Should I vaccinate my dog?

By: Michael Lamping, DVM

            Question:  If my dog only goes outside for walks or into the backyard, does she need to be vaccinated against parvovirus?

            Answer:  Yes, absolutely.  It is too risky not to vaccinate.

            One misconception about infectious disease is that you have to be in contact with or near a contagious individual to contract the disease.  While some viruses, such as rabies virus, are spread only through direct transmission, other viruses can spread indirectly, surviving in the environment, on objects, or on clothing.  For this reason, parvovirus infection is common among dogs, even occurring in puppies that have never met another dog since weaning.  Quite stable, the virus can survive in the environment for many months.  Any unvaccinated dog in a site recently inhabited by an infected dog is at risk.

            Parvovirus, a.k.a. "parvo", infection leads to severe diarrhea, vomiting, anorexia, and lethargy.  Highly contagious, the virus passes in stools and is acquired primarily through ingestion of contaminated soil.

            Most of my parvovirus diagnoses have been of pediatric dogs, especially pups ages 6 to 16 weeks.  However, I have diagnosed parvo in a 2 year old unvaccinated Rottweiler, a breed known to exhibit more severe symptoms.  Maisy's recovery required hospitalization for 5 days.  The owners had never vaccinated her, thinking she was not at risk because they kept her confined and only walked her by leash.  That mistake almost cost them her life.  Furthermore, choosing not to vaccinate to save money could end up costing several hundreds of dollars more than the cost of vaccination.  One may end up deciding whether to spend an emergency fund to save your dog or euthanize it.  The vaccine is effective.  Only once have I diagnosed parvo in a previously vaccinated dog, and that infection was brief and relatively minor, requiring only a one night hospital stay.

            At Murphy Road Animal Hospital, we recommend vaccinating puppies beginning at 6 weeks of age followed by a series of boosters every 3 weeks until they are 15 weeks of age.  The series of vaccines provides the best chance of establishing a protective immunity.  Newly adopted adult dogs also need vaccination.  It is never too late to vaccinate.