Vaccinations, Titering, and Puppies
In our store, vaccination (or not) is often discussed. When we ask questions about this, we notice that there is often some uncertainty about vaccination. Many people have not heard of titering either. In this piece we would like to discuss, among other things, how a vaccine works, how often should we vaccinate with “the Cocktail” (do we even have to vaccinate?) and what titering is. We limit ourselves here largely to dogs.
Written by Isabel Koutzarov and Ingrid Smolders
How are diseases fought by the body?
When a foreign substance enters the body ( antigens ), it is recognized by the antibodies in the body as a foreign and dangerous substance. The antibodies multiply to attack and neutralize the antigens. Sometimes you recognize this process as an inflammation, for example a wound that becomes red and warm.
The system that wards off and fights foreign substances in the body is called the immune system . For most of us, this ingenious system is very normal and we don't think about how it actually works. But let's go into this (a little) deeper:
The immune system in a nutshell…
At birth, the body has an innate immune system and consists of a physical barrier (the skin, mucous membranes, saliva and stomach acid) and a general defense system , in which the white blood cells neutralize external substances.
However, the immune system is still underdeveloped and is not resistant to certain diseases, for example Parvo in dogs, Feline distemper in cats and measles in humans. This immune system still has to be acquired: the acquired immune system.
The acquired immune system
You build up the acquired immune system throughout your life by coming into contact with various (generally non-fatal) diseases, such as the flu. When you come into contact with this, the body produces antibodies to fight the germs. You get sick, feverish, but after a few days you are better again. And, if you encounter the same flu strain later in life, you will no longer get sick because your body immune .
Please note: the flu consists of perhaps a thousand variants, your body is protected against this flu and not other variants and so you can still get 'the flu'. It is therefore better to speak of flu instead of flu .
What about deadly diseases like measles?
Until the last century, many people died from diseases such as measles, rabies, tuberculosis and other diseases. Young children and older (weakened) people in particular did not survive the diseases. Until the vaccine was discovered.
What is a Vaccine and how does it work?
By exposing a human or animal to a small amount of a weakened or dead variant of a (deadly) disease, the body produces antibodies without making you sick. If you are later exposed to antigens of this disease, these antibodies the antigens and there is a good chance that you will survive.
These antibodies can slowly disappear from the body, but memory cells . If your (animal) comes into contact with the disease again, these cells ensure that the antibodies are produced again.
But how are puppies protected? The beauty of ''de Biest''
A newly born puppy has no antibodies that protect it against diseases.
But contrary to what you might think in our beautiful, hygienic, Western world, is necessary! From, or actually during, birth, the puppies are brought into contact with potentially fatal pathogens.
But fortunately nature has found something for this: the Beauty of '' De Biest'' .
The colostrum , or colostrum , is the first mother's milk and, in addition to all the necessary nutrients, it also contains antibodies from the mother that are necessary to protect the little delicate puppy against the deadly diseases to which they will soon be exposed during birth and afterwards. This is maternal immunity .
But there is a time limit! The antibodies in the colostrum can only be absorbed through the puppies' intestines during 0-12 hours, with the first 4 hours being the most important. The intestinal walls then close against these large molecules and the (large) antibodies no longer be absorbed. This means that if a puppy has not drunk enough or if the mother has no, or not enough, antibodies against certain diseases, the puppy is also not sufficiently protected.
I knew it, vaccination (of puppies) is not necessary!
No! Vaccinations are absolutely necessary ! Because maternal immunity disappears as the puppies grow older, increasing the risk of fatal diseases. The time at which maternal immunity disappears from the body varies per puppy. And so there is a vaccination schedule for puppies.
Vaccination schedule for puppies, at 6, 9 and 12 weeks
Because it is not known when the maternal immunity disappears from the body, i.e. when the puppy is no longer protected or there is a chance that the vaccination will not work because the maternal immunity is still effective, we vaccinate the puppies in the Netherlands at 6 . 9 and 12 weeks.
The vaccination that is then given is a cocktail against 3 'core diseases':
- D: Distemper or distemper
- H: Hepatitis or infectious liver disease
- P: Parvo
The World Small Animal Veterinary Association (WSAVA) vaccination guidelines [1] should be 16 weeks of age maternal immunity removed from the puppy's body. kitten has disappeared [2] and there is more certainty that the vaccination will work.
In the Netherlands, the last vaccination is at 12 weeks, so the question remains: are all our puppies and kittens protected between 12 weeks and 1 year? Or has the last vaccination not worked because the maternal immunity has not yet disappeared from the body?
Titering can serve as an alternative and provides clarity. We will go into this in more detail later.
[1] The WSAVA is the world's leading organization representing the world's companion veterinarians from its member countries. There are 95 and 158,300 veterinarians. Countries are added every year. They also write guidelines for the vaccination of dogs and cats.
[2] Journal of Small Animal Practice, vol 57, January 2016, Executive Summary p. 3
Needless Vaccination
This is actually what still happens a lot, unnecessary vaccination by giving cocktail It may be that the vaccination is not necessary because your animal is still protected.
Titering: the alternative
The VacciCheck has been in existence for a number of years: By taking a drop of blood you can use the ''VacciCheck'' test to determine whether there are still enough antibodies and thus omit the vaccination (cocktail).
Titering can also be used to see if the cocktail has reacted. For example. Your puppy will be given the cocktail for the last time at 12 weeks, but it is not certain whether the maternal immunity has disappeared. Research shows that this can take up to 16 weeks. So you can titrate at 16 weeks, so that you are assured that your animal is protected until the next cocktail vaccination at 1 year.
Titering may also be advisable in adults to ensure protection.
Reasons why a vaccination has not worked may be:
| 1 The dog is taking medication that suppresses the immune system (e.g. prednisone) | 6 The vaccine was not administered properly |
| 2 Maternal antibodies neutralize the vaccine (Pups & Kittens!) | 7 The vaccine has not been stored properly and is no longer effective |
| 3 The dog is not healthy at the time of vaccination and the immune system is 'too busy' to produce antibodies | 8 The dog has a genetic defect |
| 4 The dog's immune system is not in order | 9 The dog is (severely) stressed during the vaccination |
| 5 The dog has been exposed to a virus before or just after vaccination and/or is in the incubation period of the virus | 10 And of course: the dog or puppy is already protected against the diseases, so the vaccine is neutralized by the antibodies |
Summary & Conclusion: Vaccination is necessary, but not always necessary.
It is a fact that your animal must be protected against the core diseases:
- D: Distemper or distemper
- H: Hepatitis or infectious liver disease
- P: Parvo
For this purpose, your dog is vaccinated with ''the cocktail'' every 3 years. But research shows that the cocktail is effective for up to 7 years, and that vaccination is therefore not only unnecessary, but also useless, because the antibodies neutralize the vaccine.
The alternative to the cocktail is titering: by taking a drop of blood, the Vaccicheck test can be used to measure whether there are still enough antibodies present to postpone the vaccination for another 3 years.
It is also important that the vaccine has worked. You can also titrate for this a few weeks after administering the cocktail to ensure that your animal is protected.
Measuring is knowing.