If you’ve been in Weimaraners for any length of time, or even as a newcomer to the breed, you’ve probably heard that Weimaraners can be predisposed to vaccine reactions. Depending on where you have heard this information, you may be in a panic, and I really can’t blame you! Your vet tells you one thing, your breeder another, your dog park friends recommend yet something else. Then there are forums where no one seems to agree on anything, never mind the controversial topic of vaccines!
When should you vaccinate your Weimaraner puppy?
Unfortunately there is no right answer, only what is right for you and your Weim. Being confident in your decision on a vaccine protocol is not always easy, but a little bit of knowledge goes a long way.
First, it’s important to understand how vaccines work. A puppy is automatically protected by maternal antibodies after he nurses from mom. These antibodies “wear off” some time between 6 and 16 weeks of age. If you vaccinate a puppy that still has maternal antibodies for that virus, the maternal antibodies will “block” the vaccine by fighting it, thereby not giving the vaccine a chance to work. Because we don’t know at what age any individual puppy loses its maternal antibodies, we give puppy vaccines on a schedule, repeating the vaccine several times between 6 and 16 weeks of age. We are trying to “catch” the earliest moment the maternal antibodies wear off.
Because this is an inprecise science, there can be gaps in your puppy’s protection. This is the reason some puppies that have been vaccinated can still contract the very diseases you thought you protected him from. For example, if a puppy’s maternal antibodies wear off at 9 weeks, and the pup was given a shot at 8 weeks and 12 weeks, the puppy’s 8 week shot was ineffective, and he is potentially in danger between 9 weeks and 12 weeks.
The number of times you vaccinate your puppy is not important. It is the timing that is important! Further, the pup’s last vaccine is the most critical because about 95% of puppies at 12 weeks old have lost their maternal antibodies. If socialization weren’t an issue (and it is a BIG issue) and a puppy were never exposed to any diseases, the most effective way to vaccinate our dogs would be to give one vaccine at 6 months or older when the immune system is mature. This would give your Weimaraner lifetime protection, but of course it is impractical to wait this long.
After giving your puppy a shot, there will be an immune response to the vaccine, and especially 2 weeks after administration. This is why it’s important to space out vaccines by 3 to 4 weeks. Never give vaccines in 2 week (or more frequent) intervals. An immune system that is busy “doing their thing” after administration will have a difficult time handling yet another pathogen to fight. Remember, a vaccine is actually introducing a watered down version of the disease itself into the system to stimulate the creation of antibodies and memory of the disease so that it can fight it off the next time your Weim is exposed.
It’s been demonstrated that vaccines protect our dogs for 3-7 years, and it’s also probable that the vaccines last a lifetime. (Kirk’s Current Veterinary Therapy
So with all this in mind, what should you do? I cannot answer that question for you, but you might want to consider the following:
- Your breeder’s guidelines. Your breeder may have specific guidelines and in some cases not abiding by these guidelines may void your health guarantee.
- Weimaraner Club of America Protocol
- American Animal Health Association Protocol – PDF
- “Considerations In Designing Effective And Safe Vaccination Programs For Dogs” – PDF – In: Recent Advances in Canine Infectious Diseases, Carmichael L.E. (Ed.) by R.D. Schultz, University of Wisconsin
- Your veterinarian’s guidelines. Please understand that veterinarians are generalists and usually not a specialist in any one breed, and you cannot expect them to know every nuance of every breed, including the fact that Weimaraners can be predisposed to vaccine reactions. (In other words, you may need to educate them.)
In case you are wondering what I do, I give either Merial Recombitek C4
What vaccine protocol do you follow? Please comment below.
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When I brought Roxie home, I was overwhelmed with what to do about vaccinations. I think I ended up doing the C4 at 12 weeks and have titered every year on her birthday to check immunity levels. I gave rabies at 1 yr old and need to get in to titer for that as well.
My first vet office just rolled their eyes at me when I carried my puppy in to the vet and demanded a towel before setting her on the table. Then when I explained my concerns about vaccinations the vet techs left the room and I could hear them lauging and saying “Oohhhh myyyyyy God…..” as if implying that I was a nutcase. I never went back to them again and found a vet that is familiar with Weims that a few of our local breeders go to.
The moral of the story, be your dog’s advocate. If your vet or their techs think you are an idiot, find another vet.
weim ways says to give the first booster 12 mos from the time of the last immunization and not when the pup is 12 mos old. any comments?
eileen
^4
h h g(pp)
“even the little guy can cast a big shadow once he’s found his place in the sun”
The immune system is mature at around 6-12 months. Any vaccine given at this time will give the best (and probably a lifetime) immunity, but of course it’s not safe to have a dog unvaccinated until that age. So basically that booster given when the immune system is mature is usually the last vaccine I give. The one year from last vaccination is just easy to remember, and a good time to go in to see the vet for an annual exam.
Hi, I have just brought a weimeraner and he is now 12 weeks and just had his 12 weeks shot, I got a c3, he has now had two vaccinations. The vet and breeder both tell me to vacinate differently, vet wants me to do a third and do a c5, but the breeder said I have done enough vaccinations, i am very confused on what to do, has anybody got any more advice?
I would talk to both the breeder and the vet about the concerns and the reasons they want/don’t want you to vaccinate further. There may be specific diseases in your area that the vet is concerned about, or there may be reasons that your breeder is advising the way he/she is.
A good compromise may be to do a titer test instead. A titer test will measure the antibody levels in his blood to see if he’s protected.