"Specializing in Yorkshire Terriers & Maltese"

Vaccination for Yorkie & Maltese Puppies

It is highly unlikely that you will over-dose your puppy with vaccines. Some researchers blame the rise of immune mediated disease on frequent vaccinations with large numbers of modified-live viruses. They believe this over-stimulates the immune system and classifies everything as being foreign which can lead to tissue rejection. However, this theory is not accepted by many veterinarians. People that do believe this to be true will give one shot of vaccine per day, instead of doing combination of shots all at once. On the contrary, by giving one shot per day, the first vaccine will reject the vaccine shots given the following days as it may be recognized as harmful. Therefore, it is best to give vaccine shots all at once, rather than spread them apart.

Do not think vaccines are harmful. Although there are side effects, you are far better off giving vaccines rather than for your dog to contract fatal diseases like distemper, rabies, or parvovirus.

Most people mis-understand that more antigens in one shot is better than less. Vaccination schedules based on your dog's age, breed, and lifestyle as well as your geographic location and your veterinarian's advice are more effective than trying to squeeze the most antigens into a one cc injection.

Your dog may catch a disease even though it is vaccinated against it. There are many reasons for vaccine breaks. It may be caused by fever, steroids, disease, and maternal antibodies which will block the patient's ability to make antibodies. Improper handling or storage of the vaccine itself will also cause it to be non-effective. Also, as mentioned before, previous shots might block out shots taken later. Vaccines given to very young puppies, usually under six weeks of age, or to sick or immunocompromised dogs may be ineffective. In the case of parvovirus, it has been noted that some breeds are more prone to infection. Some veterinarians recommend extra vaccinations for these dogs or for dogs that are often in contact with other dogs.

There is no number of vaccine shots that should be given to your dog. A minimum of two multivalent vaccinations, including distemper and parvo, given three weeks apart are required for every dog or puppy over three months old. An additional shot for rabies prevention is also needed. Vaccinations against corona virus, Bordatella, or Lyme disease are based on owner's needs and veterinarian's advice. Vaccinations should usually be given at six-to-eight weeks of age and are given every three weeks until the puppy is 16 weeks of age. Recent information regarding parvovirus may extend this recommendation to 18 or even 20 weeks.