| The cliche
an ounce of prevention is better than a pound of cure also applies
to your Beagle. Don’t wait for your Beagle to get sick. Have your
Beagle vaccinated against diseases. Vaccinations are cheaper than
having your pet treated for disease.
Veterinarians
agree that the immune system of your dog has to learn to recognize
an infection so it can produce the required antibodies to combat
it. Only vaccination can do this. Unvaccinated Beagles can become
very sick when attacked with a virus or bacteria because their
immune system failed to respond faster. Vaccinations teach the
immune system to react faster before the infectious agent can
do damage.
When the mother dog is nursing, she is giving
antibodies to her pups. These antibodies will protect the young
ones but not for long. Once the antibodies from the mother are
gone, the pup becomes an open target to many diseases.
Maternal antibodies, though, when still present
in a pup’s immune system, makes vaccinations useless. For this,
vaccinations must be made in a series. Shots should be made
3 to 4 weeks apart. Vaccinations at 8, 12 and 16 weeks of age
plus annual boosters guarantee good health for your pets.
Recommended for dogs is the standard DAAPPL
and for cats, FVRCP. DAAPPL combats distemper, leptospirosis,
parvovirus, parainfluenza and hepatitis in dogs. Cats are protected
by FVRCP from calicivirus, panleukopenia and feline viral rhinotraceitis.
These diseases are fatal and your pet needs to be vaccinated
against them.
Of course, rabies is a big concern too and
vaccination is important. At 16 weeks, your pup or kitten should
be given rabies shot followed by an annual booster. Depending
on the vaccine, the shot can be given every 3 years. The law
requires that you have your pets vaccinated for rabies.
But even if the law doesn’t require rabies
vaccination, it is always best to have your Beagle vaccinated
because it will not only protect them from rabies but will also
protect you from legal issues. There are some cases when an
otherwise healthy animal has to be euthanized because it was
unvaccinated but later bitten by an unvaccinated animal.
Also, as a responsible Beagle owner, be mindful
of your dog’s lifestyle. The kind of lifestyle it leads exposes
it to diseases in varying degrees. If you always enter your
dog in dog shows or if your dog goes to boarding kennels, vaccinations
for corona and bordetella will greatly benefit the animal. |
