Preventive Care
What Is The Goal of Preventive Care?
Preventive care aims to promote overall health and prevent illness. It includes regular checkups for a physical exam and history, screenings appropriate for age (and health conditions if a problem has been diagnosed), vaccination to prevent infections, and medications to prevent heartworm, fleas, and ticks. Your dog’s veterinarian will be aware of the contagious infectious and prevalence of fleas, ticks, etc., in your geographic area. Vaccinating a dog protects both the dog and the broader canine community by herd immunity. That means when enough dogs in a population are vaccinated, it creates a barrier to spread of disease. If your dog spends time outside, the vet can advise you if snakes are common to the area, what kinds, and what how to treat immediately after a bite.
Preventive care insurance is available from many companion animal insurance companies for those interested.
Vaccination Principles
- All infectious disease organisms (viruses, bacteria, protozoa, fungi, etc.) have antigens which trigger an immune response. Immunity has memory, so that future exposure to the same antigen results in a much more rapid response.
- A vaccine works by exposing the individual to an inactivated or weakened antigen, or more recently, a blueprint for antigen production – with the end result of triggering of an immune response.
- Weakened vaccines may be weakened or inactive parts of a pathogen, whole or parts of a pathogen, or more recently – the blueprint for producing antigens (DNA or RNA) rather than an antigen itself.
- Killed vaccine: the causative organism has been killed or inactivated to render it harmless. Killed vaccines often need a helper or adjuvant included in the vaccine to stimulate a long-lasting immune response.
- Administration of vaccine:
- Locally, for example into the nose (e.g, kennel cough)
- Injection to achieve maximum stimulation of the immune system; this is ether subcutaneously (just under the skin) or intramuscularly
- Newborn animals
- Have no immunity. This comes as maternal antibodies from their mother. This passive immunity is transferred across the placenta before birth and with the first milk or colostrum. Immunity from the mother is temporary, declines over the first weeks of life and is largely gone by twelve weeks. The rate of decline is variable, depending on a number of factors
- A reason for a puppy receiving a series of initial vaccinations is that there isn’t a practical way to know when the maternal antibody level drops to a non-protective level.
Vaccination Recommendations of AAHA (American Animal Hospital Association)
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- Core vaccines for all puppies and dogs
- Distemper, parvo, and adeno viruses (with or without parainfluenza).
- Initial Frequency. < 16 wk, at least 3 doses of a combo vaccine between 6 and 16 wks and 2-4 wk apart; or > 16 wk, 2 doses of a combo vaccine 2-4 wk apart
- Revaccination. Single dose of combo vaccine within 1 yr of the last initial series; thereafter every 3 years
- Rabies. As required by law in each state.
- Distemper, parvo, and adeno viruses (with or without parainfluenza).
- Non-core vaccines. Recommendations are based on lifestyle, geographic location, and risk of exposure
- Pathogens: leptospirosis, canine Lyme disease, Bordetella bronchiseptica & canine parainfluenza (intranasal) or Bordetella bronchiseptica only, canine influenza, Western diamondback rattlesnake toxoid (immunity develops to the toxin).
- If your puppy’s breeder knows of adverse vaccine reactions in the family, be sure to let your vet know.
- Titer testing to determine if vaccination is needed may be indicated in cases of previous vaccine reaction, there is a suspicion of vaccine-related autoimmune disease, or when owners express resistance or hesitancy to having their dogs vaccinated or given a booster—in which case client communication and education may help overcome this hesitancy.
- If for some reason an owner chooses to not vaccinate their puppy or maintain vaccination in an adult dog, there are several risks
- Acquiring one of the preventable diseases and having mild-severe disease or even death, and to spreading the infection if they are amongst other dogs (e.g., dog shows, veterinarian’s office, dog parks)
- If they bite an animal or person there could be transmission of rabies. Be aware that if a dog bites a person, the owner is legally liable when the dog is not up to date with rabies vaccination as required by law.
- Core vaccines for all puppies and dogs
The Rabies Challenge Fund Charitable Trials
- Confirmed that rabies vaccine may induce a duration of immunity well beyond 3 years in dogs; that antibody is the most important protective factor against rabies virus and that anamnestic responses to virulent challenges can be seen in the absence of protective titers in previously vaccinated dogs.
- Protection persisted in the absence of annual or triennial revaccination
- Antibody testing of individual pets can be an excellent indicator of protection or lack thereof although further study is needed to a protective antibody threshold for vaccinated dogs.
- Further study is needed to determine if a rabies vaccine could be licensed with an interval of 5 or 6 years.
