Expert: Jana Connell RVT, CVT - 7/28/2010

Question
QUESTION: Hi, My puppy is 8 weeks old, she had her first round of shots at 5 weeks, which was (distemper, Adenovirus 2, Parainfluenza, Parvovirus). Now i need to know when to give her next round and what shots she'll need in the next round. I don't go to the vet, it's way to expensive.

ANSWER: Good for you for getting her vaccinated but is your puppy on heartworm prevention? Is she being wormed every ten days to rid her of round, hook, and whipworms?

You cannot get heartworm prevention anywhere but at the vets. If you want this puppy to be healthy and live a long life she needs a vet check up and to be put on heartworm prevention. This is as important as vaccinations.

Every puppy needs vaccinations every three weeks until she is 16 weeks old. When she is 4 months old she needs a rabies vaccination and you cannot give it to her, nor can you buy one.

She should have at least one 7 way shot and the rest of them can be a 6 or 5 way shot.
The 6 way has the following:

# D = Distemper:
# Distemper is a nasty virus that is highly contagious, occurs world wide, and at one time was the leading cause of death in puppies. Young puppies are more susceptible to the virus then adult dogs. You may see signs of an upper respiratory infection with a high fever, the dog may also have neurological signs. This disease is often fatal.

H = Hepatitis or Adenovirus-2:
# This is spread by contact with the urine and feces of infected animals. The virus causes liver and kidney damage, animals that survive may have chronic illness. Symptoms include but are not limited to: fever, lethargy, anorexia, abdominal pain, and bloody diarrhea.

L = Leptospirosis:
# This disease affects the liver and kidneys and is deadly. Animals with this disease are contagious to other animals and humans. A positive dog should be isolated and the caregiver should wear protective clothing and gloves. The disease is spread through contact with urine of infected animals. Dogs with leptospirosis may show signs of lethargy, dehydration, jaundice, and fever.

P = Parainfluenza:
# This is a virus that causes an upper respiratory infection. Dogs usually contract the disease through contact with nasal secretions of infected dogs.

P = Parvovirus:
# This virus attacks the intestinal tract and causes severe vomiting and diarrhea. Parvo is highly contagious, dogs contract the virus through contact with an infected animals stools. Without treatment dogs become dehydrated and weak and often die. This virus is very common and puppies who are not properly vaccinated are often afflicted. Rottweilers and Doberman Pinschers seem to be at greater risk for parvo.

C = Corona virus:
This virus attacks the intestinal system similar to parvovirus. Infected dogs suffer from vomiting and diarrhea and dehydration. Keep your pet vaccinated and your yard clean to protect your pet.

The 7 way has one more type of Lepto. So make sure she gets the proper vaccinations and heartworm prevention. Heartworm is very expensive to treat and is deadly and very cheap to prevent. Opt for prevention. Remember that owning a dog is a responsibility and that means providing her with proper medical care as well as vaccinations. That means getting her spayed at 5 months old and keeping up with her shots and her heartworm prevention.It also means feeding her good food such as Science Diet instead of Purina garbage chow.

Good luck and have fun with her!


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QUESTION: Does it matter when i give her 7-way, also i bought "Sergeant's Vetscription Worm Away." Isn't that worm prevention? So I can just give her 6- way shots from now on every 3 weeks and one 7- way?

ANSWER: Sergeants Worm away is just piperazine most likely or some other wormer for round worms and round worms only. It is NOT heartworm prevention nor will it kill off or protect her from whip, hook or any other type of worms. She MUST be on heartworm prevention or she will get it and she will get sick and she will die a terrible death from it as young as two-three years old. We have seen it, believe me.

Eventually you need to get her spayed as well so you may as well do it while she is of the best age, which is around 5 months old. Get her on heartworm prevention now however. She might have already been bit and gotten it Caleb. They can get it as young as 6 weeks old which is why we see 6 month old dogs with an active infection.

Which would you rather spend? $7.50 a month from a 6 month supply of Heartgard or Interceptor or $400-800 to get her treated with the looming possibilty that she will die anyway from the infection and treatment? I think the choice is pretty obvious.

Yes you can give her mostly 6-ways but give her the one 7-way next then repeat with the 6 ways ever 6 weeks. Keep tabs of the days and brands of vaccines that you use so you can present them to the vet when she gets her rabies shot. That way you also know who to contact in case of vaccine failure and she gets parvo.

Please understand how serious heartworm disease is. It is in every state and beyond. It's so bad in the south and in Florida that dogs get it all the time, daily!

So get her to the vet for the prevention and get her on a regular worming routine. Once she is on a once a month heartworm prevention you won't need to buy a separate wormer as they come with wormers in them now.

---------- FOLLOW-UP ----------

QUESTION: I'd love to put my dog on a heartworm prevention for $7.50 if you could tell me where in the world im gonna get it for that price. everywhere ive looked has been from $25-$60.

Answer
I said $7.50 a month when you break down the cost of a box of 6 months. I know it's expensive Caleb but as I said, what's cheaper? A $500 treatment or the prevention? Get a prescription and buy it online- millions do. It's much cheaper that way.

http://www.drsfostersmith.com/product/prod_Display.cfm?pCatId=11093

But you still have to get a prescription to send to them.