Distemper is mostly a disease of young puppies but it can occur in adults and because there is a very high mortality rate and no known cure, it might make sense to vaccinate for it (although a vaccine given after 12 weeks should be good for life, especially as the maternal antibodies for distemper seem to wane earlier than parvo, at about 8 weeks).
Parvo is almost exclusively found in puppies and is almost always self limiting in healthy adults. My opinion is it is not necessary for adults.
There are two type of adenovirus (CAV): type 1 is hepatitis which attacks the liver and other organs, and type 2 is pretty much kennel cough, affecting the respiratory tract. Canine hepatitis can have a high mortality rate.
Having said, that, if your puppy was vaccinated, the odds of a healthy dog contracting any of these disease is very, very low, even if he is never vaccinated again.
Here is a direct quote from immunologist Jean Dodds, DVM.
“Why should we be giving pets foreign substances when they do not need them,” said Dodds, who has researched the vaccination guidelines for over 30 years. Veterinarians, she said, have been giving annual vaccinations simply because it’s assumed they are needed and were recommended by the United States Department of Agriculture.
“There never was any data that suggested vaccines must be given yearly,” Dodds said. “Veterinarians assumed there was data but there wasn’t.” Vaccines like parvovirus and canine distemper are responsible for many diseases of the immune system in dogs, she contends. Anemia, arthritis, epilepsy, thyroid disease, liver failure, diabetes, allergies and other conditions, she believes, are linked to vaccines.
“Approximately five to 10 percent will develop problems,” Dodds said. “That increases to 20 percent in pure breeds.” Irish Setters, Great Danes, German Shepherds, weimaraners and akitas are at higher risk of developing Hypertrophic Osteodystrophy, a bone disease that causes a 107 degree fever, pain, and the inability to walk as a result of vaccinations, she said.
“But there is really no breed that is not at risk,” she said. The only vaccination needed, she asserts, is the rabies vaccine because it is legally required. Dogs’ and cats’ immune systems mature fully at 6 months old, she explained. If canine distemper, feline distemper and parvovirus vaccines are given after 6 months, a pet has immunity for the rest of its life.
No effect
However, if another vaccine is given a year later, antibodies from the first vaccine neutralize the second vaccine, producing little or no effect.Not only are annual boosters for parvovirus and distemper unnecessary, they subject a pet to potential risks of allergic reactions and immune-mediated hemolytic anemia, a life threatening disease that generally has unknown causes, said Dodds. There is no scientific documentation to back up label claims for annual administration of these vaccines, she said.
Dr. Bob Rogers, DVM, Critter Fixer Pet Hospital, in Texas, agrees.
“Dogs and cats no longer need to be vaccinated against distemper, parvo, and feline leukemia every year,” Rogers said. “Once the initial series of puppy or kitten vaccinations and first annual vaccinations are completed, immunity…persists for life.
“Every three years is probably a completely arbitrary number,” Dr. Rogers adds. “I’ve told my clients that after one year of age they don’t need to vaccinate anymore.” Rogers estimates that in nine years, he has used this protocol on some 30,000 dogs – “and I haven’t had one vaccine ‘break’ [failure].”
Compare that to the odds of allergies, arthritis, cancer, etc., and I find the re-vaccination answer is pretty obvious :angel:
