Although this is an old post, the information is still very relevant and the link given at the time (2013) is no longer valid. For anyone who would like to read it, the WSAVA Vaccination Guidelines for New Puppy Owners may still be accessible here:
http://www.nzvna.org.nz/site/nzvna/file ... 2013_0.pdf" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;
It is an easy to read document and it is a shame that it seems to have been replaced with a much more difficult to read booklet covering vaccination of dogs and cats generally. Much of the information is the same and the newer document is clearly more comprehensive and detailed but less accessible to most pet owners IMO.
Anyhow, the link to the current publication is here:
https://www.wsava.org/sites/default/fil ... ersion.pdf" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;
I have selected a few of the relevant paragraphs and information that may be of interest to anyone who is not being fully informed by their vet.
1) As regards the duration of immunity (how long a dog is likely to be able to successfully resist infection to a disease due to immunity gained via vaccination) the following applies to Distemper; Hepatitis (Adenovirus) ; Parvovirus:
"DOI after vaccination with MLV vaccines is
9 years or longer in the majority of dogs, based on challenge and serological studies
(Schultz et al. 2010)."
In other words, if a dog has been successfully immunised by vaccination with a Modified Live Vaccine (MLV) which is the usual type of vaccine used in the UK for the above three diseases, they should not need to be revaccinated for many years to come.
A titre (titre) test is recommended to establish whether or not a dog needs to be revaccinated and this test only needs to be positive, not to reach any particular value:
"The presence of serum antibody,
regardless of titre, in an actively immunized dog over the age of 20 weeks is correlated with protection."
This is repeated in the FAQ section:
"For CDV, CAV-2, CPV-2 *and FPV the antibody titre will be consistently present at titre. This has been shown in numerous field serological surveys of dogs last vaccinated up to 9 years previously and in experimental studies for dogs last vaccinated up to 14 years previously"
"The presence of antibody (no matter what the titre) indicates protective immunity and immunological memory is present in that animal. Giving more frequent vaccines to animals in an attempt to increase anti- body titre is a pointless exercise. It is impossible to create ‘greater immunity’ by attempting to increase an antibody titre."
*(CDV - Distemper vaccine ; CAV-2 Hepatitis (canine adenovirus) ; CPV -2 Parvovirus)
As regards Leptospirosis vaccines:
"Leptospira vaccines provide relatively short-term immunity. Also, some Leptospira products prevent clinical disease, but fail to protect against infection and shedding of the bacteria, especially when infection occurs more than 6 months after vaccination. Persistence of antibody after vaccination will often be only for a few months and immunological memory for protective immunity is relatively short (e.g. 1 year).
As regards coronavirus vaccines which some vets still use:
"The VGG (Vaccination Guidelines Group) does not recommend the use of canine coronavirus vaccines as there is insufficient evidence that this vaccine is protective, or indeed that enteric coronavirus is a significant canine pathogen. Variant strains of this virus have been reported to cause severe systemic disease in adult dogs and puppies in various parts of the world, but it is unclear whether the available vaccines would protect against these variants. The identification of coronavirus with a test kit does not necessarily mean it is the cause of disease."
As regards dogs with certain chronic illnesses, in answer to the question:
"May I vaccinate pets that are on immunosuppressive or cytotoxic therapy (other than glucocorticoids) (e.g. for cancer or autoimmune diseases)?
No.
Vaccination especially with MLV products should be avoided as they may cause disease; vaccination with killed products may not be effective or may aggravate the immune-mediated disease"
And, in answer to the question:
Should one vaccinate an animal which is diseased, hyperthermic or stressed?
No. This is contrary to good practice and the advice on most vaccine datasheets.
While I would hope that most responsible vets are aware of and understand the importance of the vaccination guidelines, I know that some vets seem not only unaware of the contents but ignorant of the fact that these have been compiled by vets from around the world including the UK and are not, as one claimed, only applicable to the USA.
If you search online, you can find the information data sheets supplied by vaccine manufacturers for the vaccines they produce. Their licence to manufacture and supply these for veterinary use is based on the information given, including the DOI (duration of immunity). As the WSAVA guide explains, this figure is simply based on the number of years for which the vaccine manufacturers have tested their product - it is not based on the actual duration of immunity in dogs beyond that time. The vaccines that were originally licensed for one year did not change their "recipe " when they decided to extend the DOI to three years, it was simply that the manufacturers tested for three years instead of one and found the dogs still had immunity. The cost to them of continuing to test dogs up to 10 or 15 years of age being too high for them to consider.
To quote the Guide direct:
"The data sheet or SPC is a document that forms part of the registration process for a specific vaccine. A datasheet will give details of the quality, safety and efficacy of a product and in the case of vaccines will describe the minimum duration of immunity (DOI) of the product.
The DOI, based on experimental evidence (i.e. how long after vaccination is an animal protected from infection or disease as determined by challenge with virulent infectious agent), represents a minimum value and need not reflect the true DOI of a vaccine. Most companion animal core vaccines, until relatively recently, had a 1-year minimum DOI and carried a recommendation for annual revaccination. In more recent years many of the same products have been licensed with a minimum DOI of 3 (or sometimes 4) years. In fact, in many countries the majority of core MLV vaccines are now licensed for triennial revaccination of adult animals.
However, there are many other countries in which the identical products still carry a 1-year minimum DOI; simply because the manufacturer has not applied for a change in its product label recommendations or because the national licensing authority has not permitted the change to be made. This unfortunate situation does lead to confusion amongst practitioners in those countries. Above all, it must be remembered that even a 3-year license is a minimum DOI for core vaccines and
for most core vaccines the true DOI is likely to be considerably longer, if not lifelong, for the majority of vaccine recipients."
"The VGG recognizes that at present... serological testing might be relatively expensive.
However, the principles of ‘evidence- based veterinary medicine’ suggest that testing for antibody status (for either puppies or adult dogs) should be better practice than simply administering a vaccine booster on the basis that this would be ‘safe and cost less."
The full guide is an interesting and informative document and I do encourage anyone with an interest in vaccination of dogs (and cats) to read it
