Immediately after birth, puppies have no natural immunity to disease. They will carry some antibodies that they received while in the womb, from their mothers' blood. Following birth, a puppy will also receive antibodies via what is known as first milk, the milk produced by the mother for 48 hours after giving birth. Antibodies received from the mother's blood or milk are known as maternal antibodies and will only protect against diseases that the mother was recently vaccinated against or exposed to. Young puppies need to be vaccinated against several common diseases, and a series of shots provide this protection, although no vet will ever recommend shots for a puppy before it is 5 or 6 weeks old.
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Parvovirus
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Parvovirus causes dogs to produce diarrhea with a blood content in many cases. It is most common in dogs below the age of 6 months and is a fatal disease. Puppies can be infected with this virus following contact with feces containing the virus. The intestinal form of the disease is known as enteritis, and symptoms include heavy vomiting, dark, bloody feces or diarrhea. A dog may die as quickly as 2 days after the symptoms appear. According to the Pet Education website, if a puppy is in an environment where there is a greater than normal risk of catching this disease, such as a breeding kennel, puppies can be vaccinated at just 5 weeks of age.
DHLPP Vaccine
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A puppy can receive the DHLPP vaccination from the age of 6 weeks to 9 weeks. DHLPP is known as the "five way" vaccine because it contains antibodies protecting against five different diseases. Each letter of the vaccine name represents a different disease. The "D" stands for distemper, a disease that can cause seizures in dogs, as well as conjunctivitis and respiratory problems. "H" is for hepatitis; this disease causes fever and diarrhea, along with abdominal pain. Leptospirosis, represented by the letter "L," is a disease affecting the kidneys and liver. The letter "P" stands for parainfluenza, and symptoms include coughing. The final "P" represents parvovirus, which can result in death.
Rabies
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Puppies can be given shots against rabies at the age of 12 weeks. Rabies is almost always contracted by a bite. Infected animals biting non-infected animals pass the disease on. The disease attacks the nervous system and the brain of the infected animal. According to the Pet Education website, there is no cure for rabies once the infected animal has started to display symptoms, and it is rare for a dog to survive. Early symptoms of the disease include the dog wanting to be on its own, anxiousness and fever. The rabies vaccine is considered very effective at preventing the disease from infecting vaccinated animals, including humans.
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