Preventative Health Care for your Adult Dog

Having a preventative health care program in place for your dog will help to ensure a lifetime of health and well being as a member of your family for a long time to come.

The following is an explanation of all vaccinations your pet needs in order to maintain a high level of protection against dog diseases. We recommend all puppies go through our puppy series, and then have all vaccinations boostered one year later. Once the dog is considered an adult (about one and a half years), different vaccines will be given at varied intervals depending upon the length of protection for each.

Intestinal parasites may show no visible signs, or they can cause weakness, bloody diarrhea and sometimes death. The test for them is simple and treatment is easy. Learn more about intestinal and external parasites.

Finally, dental care is very important to the overall well-being of your dog. Routine cleanings can be done to prevent health problems associated with dental disease.

Diseases Vaccinated for:

Distemper

•  What does it do? This is a virus that attacks every tissue in the body.

•  How is it spread? It is spread to other dogs by breathing the same air, nasal secretions, feces, urine and saliva. It is highly contagious, especially to young, unprotected dogs. Foxes, wolves, raccoons and minks are susceptible to the virus and, therefore, can spread the disease.

•  What are the signs? Runny eyes and nose, coughing, sneezing, diarrhea, weakness and sleepiness.

•  How do you prevent it? The veterinarian gives an injection of a modified live virus, and the dog's immune system develops antibodies for the disease. This means your pet is protected against Distempter for 3 years, when the vaccination must be boostered.

• What about treatment? With treatment the patient may only partially recover. While the disease is temporary, it is usually followed by serious, life-threatening occurrences, such as nervous disorders and convulsions. Death is very common.

Return to top

Measles

A measles vaccine is given along with the first distemper shot to give additional protection to your puppy. Measles, which is only a human disease, is a virus that is very similar to the distemper virus. This measles injection will stimulate the pup to produce its own antibodies against measles. The measles antibodies will attack the distemper virus because of the similar make-up of measles and distemper.

Return to top

Infectious Hepatitis

•  What does it do? It is an adenovirus (group of viruses causing upper respiratory infections) that usually affects dogs less than 1 year of age. The virus invades many organs, but especially the liver, kidneys and eyes.

•  How is it spread? Contact with saliva, nasal secretions and urine.

•  What are the signs? Cornea of the eyes turns blue, congestion, high fever, lack of appetite, vomiting, and/or diarrhea with or without blood. In sever cases the dog will suddenly become sick and die within a few hours.

•  How do you prevent it? The veterinarian gives an injection of a modified live virus in combination with Distemper, and the dog's immune system develops antibodies for the disease. This means your pet is protected against Hepatitis for 3 years, when the vaccination must be boostered.

•  What about treatment? Depending on the severity of the disease, a dog can recover from this completely, while some dogs may be plagued with chronic illness for the rest of their lives.

Return to top

Leptospirosis

•  What does it do? The liver and kidney are the primary target organs.

•  How is it spread? Urine of an infected dog and/ or sexual contact. It is contagious to humans.

•  What are the symptoms? Weakness, lethargy, anorexia, vomiting, high fever, labored breathing, yellowing of the skin, kidney disease, destruction of the red blood cells and reproductive problems.

•  How do you prevent it? At the Noblesville Veterinary Clinic, the veterinarian gives an injection of a killed virus along with coronavirus, and the dog's immune system develops antibodies for the disease. This means your pet is protected against Leptospirosis and Coronavirus for one year, when the vaccination must be boostered.

•  What about treatment? Treatment options with lepto are limited. Dehydration often occurs even after fluids are constantly administered. Those that do survive become carriers for the disease and shed the organism into the environment from the urine.

Return to top

Lymes Disease

•  What does it do? The Borrelia burgdorferi bacteria causes inflammation of internal linings, which in turn causes inflammation of the joints, stomach and intestinal linings and lymph nodes.

•  How is it spread? The deer tick is the most common carrier of the disease, although other ticks have been discovered as carriers. Infected ticks attach themselves to a variety of hosts, which include mice, deer, raccoons, rabbits, cattle, horses, dogs and humans.

•  What are the signs? Usually the only sign seen is reluctance to move, and the joints become swollen, warm and painful. Some dogs have a fever, loss of appetite and swollen lymph nodes.

•  How do you prevent it? The veterinarian gives an injection of the bacterin, and the dog's immune system develops antibodies for the disease. This means your pet is protected against Lymes for one year, when the vaccination must be boostered.

