Vaccinating your puppy is the best way to help your pooch live a long, healthy life. One of the most important vaccines for puppies to get is the DHPP 5-in-1 vaccination. Here, our Ypsilanti vets explain what this vaccine is and how it can protect your dog.
Why You Should Vaccinate Your Dog
Like vaccinations for humans, dog vaccines have the ability to protect your pet from a wide variety of dangerous diseases that could be life-threatening for your furry companion. Vaccinating your dog may seem like an unnecessary expense but, the cost of your dog's shots will probably be a lot less than treating the illnesses they prevent. This means vaccines could save you money in the long run.
Core Vaccines VS Lifestyle Vaccines
There are two different types of vaccines that pets can get.
Lifestyle vaccinations are vaccines that are recommended for some pets based on their lifestyle, some common lifestyle vaccines include Lyme, leptospira, and bordetella. Lifestyle vaccinations are often recommended for dogs and cats that spend time outdoors, around other animals, in kennels, doggie daycare, or off-leash parks.
Core vaccinations are recommended for all pets and protect against diseases that are highly contagious, cause severe illness, and pose a serious risk to your pet's longevity - DHPP is a highly recommended core vaccination for dogs in North America.
How The DHPP Vaccine Protects Your Dog
The DHPP 5-in-1 vaccine is a single injection that protects your pup from 5 different dog diseases.
Canine Distemper Virus (D - Distemper)
Canine distemper is a virus that spreads between dogs, by coming into contact with a contaminated surface (such as toys, bedding, or bowls), by air, or by direct contact with an infected animal. The distemper virus attacks many of your dog's systems including respiratory, gastrointestinal, and nervous systems, and can cause symptoms such as high fever, coughing, diarrhea, vomiting, and watery discharge from the nose and eyes. When distemper becomes more advanced in dogs it could lead to pneumonia, seizures, or paralysis. Distemper can become fatal very quickly, especially in puppies and older dogs that have weakened immune systems.
Canine Adenovirus CAV-1 & CAV-2
CAV-1 - Canine Hepatitis (H - Hepatitis)
CAV-1 or Infectious canine hepatitis is a highly contagious virus that can affect your dog's liver, kidneys, spleen, lungs, and eyes. Early symptoms vary from a low-grade fever and congestion to vomiting. More severe symptoms such as jaundice, abdominal pain, eye inflammation, and bruising may begin to appear as the disease progresses. If left untreated this condition can quickly become fatal.
CAV-2 Canine Adenovirus
CAV-2 is a more mild canine adenovirus which the DHPP vaccination can guard your dog against. CAV-2 isn't usually as serious as the other conditions that this vaccine protects against but, this virus often causes kennel cough which could weaken your dog's immune system and lead to more serious conditions including canine distemper. Symptoms of kennel cough are similar to that of the human cold including a hacking cough and congestion.
Canine Parainfluenza (P - Parainfluenza)
Canine Parainfluenza is another very contagious disease that can spread very quickly between dogs by air especially in settings such as kennels, off-leash parks, or even just in multi-dog homes. Parainfluenza causes cold or flu-like symptoms in canines including kennel cough and congestion.
Canine Parvovirus (P - Parvo)
Canine Parvovirus is a very serious, highly contagious condition that can quickly become fatal for many dogs, particularly puppies and unvaccinated adult dogs. Parvovirus attacks your dog's gastrointestinal tract leading to vomiting, diarrhea, loss of appetite, and rapid loss of fluid and protein. This condition prevents your pup's GI tract from properly absorbing the nutrients your dog needs to stay healthy and often requires hospitalization and intensive care as life-saving treatment.
Parvovirus can live on surfaces (such as soil) for up to a year and has been shown to be particularly resistant to many common disinfectants and cleaning solutions. This means that even just taking your unvaccinated puppy out for a walk around the block could develop into a very serious veterinary emergency.
When to Get Your Dog Vaccinated
The DHPP 5-in-1 vaccine is a single shot that is given to puppies in a series of injections starting at about 6 weeks of age and given every 2 to 4 weeks until the puppy is 16 weeks old. All adult dogs should get a DHPP booster shot either once a year or once every 3 years depending on what your vet recommends.
The DHPP 5-in-1 vaccine lets you protect your dog from 5 different illnesses while minimizing cost to you and discomfort to your pup.
Preventive Care for Pets at Michigan Avenue Animal Hospital
At Michigan Avenue Animal Hospital in Ypsilanti we believe that preventive care is the best way to help your pooch have a long, happy, and healthy life, and vaccines play a critical role in your canine friend's annual preventive care routine.
Note: The advice provided in this post is intended for informational purposes and does not constitute medical advice regarding pets. For an accurate diagnosis of your pet's condition, please make an appointment with your vet.