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Old 07-23-2008, 06:36 PM   #3
Ellie May
And Rylee Finnegan
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Location: Metro Detroit, MI
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Although smaller dogs do have a tendency to react badly to vaccines, their protocol shouldn't be too much different from other dogs. Most dogs (no matter the size) are being over-vaccinated.

The American Animal Hospital and Dr. Jean Dodds have popular protocols that you can find online.

I would not vaccinate before 8 or 9 weeks.
Vaccinating very young dogs is just interfering with maternal antibodies anyway, so the vaccine gets destroyed and few antibodies are left leaving the pup almost totally unprotected.

An okay schedule is DHPP at 8, 12 and 16 weeks and rabies at either 4 or 6 months depending on the law where you live.

You could do 9, 13 and 17 weeks.
Some people do 10 and 14 weeks but only doing it twice before the immune system is fully developed raises the question of whether giving only two sets is effective enough.

If you have to give lepto, it shouldn't be given before 16 weeks because it can suppress the immune system. It should also not be given in a combo because of the high reaction rate and it would be best if the vet did it because if an emergency arises, they will be there to take care of it.

Try splitting the vaccines up as much as possible. Some people won't use combo shots at all because each virus requires an immune response which can overwhelm the immune system making the vaccines ineffective.
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