Points regarding dog & cat vaccinations. by Dr. William Baird. BVSc. (Hons Q'ld 1979)
Posted 22nd Feb 2018

• Have you ever wondered why we recommend vaccinating our dogs and cats every year, when we humans don’t have ourselves vaccinated every year?
• The answer is that we in the veterinary profession have been duped by the veterinary vaccine manufacturers, and veterinary schools, for at least the last 60 years.
  Recent (2015) evidence from the World Small Animal Veterinary Association (WSAVA), debunks what we have been told and taught.
• In a nutshell this is what the WSAVA have found. If a pup is given one vaccination against Distemper, Hepatitis, and Parvovirus at or after the age of 16 weeks (4 months) or similarly, in cats, if a kitten is given one vaccination against feline enteritis at or after 16 weeks of age, then there will be lifelong immunity against these diseases. That means you will never have to vaccinate your dog or cat again. What a saving, in both time and money!
• There are two classes of vaccine used in dogs and cats, core vaccines and non-core vaccines. The core vaccines in dogs protect against the killer diseases, Distemper, Hepatitis and Parvo virus and in cats against the killer disease, Feline Infectious Enteritis. These core vaccines are the ones that give the life-long immunity when given after 16 weeks of age as opposed to the non-core vaccines. The non-core vaccines in the dog are Kennel Cough and Leptospira and in the cat, Feline Flu. Kennel Cough, Lepto, and Feline flu are non-killer, treatable diseases. These non-core vaccines are also ineffective and therefore a waste of money.
• So, in light of the above what do we recommend? Vaccinate pups and kittens with the core vaccines every 4 weeks from 6 to 8 weeks of age, with their last vaccination at or after 16 weeks of age. They must be 16 weeks of age or older, so it is very important that you know exactly the pup or kittens age to the day. If in doubt make the last vaccination when you think your pup or kitten will be 20 weeks of age or older. We also recommend one booster at around 6 months of age as a precaution in case the 16-week vaccination did not take, or if the age is not precisely known.
• My personal views and observations. New Zealand is free of distemper and hepatitis, if not free, then at least provisionally free, therefore vaccinating against these two viruses is unnecessary. Parvo virus is prevalent and therefore is the most important disease to vaccinate against. Combining personal experience with recent data, I have concluded that for dogs one vaccination against Parvo virus any time after 16 weeks of age is all that is needed. And similarly for cats against Feline Infectious Enteritis. Except for the case of certain dog breeds. Rottweilers, Pit Bull and Staffordshire Terrier types seem to be more prone to coming down with parvo due a possible lower immune response or undeveloped immune system. In these breeds I would recommend the full puppy coarse as outlined. As far as the non-core vaccines are concerned, I wouldn't bother.
• We recommend waiting until one or two weeks after a pups last vaccination booster before allowing them out onto parks, beaches and footpaths etc, as well we recommend keeping them away from other strange dogs. I consider these recommendations to be counter-intuitive. It is essential for a pup to be socialised during its first 12 weeks of life. This cannot be done by keeping it away from objects, and people, and animals, that it will meet as an adult. Aggression in dogs is secondary to fear. Fear of the unknown. The role of early socialisation is to eliminate the fear of the unknown, by allowing pups to mix and play with other dogs of all shapes, sizes and ages and to be petted and patted by humans of all shapes, sizes and ages, and to play in the same environment that the pup will encounter as an adult. Only then will your pup be comfortable to handle any challenge it encounters as an adult as it will have no fear and therefore no reactive aggression. A pup is very unlikely to pick up parvo or any other infectious disease when out and about.
• Dogs are social animals, and establish pecking orders within their social group. In any dog group, there is an alpha male and female at the top of the pecking order. In the human world, a dog sees its owner and family as its social group, and if given the chance will try to establish itself in a higher pecking order. This is why socialisation as outlined is very important as is training. The owner and family must be alpha members, while the dog must remain subservient. To achieve this, all pups and dogs should be trained to at least sit, stay and heel. They should also be trained to accept being caged and tied up as well as having their food taken from them while they are eating it. This training combined with the socialisation outlined above will result in a dog that is your best friend, a dog that will obey you and your family and a dog you have control over rather than a dog who controls you. Dogs that are allowed to become alpha members are the masters of their owners and are dangerous.
• A word on harnesses. These, for some reason, are becoming more popular. A dog in a harness cannot be controlled, they are one of the worst ideas I have ever seen. The argument that collars cause compression of the neck and chocking is a load of rubbish. The simple fact is that harnesses are for pulling carts. A dog with a harness cannot be controlled. In fact a large dog with a harness controls the person holding the lead, not good. Collars and haltis allow leverage of the head and therefore are the only way to control a dog whilst out walking on a lead.
• Vaccination Schedules & Fees
• Dog Vaccination Recommendations
  
• Cat Vaccination Recommendations
  

• A Table showing vaccination recommendations for pups and kittens of various ages is presented below.
  

  Core Vaccination Schedules for Puppies and Kittens First Presented Between 6–9 Weeks of Age and Revaccinated Every 3 or 4 Weeks
  Age at first presentation	Core vaccination schedule
  6 weeks	6 weeks, 9 weeks, 12 weeks, 16 weeks, then 26 or 52 weeks
  	or
  	6 weeks, 10 weeks, 14 weeks, 18 weeks, then 26 or 52 weeks
  7 weeks	7 weeks, 10 weeks, 13 weeks, 16 weeks, then 26 or 52 weeks
  	or
  	7 weeks, 11 weeks, 15 weeks, 19 weeks, then 26 or 52 weeks
  8 weeks	8 weeks, 11 weeks, 14 weeks, 17 weeks, then 26 or 52 weeks
  	or
  	8 weeks, 12 weeks, 16 weeks, then 26 or 52 weeks
  9 weeks	9 weeks, 12 weeks, 15 weeks, 18 weeks, then 26 or 52 weeks
  	or
  	9 weeks, 13 weeks, 17 weeks, then 26 or 52 weeks
  This table provides examples of possible vaccination schedules for puppies and kittens where vaccines are given either every 3 or 4 weeks.