SoftMaple Winter 2002 Litter

SoftMaple's Fairway Explorer CGC (CR-CA74/16F/S-PI CR-EL98F28-PI CR-642G28F-PI, CERF) bred via Artificial Insemination to SUCH Ringlets Constant Wind (Cardiac clear, Hips A/B, Eyes clear) from Sweden

7:30am pictures

We had puppy evaluations yesterday. We had a good idea who we would keep, but wanted to see what she did in a totally different place under different circumstances. We were very happy with how she reacted. She will be quite a handful for Mark! (which is what he is looking for!) Yellow girl will be staying here. Her name is Aysa.

Aysa

2:00 pm. The shots finally came in. With the temps 30 below zero, they wouldn't ship them since they would freeze. The vaccination serum has to be chilled, but not frozen. I would have liked to give the shots a few days ago, but this darn weather! So the pups get shots, nails trimmed and more stacked pictures.

Yellow Girl

Raspberry Girl

Blue Boy

Red Boy

Green Boy

?) I don’t recommend giving your own shots unless you know what you are doing, know what the signs and symptoms of a vaccine reaction are, and know what proper storage and handling the vaccines need. I do not vaccinate at home to save money. I do it to limit the exposure of the pups that may not have adequate immunity. My Vet knows I do my own vaccinations. I do them during regular office hours in case a pup has a vaccine reaction.

The pups hardly notice that they are getting the shots. I picked each pup up. Cleansed the back of the neck with alcohol, pulled up the loose skin in the shape of a tent, and injected into the area under that loose skin. Every pup will go home with a shot record with the date, type of vaccines, manufacturers name, lot number and expiration date.

A lot has been said recently about vaccinations and immune systems in dogs. Every vet will have a different protocol of vaccinations that he or she thinks your new pup needs. Every area of the country is different. If your going to kennel your dog, you should ask your vet about kennel cough or bordetella vaccine. Ask your vet is Lyme's disease is an issue where you live. If your pet spends a lot of time in grassy or wooded areas where deer or field mice hang out. you will want to vaccinate for Lyme's disease. Leptospirosis is another vaccine that should only be considered if the disease is common in your area, and it likes to spread via contact with stagnant water such as ponds or puddles as it is eliminated in the urine of infected wildlife.

Many vaccinations come in a combo shot- you may hear them called Canine 7, Canine 5, etc. These vaccines often are administered together in a "cocktail."

Some of these vaccines contain leptospirosis, coronavirus, adenovirus cough, distemper, hepatitis, parainfluenza and parvovirus. I don’t like to overvaccinate. I used to give two sets of shots before the pups left, I have since cut that down to one series, and let your vet pick up from there. I give a vaccination without Lepto or corona.

Why do we repeat vaccinations? The pup get passive immunity from mom when nursing. They pick up her antibodies through the milk. This immunity will actually interfere with the pup's ability to make its own immunity from the vaccine challenge.

Here is just one vets sample of a vaccination schedule:

6 to 7 weeks of age: Give first combination vaccine. (Distemper, Hepatitis, Parvovirus, Parainfluenza)

9 weeks of age: Give second combination vaccine.

12 weeks of age: Give the third combination injection and possibly a LYME Vaccine inoculation. Generally a LYME vaccine is then repeated two weeks later, then once a year.

16 weeks of age: Give the last combination vaccine.

12 to 16 weeks of age: Rabies vaccine is given. (Local and State laws apply regarding Rabies vaccine since this can be a human disease, too. Your veterinarian will tell you the proper time intervals for booster vaccines for Rabies.)

Day 51