We know that vaccine can protect us from terrible disease, almost all of us vaccinate ourself and our family. What about vaccine effects on our dog? For every dog owner out there, you need to know that vaccine is very crucial for your dog! If you want to spend more precious time with your dog, then you have to do routine vaccination for the sake of their health. Now we will learn together 4 vaccine effects on dogs.
Benefit of Vaccine on Dogs
- Improve Your Dog’s Immune System
Vaccination contain a weakened microorganism that can wake your dog immune system, so whenever there is a similiar microorganism trying to invade its body, its immune system are ready to attack and stop them. In that way, it will prevent your dog from contracting the disease. Remember that every disease has different vaccine so in order to completely protect your dog, you must do a complete vaccination. A dog with complete immune system will more likely stay healthy and has a longer life span. It means you will have a longer and happier moment with your dog right?
- Protect Your Dog from Deadly Disease
This is a continuation of improving your dog’s immune system. Routine and complete vaccination will prevent many deadly disease that can easily take its life. This is a life saving vaccine effect on your dog. Please keep in mind that some of this deadly disease has no cure when it has reached an advanced stage. For best practice, you should vaccine your dog as early as possible. After your puppy touched around 6-8 weeks you can start vaccination schedule for your dog. Most common schedule are listed below:
- Parvo Vaccine at 6-8 Weeks
- Parvo, Distemper, Parainfluenza, Hepatitis and Vaccines at 8-10 Weeks
- Parvo, Distemper, Parainfluenza, Hepatitis, Leptospira, and Corona Vaccines at 12-14 Weeks
- Parvo, Distemper, Parainfluenza, Hepatitis, Leptospira, Corona, and Rabies Vaccines at 20 Weeks
Parvo vaccine is given as early as possible because it is one of the most early and deadly disease that will challenge your puppy. After that Distemper is the next common and deadly disease so it is important to start with these two.
- Protect Yourself and Your Surrounding from Rabies
Rabies virus can cause a disease that atack central nervous system, human can suffer from this virus too. One of the most common spreading of rabies is through infected animal’s bite, especially rabid animal. Today, we have cure for rabies and we also have human vaccine for rabies. But little did we know that one of the best method to eliminate rabies is by stopping it from infecting animal. The closest that we can prevent is of course our dog. By preventing your dog from infected by rabies, you have stopped the virus spreading and your surrounding can stop worrying about rabies. It is amazing that vaccine effect on dogs can also help their human.
Beware of Vaccine Side Effects
Every medicine has its own side effect, and so does vaccine. Sometime we heard children catch a fever after vaccine right? That is one of the most common side effect of vaccine. Our dog can also impacted by these side effect. Some of vaccine side effects are caused by accident or human error like overruse of vaccine, misadministration, wrong schedule, and many more. For some specific warning signs, we need to seek help immediately. However, we also need to know that there are some effects that caused by special case of your dog immune reaction or in some cases allergic reactions. We will cover some of these effects below.
- Allergic – Anaphylactic Reaction
This allergic reaction is the same with human allergic reaction, immune systems will react when certain material entering the body. Vaccine with foreign proteins are most likely will cause allergic reaction. Symptoms or allergic reaction differ from mild ( swelling, itching) to severe (trouble breathing). Anaphylactic reaction is the most severe form of allergic reaction and it can cause death without emergency treatment, consult your vet immediately for this condition.
Auto immune reaction is like another form of allergy, but auto immune reaction usually come in form of your dog’s immune system attacking its own body. Autoimmune hemolytic anemia (AIHA) is one example of rare auto immune reaction. Please keep in mind that auto immune reaction is a very serious condition and it can cause death if not treated properly. Handling auto immune reaction is not a short term treatment but it need long time treatment.
Just like its name, local reaction are side effect that located on body part where injection is administered. Some of known local reactions are swelling, pain, abscesses, irritation, and redness. This side effect will be gone by itself, but if one of these local reactions persist for more than 1 week you need to seek help from your vet.
This reaction is most common reaction after vaccination, even for human. Fever, loss of appetite and weakness are symptoms of systemic reaction. It will resolve by itself in 1 or 2 days. If problems like weakness and loss of appetite persist for more than its normal time please consult your vet, maybe symptomps of other reaction or disease.
- Problem at Reproductive Organ System
Please be careful when you are planning to do vaccination to your dog in pregnant condition. Vaccination at pregnant dog can cause these side effects: fetal malformations, abortion, and prenatal infections. It is better to wait until your dog giving birth. One of the easiest way to prevent this is by checking your dog either it’s pregnant or not. Consult with your vet for more specific suggestion.
That’s all 4 vaccine effects on your dog. Please keep in mind that for every effect that we cover here, there are several special situations that unpredictable and uncommon, so please always consult with your vet for every reaction and every case of vaccination. Make sure that your dog has a routine schedule of vaccination to protect them and also protect yourself and your family. Prevention is far more better than a late regret.