Many Dane owners have concerns about over-vaccination due mostly to information they gather from the Internet, radio, television and many other media sources. At this time, there is no universally accepted standard vaccine protocol to turn to. The vaccination principles published by AVMA (revised April, 2007) support the lack of a universally accepted standard, and further state: Under a veterinarian-client-patient relationship, the practitioner and client must determine the best patient care programs for implementation. Since our knowledge base is constantly evolving, vaccination decisions require a thorough and ongoing review of scientific information and expert opinion in order to appropriately customize vaccine recommendations for individual animal patients.

Additionally, this underlying theme continues in the AAHA Guidelines, stating: there is no one vaccination protocol that will work for every dog. Decisions on which vaccines to use, and when, should be made based on a dogs age, breed, health status, environment, lifestyle, and travel habits. Vaccination should be only one component of a comprehensive preventive health care plan, and veterinarians and clients should work together to determine the vaccination protocol that gives the best chances of maintaining immunity while minimizing the potential for adverse events.
The AAHA vaccination guidelines were revised in 2006 which updates their groundbreaking 2003 Guidelines (PDF file) and adds a suggested protocol for dogs in shelter environments. The announcement sparked a small flurry of discussion on a few mailing lists and message forums, and the surprising revelation that many people were still unaware of the Guidelines released three years ago and the major changes to standard vaccination procedures that it presented. Though the information was not actually new even in 2003, it had not previously been compiled in a single document, nor had a vaccination schedule based on the information been officially recommended. The 2006 revised guidelines can be found here in a PDF file.

The most widely-accepted of the recommended changes is the categorization of vaccines. Instead of every dog receiving vaccinations for every disease, a dog should only be vaccinated for those diseases which are significant, and to which the dog is likely to be exposed. Vaccines are broken down in the three groups: Core (recommended) vaccines, those which are suggested for all dogs; Non-core (optional) vaccines, those which are given on an as-needed basis, depending on exposure risk and such things as location and lifestyle; and Not Recommended vaccines, those that have not been consistently effective in preventing disease, or those which are for diseases that are not clinically significant and/or respond readily to treatment.

Core Vaccines

• Canine Distemper Virus
• Canine Parvovirus
• Canine Adenovirus-2
• Rabies Virus

• Distemper-Measles Virus (Never indicated in animals older than 12 weeks)
• Canine Parainfluenza Virus (This is not the recently reported canine influenza virus)
• Leptospira spp.
• Bordatella bronchiseptica (Kennel Cough) - (A must for dogs who visit dog parks or frequent dog shows)
• Borellia burgdorferi (Lyme Disease)

• Canine Coronavirus
• Giardia spp.
• Canine Adenovirus-1 (The Adenovirus-2 vaccine provides cross-immunity to Adenovirus-1)

Another major change, this one quite a bit more controversial, is the recommendation for less frequent revaccination. While veterinary immunologists have been stating that annual vaccination is unnecessary for nearly three decades, many veterinarians are still promoting yearly booster vaccinations. The AAHA Task Force evaluated the data from a number of challenge and serological studies and, while noting that the core vaccines had a minimum duration of immunity of at least seven years, compromised the statement that revaccination every 3 years is considered protective. (In the 2006 update, this was changed to revaccination every 3 years or more is considered protective.)

The 2003 Guidelines included a list of 14 important Vaccination Dos and Don'ts, 13 of which were Don'ts. Some of those included are:

• Do Not Vaccinate Needlessly
• Do Not Vaccinate Anesthetized Patients
• Do Not Vaccinate Pregnant Dogs
• Do Not Assume that Vaccines Cannot Harm a Patient
• Do Not Vaccinate Animals on Immunosuppressive Therapy
• Do Not Revaccinate a Dog with Vaccines Previously Known to Induce Anaphylaxis in that Dog
• Do Make Sure the Last Dose of a Puppy Immunization Series is Administered ≥12 Weeks of Age

All this being said, we prefer to follow the Vaccination Protocol (PDF File) recommended by W. Jean Dodds, DVM of Hemopet.

• 9 - 10 weeks :: Distemper + Parvovirus, MLV (e.g. Intervet Progard Puppy DPV)
• 14 weeks :: Same as above
• 16 - 18 weeks (optional) :: Same as above
• 20 weeks or older, if allowable by law :: Rabies
• 1 year (optional) :: Distemper + Parvovirus, MLV
• 1 year :: Rabies, killed 3-year product (give 3-4 weeks apart from distemper/parvovirus booster)

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