Helpful advice about vaccinating your dog

There are some pets topics you just can’t write enough about, and vaccines are one of them. At some point, owners become aware of what is in those shots their veterinarian administers — and want to know if they are all necessary.

Many concerned dog owners turn to the American Animal Hospital Association (aahanet.org), which in 2006 issued a revised version of its canine-vaccination guidelines. The well-respected veterinary organization characterizes vaccines as core (required), noncore (optional, depending on the dog’s individual circumstances), and not recommended.

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Not every vaccine is necessary, but pay close attention to the ones that are.

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As with any medical decision involving your animal, consult with your veterinarian about any concerns or questions.

Core (required)

• PARVOVIRUS: This highly infectious disease can be a ruthless killer of puppies, causing severe vomiting and bloody diarrhea. After the initial puppy series and booster at one year, AAHA recommends the vaccine be given no more frequently than every three years.

Note: Some breeds, in particular Rottweilers, have difficulty mounting an immune reaction to the parvo vaccine, and so may still be vulnerable, even if vaccinated. Some vets recommend doing a titer on such dogs after vaccination to see if they have generated antibodies.

• DISTEMPER: This disease produces severe neurological problems, including seizures and involuntary muscle twitching, and is present in raccoon population. Note: AAHA’s recommended vaccine frequency is the same as parvovirus, which is to say not annually in adult dogs.

• ADENOVIRUS: Colloquially known as canine hepatitis, this is an acute liver infection with symptoms that include fever, depression and loss of appetite. Note: Noted vaccine expert and veterinarian Jean Dodds of Santa Monica, Calif., contends this disease is all but extinct in the domestic canine population and so does not recommend it in her protocol, available at doglogic.com/vaccination.htm. Critics counter that this is precisely why we should vaccinate — to keep it that way.

• RABIES: Rabies is the only vaccine mandated by law. New York State requires revaccination at three-year intervals. Be sure your vet uses a product licensed for three years, not one. Note: The Rabies Challenge Fund (rabieschallengefund.org) is currently conducting vaccine trials to prove the rabies vaccine is good for as long as five to seven years.

Noncore (optional)

• LYME: This tick-borne disease causes lethargy, loss of appetite, fever, severe lameness. The bacterial infection can be treated with antibiotics. Note: Obviously, the greater exposure a dog has to ticks, the more appropriate the vaccine may be. Some veterinarians have expressed concern that the Lyme vaccine can induce symptoms of the very disease it seeks to prevent.

• LEPTOSPIROSIS: Owners need to weigh very carefully whether the vaccine is appropriate for their dog or not. On the one hand, the disease is fatal if not caught in time, and “hot spots” do exist. (Ask your vet how many cases he or she has seen recently.) On the other hand, the vaccine does not cover all the strains, or serovars, of the disease, and the duration of immunity it provides is notoriously short-lived. Note: Because, like rabies, the lepto vaccine can cause reactions, particularly in small dogs, many vets give it separately — not in combination with other vaccines.

• BORDETELLA: Commonly known as kennel cough, this is actually a complex of bacteria that give rise to its signature hacking cough. Most boarding kennels required the vaccine, which is given intranasally, because of its high contagiousness. Note: While Bordetella is generally not thought to be life-threatening, serious cases can develop into pneumonia, which is.

• PARAINFLUENZA: This is another contagious respiratory disease that can lead to kennel cough. This vaccine is most often found in combination shots, which can include as many as seven different components.

Not recommended:

• CORONAVIRUS: This disease only affects puppies younger than 6 weeks of age.

• GIARDIA: The vaccine does not prevent this infection; it only limits spreading the disease.