Heartworm
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Key Heartworm Prevention Points:
- Macrocyclic lactone class of drugs (ivermectin, milbemycin oxime, moxidectin, selamectin). When given according to label these are highly effective. Dogs should be heartworm negative (meaning no immature worms) using preventives
- Oral – ivermectin, milbemycin oxime; monthly
- Topical – moxidectin, selamectin; monthly
- Parenteral (subcutaneous) – slow release formulation of moxidectin; every 6 months
- A dog can become infected because of a skipped or delayed just one dose, especially in highly endemic areas
- There are resistant heartworm subpopulations, especially in the SE US
- Recommended year-round to prevent infection and enhance compliance. If given seasonal, begin at least 1 mo prior to start of season and continue for up to 6 mos after – depending on product used.
- Control of mosquitos; reduce outdoor exposure during key mosquito feeding periods
The Heartworm Society of America resource center has a wealth of information searchable by topic, audience (e.g., pet owner, shelter), animal species, and language.
The life cycle of the parasite (Dirofilaria immitis) dictates when heartworm testing is done after a heartworm preventive was started.
Heartworm disease has the greatest morbidity and mortality of any vector-borne disease affecting dogs in the United States, and despite the excellent products available to prevent heartworm disease in dogs, the range and number of cases grows annually.
Key Points about heartworm disease
- Heartworm infection has been diagnosed in all 50 US states and around the globe
- Factors contributing to spread of the parasite
- Environmental & climatic change. Climate of adequate temperature & humidity to support a viable mosquito population and enough heat to allow the mosquito ingested microfilariae to develop into infective, third-stage larvae (L3) in the mosquito before transmission to host.
- Relocation of microfilaremic dogs
- Expanded territory of microfilaremic wild canids
- Risk of heartworm transmission never reaches zero because of microenvironments in winter months.
- Once a reservoir of microfilaremic domestic and wild canids exists beyond veterinary care, the presence of one or more competent host mosquitoes makes transmission possible and eradicaton improbable.
Fleas and Ticks
- Fleas, Linda Aronson, DVM
- Preventive Products. Some treat both fleas and ticks, some just one pest.
- Topical flea: Activyl®, Advantage® II, Cheristin®
- Oral flea: Capstar®, Sentinel® (growth regulator only)
- Topical combination products: Frontline®, K9 Advantixx® II (dogs only), Revolution®, Vectra 3D® (dogs only), Effipro® Plus, Effitix® (dogs only)
- Oral combination products (dogs only): NexGard®, Trifexis®, Simparica™
- The FDA has warned of the potential of neurological side-effects from the isoxazoline flea and tick products – Simparica Trio, Nexgard, Credelio, Bravecto
- Ticks and tick associated diseases, Linda Aronson, DVM
- Tick associated diseases, Linda Aronson, DVM
- Ticks, VCA Hospitals. Has color photographs of different types of ticks relevant to dogs.
Internal Parasites
Adult dogs infrequently have serious problems with intestinal worm parasites unless they have a weakened immune system. Young puppies can be more seriously affected. Disease is avoided by intermediate host management: preventive treatment in the case of sheep, control measures in the case of fleas, good sanitation in the case of whipworm (handwashing for humans or avoiding contaminated soil eating for dogs). Intestinal non-worm parasites include Coccidia, Giardia, and Spirochetes (Leptospira and Lyme disease). These invasive parasites live in a dog’s intestinal tract; what makes them particularly dangerous is that a dog can be infected with these yet appear well. It may not be clear that the dog is carrying the parasites until stress or another immune-compromising factor arises. Information on leptospirosis and Lyme disease are found in the general health infectious disease section.
| Parasite | Organism | Host | Clinical Features |
|---|---|---|---|
| Roundworm | Toxacara canis, catii | Cat, dog, fox | Poor growth, development. Eggs in feces can infect human |
| Whipworm | Trichuris vulpis | Soil transmitted | Live in large intestine. Chronic watery and/or bloody diarrhea. Wt. loss |
| Hookworm | Ancylostoma sp | Whatever animal infected with hookworm | Attach to small intestine lining, suck blood, can cause severe anemia |
| Tapeworm | Diplydium caninum | Fleas | Most common in puppies; cause stunted growth, digestive upset |
| Taenia sp | Rodents, rabbits | Very old, very young, immunocompromised can be very ill. Poor growth, intestinal blockage, poor condition | |
| Echinococcus | Sheep, humans | Cysts can develop in lung or brain. More common in dogs with proximity to sheep. |