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Originally Posted by BLowry Correct me if I'm wrong YTer's but, she should have had her first shot at 8 weeks old,then 10wks old. I believe 12 and 14 weeks old as well. And they get their Rabies around 6 months (my vet waits until they are a year old because of their size.) The first 4 shots help prevent parvo as well as a few other things that the puppys can get. |
Most give them at 8, 12 and 16 and some even 20. There is so much information coming out on vaccines that everyone is different right now. If you can keep the puppies isolated, many are trying to hold off on the first vaccine as long as possible and feel the 20 week vaccine is more important than the 8 week, but want to give as few as possible.
From peteducation.com
Maternal antibody
The primary cause of vaccine failure is an interfering level of maternal antibody.
Newborn puppies and kittens receive disease protection from their mother through the transfer of antibodies. These antibodies are transferred from the mother through the placenta and through colostrum, the first milk the newborns receive. Antibodies are small disease-fighting proteins produced by certain types of cells called 'B cells.' The proteins are made in response to 'foreign' particles such as bacteria or viruses. These antibodies bind with certain proteins (antigens) on foreign particles like bacteria, to help inactivate them.
The age at which puppies and kittens can effectively be immunized is proportional to the amount of antibody protection the young animals received from their mother. High levels of maternal antibodies present in a puppy's or kitten's bloodstream will block the effectiveness of a vaccine. When the maternal antibodies drop to a low enough level in the puppy or kitten, immunity (protection from disease) can be produced through vaccination.
The antibodies from the mother generally circulate in the newborn's blood for a number of weeks. There is a period of time from several days to several weeks in which the maternal antibodies are too low to provide protection against the disease, but too high to allow a vaccine to work. This period is called the window of susceptibility. This is the time when despite being vaccinated, a puppy or kitten can still contract the disease. This window of susceptibility can vary widely. The length and timing of the window of susceptibility is different in every litter and between animals in the same litter. Let us take canine parvovirus as an example.
A study of a cross section of different puppies showed that the age at which they were able to respond to a vaccine and develop protection (become immunized) covered a wide period of time. At six weeks of age, 25% of the puppies could be immunized. At 9 weeks, 40% of the puppies were able to respond to the vaccine and were protected. The number increased to 60% by 16 weeks, and by 18 weeks, 95% of the puppies could be immunized