Holistic Care : Vaccination: Our Protocol

This is the protocol we recommend and follow:

8 weeks: MLV High Titer (Fort Dodge or Intervet) Combined Parvo and Distemper only shot

10 weeks: Conduct titer test for Parvo and Distemper. If antibodies present, no further vaccination necessary until 1 year of age. The majority of puppies will have antibodies present for both diseases at this age from the single shot they received at 8 weeks.

12 weeks: If titer test indicates the absence of antibodies for both Parvo and Distemper, we recommend giving one more shot of MLV High Titer Combined Parvo/Distemper.
• If titer test indicates absence of Distemper antibodies only, we recommend giving a Distemper-only shot available as Galaxy-D.
• If titer test indicates absence of Parvo antibodies only, we recommend giving a Parvo-only shot available as Intervet CPV-1.

14 weeks: If you have vaccinated a second time at 12 weeks, you can now titer test your puppy once more to see if antibodies have formed for both Parvo and Distemper. If so, no further vaccinations are necessary until 1 year of age.

16 weeks: Very, very few puppies need a third shot of Parvo/Distemper at this age. There are some puppies whose maternal antibodies override the vaccine and therefore, need a third shot. If you give this last shot at 16 weeks, it is not necessary to titer your dog a third time, as immunity is sure to have formed.

6 months or older: Rabies vaccine by Merial (Imrab-3).

1 year: Repeat one shot of high-titer MLV Parvo/Distemper vaccine. No further Parvo or Distemper vaccinations are necessary for your dog's lifetime!!

18 months: Repeat Rabies vaccine. You will then follow your state law for administration of subsequent rabies vaccines (generally every three years).

Feel free to titer your dogs annually for Parvo and Distemper antibodies if you need proof of immunity. Please keep in mind even if antibodies don't show up on titers, memory cells have been formed in your dog's body which will activate if your pet is exposed to either Parvo or Distemper for the life of your dog, but there is currently no way to scientifically determine the presence of these memory cells. You may choose to revaccinate your dog if antibodies are not present in adequate amounts.