| The
cliche an ounce of prevention is better than a pound of cure also
applies to your Pit Bull. Don’t wait for your Pit Bull to get
sick. Have your Pit Bull 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 Pit Bulls 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 Pit Bull 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
Pit Bull 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. |