•  What about treatment? Treatment is very difficult, especially because it is so hard to detect. It takes the disease one to two years to clear out of a dog's system, and even then the dog is not immune to future infection. Tick prevention and lymes vaccination are the key!

Return to top

Parvovirus

•  What does it do? Parvovirus attacks the small intestine. It is the most dangerous and severe in puppies.

•  How is it spread? It is shed in the feces, so it spreads through contact with fecal matter. Although this does not sound very likely, think of how many times your puppy goes in the backyard to run around and play. Fecal matter can be picked up on the pads of the puppy's paws or nose from sniffing around on the ground.

•  What are the signs? It is characterized by diarrhea. Parvovirus is very threatening because puppies develop a severe, bloody diarrhea, which is life threatening.

•  How do you prevent it? The veterinarian gives an injection of a modified live virus in combination with Distemper, and the dog's immune system develops antibodies for the disease. This means your pet is protected against Parvovirus for 3 years, when the vaccination must be boostered.

•  What about treatment? Recovery is possible with the diseases, but intensive veterinary care is required and full recovery is rare. Unless the infection is caught very early, death is likely.

Return to top

Coronavirus

•  What does it do? The Coronavirus attacks the small intestine. It is the most dangerous and severe in puppies.

•  How is it spread? The viruses are shed in the feces, so it is spread through contact with fecal matter. Although this does not sound very likely, think of how many times your puppy goes in the backyard to run around and play. Fecal matter can be picked up on the pads of the puppy's paws or nose from sniffing around on the ground.

•  What are the signs? Corona usually causes a watery, yellow diarrhea that can also cause death, but not very often.

• How do you prevent it? The veterinarian gives an injection of a killed virus in combination with Leptospirosis, and the dog's immune system develops antibodies for the disease. This means your pet is protected against Coronavirus for one year, when the vaccination must be boostered.

•  What about treatment? Recovery is possible with both diseases, but intensive veterinary care is required and full recovery is rare. Unless the infection is caught very early, death is likely.

Return to top

Parainfluenza

•  What does it do? The Parainfluenza virus attacks the upper respiratory system, including the nasal passages, throat and trachea. It is often found in conjunction with Bordatella.

•  How is it spread? Parainfluenza is spread through the air and is highly contagious.

•  What are the signs? A dry cough is the most common, although pneumonia sometimes develops.

•  How do you prevent it? The veterinarian gives an injection of a modified live virus in combination with Distemper, and the dog's immune system develops antibodies for the disease. This means your pet is protected against Parvovirus for 3 years, when the vaccination must be boostered.

•  What about treatment? Treatment is available, but the dry cough and potential pneumonia can become recurrent.

Return to top

Bordatella

•  What does it do? The Bordetella bacteria attacks the upper respiratory system, including the nasal passages, throat and trachea. It is often found in conjunction with the Parainfluenza virus.

•  How is it spread? Bordetella is spread through the air and is highly contagious between dogs.

•  What are the signs? A dry cough is the most common (this is why it is commonly referred to as “Kennel Cough”), although pneumonia sometimes develops.

•  How do you prevent it? The veterinarian gives an injection of a bacterin, and the dog's immune system develops antibodies for the disease. This means your pet is protected against Bordatella for one year, when the vaccination must be boostered. Some boarders and groomers require your pet to be boostered every six months, so check with them before scheduling an appointment.

•  What about treatment? Treatment is available, but the dry cough and potential pneumonia can become recurrent.

Return to top

Rabies

•  What does it do? The rabies virus affects the nervous tissue of all mammals, causing inflammation of the brain and spinal cord.

•  How is it spread? The virus is shed into the saliva of an infected animal and is then transmitted through a bite wound.

•  What are the signs? Most commonly behavioral changes, such as lack of appetite, nervousness and apprehension, uncharacteristic aggressiveness and unexplained paralysis.

•  How do you prevent it? The veterinarian gives an injection of a bacterin, and the dog's immune system develops antibodies for the disease. This means your pet is protected against Rabies for 3 years, when the vaccination must be boostered. According to Indiana state law, all dogs and cats must be vaccinated for Rabies.

•  What about treatment? The disease is almost always fatal. The vaccine is required by Indiana state law and should be given for your and your pet's protection. If your dog happens to bite a person and has not been vaccinated for Rabies, the dog must be euthanized.

Return to top

Summary: Vaccinations against all of these diseases are available. These vaccines are very effective in protecting you dog. Do not take a chance: vaccinate your pet as recommended and let us examine them yearly for early detection of disease.

Return to top

Please send comments about this website to the Webmaster.