What you need to know about vaccines

Just like human babies, puppies should routinely receive a series of vaccinations to help keep them healthy during the early stages of growth. While normally associated with more civilized times, similar defenses exist in nature.

Maternal antibodies

A newborn puppy receives protective antibodies from its mother, in the form of of colostrum. Colostrum is produced with milk the first few days after birth. When the puppy drinks the colostrum rich milk, it receives antibodies that will help protect him from disease. However, these maternal antibodies usually only protect for a few months.

Maternal antibodies wear off at different times with different puppies, but most puppies will not have any past 20 weeks of age. To maintain immunity, the puppy will need to be vaccinated.

What are vaccines?

Vaccinations are medicinal substances that are used to prevent the occurrence of or decrease the severity of disease. Most vaccines contain either non-infectious modified live or killed versions of the disease. A third type of vaccine is called a recombinant type, which is a genetically modified vaccine.

How they work

All vaccines act by stimulating the dog’s immune system to produce protective antibodies that can help protect the animal from disease. A booster vaccine helps the body recognize the disease and helps increase the vaccine's efficacy.