catching disease. And of course you don't need to be a Rocket Scientist to know that if you continually bomb out your immune system, you will be giving your pet an open door for things like Auto-Immune syndromes and various cancers. Here is Dr. Dodds protocol, but will also post a link to her site below so you can read and research more for yourself.
The next most important thing to remember is to hold off on the rabies vaccine as long as you can. Never allow the vet to give rabies in conjunction with your other "puppy" vaccines and never allow them to do it at the same time as a surgery, such as a spay or neuter.
Here is the information from the expert, Dr. Jean Dodds
Age of Pups | Vaccine Type |
9 - 10 weeks
14 weeks
16 -18 weeks (optional)
20 weeks or older, if allowable by law
1 year
1 year
|
Distemper + Parvovirus, MLV (e.g. Intervet
Progard Puppy DPV)
Same as above
Same as above (optional)
Rabies
Distemper + Parvovirus, MLV
Rabies, killed 3-year product (give 3-4 weeks apart from distemper/parvovirus booster)
|