As a dog owner, it is your responsibility to ensure your
dog's safety and health. A healthy dog is a happy dog. Getting your dog
immunized is one of the best ways you can keep your beloved pet healthy.
Many new dog owners, though, are unaware of the importance of having their
dogs immunized. Other times, they have questions about dog immunization that
are left unanswered. Those questions are tackled in this article.
How Does Dog Immunization Work?
Infants and young children are at risk of developing diseases and
antibodies, which is why they must be immunized. Dogs, in the same manner,
need to be immunized to protect them from acquiring various canine diseases.
Immunization helps your dog's immune system fight a host of diseases. What
is actually injected into your dog are antibodies, which the immune system
fights off and "stores" in its memory so that should those antibodies ever
try to invade the dog's body again, the immune system is already equipped to
fight them.
Does Immunization Make Dogs Sick?
Immunization will not make your dog sick. Although your dog will be injected
with antibodies, these antibodies are either weakened or already dead.
Basically, the antibodies do not have enough strength to create havoc inside
your dog's system. The antibodies are simply introduced into your dog so
that your dog's immune system will learn to fight the antibodies off and
recognize them the next time they enter the body.
What Reactions Can Be Expected After Immunization?
Like people, animals can have some kind of reaction after being immunized.
Your dog can experience some pain, have achy muscles, be slightly feverish,
lose its appetite and sleep more after immunization. If you have a small dog
or young puppy, it is more likely to experience these reactions and in a
more pronounced way. However, these reactions are temporary; your dog will
be back to its normal self after 48 hours.
In rare instances, dogs can start vomiting, have facial swelling and develop
hives after immunization. If your dog exhibits these serious reactions after
being immunized, the veterinarian may prescribe antihistamine (e.g.,
Benadryl) to help manage the reactions.
Keep in mind that immunizations consist of a number of shots given over a
period of time. So even if your dog exhibits reactions after being
immunized, you should continue taking your dog for the other immunizations.
What you should do each time you take your dog for shots is to let the
veterinarian know how your dog reacts to the shots afterwards so he or she
can take appropriate steps.
Which Immunization Type is Better for Your Dog?
There are two types of immunization that you can get for your dog: the
modified-live immunization type and the killed-virus immunization type. Each
type of immunization has advantages and disadvantages.
The modified-live type of immunization is much stronger than the
killed-virus type of immunization. It also provides immediate protection and
immunity for your dog. Lastly, this type of immunization lasts longer, which
means the shots are far in between. On the downside, it is possible that the
antibodies could become activated with the modified-live type of
immunization. Your dog can develop the disease for which it is being
immunized. Dogs with week immune systems are especially at risk for this.
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