| The cliche
an ounce of prevention is better than a pound of cure also applies
to your Springer Spaniel. Don’t wait for your Springer Spaniel
to get sick. Have your Springer Spaniel vaccinated against diseases.
Vaccinations are cheaper than having your pet treated for disease.
Veterinarians agree that the immune system
of your dog has to learn to recognize an infection so it can
produce the required antibodies to combat it. Only vaccination
can do this. Unvaccinated Springer Spaniels can become very
sick when attacked with a virus or bacteria because their immune
system failed to respond faster. Vaccinations teach the immune
system to react faster before the infectious agent can do damage.
When the mother dog is nursing, she is giving
antibodies to her pups. These antibodies will protect the young
ones but not for long. Once the antibodies from the mother are
gone, the pup becomes an open target to many diseases.
Maternal antibodies, though, when still present
in a pup’s immune system, makes vaccinations useless. For this,
vaccinations must be made in a series. Shots should be made
3 to 4 weeks apart. Vaccinations at 8, 12 and 16 weeks of age
plus annual boosters guarantee good health for your pets.
Recommended for dogs is the standard DAAPPL
and for cats, FVRCP. DAAPPL combats distemper, leptospirosis,
parvovirus, parainfluenza and hepatitis in dogs. Cats are protected
by FVRCP from calicivirus, panleukopenia and feline viral rhinotraceitis.
These diseases are fatal and your pet needs to be vaccinated
against them.
Of course, rabies is a big concern too and
vaccination is important. At 16 weeks, your pup or kitten should
be given rabies shot followed by an annual booster. Depending
on the vaccine, the shot can be given every 3 years. The law
requires that you have your pets vaccinated for rabies.
But even if the law doesn’t require rabies
vaccination, it is always best to have your Springer Spaniel
vaccinated because it will not only protect them from rabies
but will also protect you from legal issues. There are some
cases when an otherwise healthy animal has to be euthanized
because it was unvaccinated but later bitten by an unvaccinated
animal.
Also, as a responsible Springer Spaniel owner,
be mindful of your dog’s lifestyle. The kind of lifestyle it
leads exposes it to diseases in varying degrees. If you always
enter your dog in dog shows or if your dog goes to boarding
kennels, vaccinations for corona and bordetella will greatly
benefit the animal. |
