I wanted to create this document for fellow puppy pet parents like myself who were aware of the many issues that over-vaccinating can bring. I found when it came to figuring out the correct protocol for my dog - all of the information was confusing - and so, I wanted to create a document that included all of the data in one place - that supported and corroborated my decision to minimise vaccine damage in my puppy. There are some great resources and articles out there but I wanted to group all of it together along with screenshots and web links so the data/research can be accessed with ease and shared with my veterinarian.

If you follow me on social media, you may have seen me already share this document with my followers, and after doing so, many of you requested that this become a full-time article on our website so you too could use and share this article further.

I hope that after reviewing all of the information and research collated in this article, you are able to make your own informed decision for your puppies health. As always we must remind readers that the contents of this article are for educational purposes only. It is not a substitute for professional veterinarian advice, diagnosis, or treatment. As always, we at THCKCS recommend that pet parents always seek the advice of your veterinarian with any questions you may have regarding the medical condition of your pet. Relying on any information appearing on this website is entirely at your own risk.

What is the WSAVA?

This article will mention many governing bodies but the main one that veterinarians belong to is the WSAVA - so let’s start there, who are they? and what are their guidelines? This stands for the world small veterinary association as this document reads on, I will be referring to them as the WSAVA. The WSAVA was formed in 1961 when a group of Veterinary professionals chose to re-brand their existing group – the International Association of Small Animal Specialists (IASAS).

The organization currently has more than 200,000 members that are a part of 113 member organizations. Their goals include advancing companion animal welfare, creating industry guidelines and providing education for veterinary professionals. The group has a high reputation, and many veterinary professionals in the western world are supporters or members of the group. They produce guidelines for veterinarians to follow based on evidence-based veterinary medicine. These guidelines are to give vets the current scientific advice on the best protocols and guidelines to follow.

Some of the WSAVA guidelines for vets on vaccinations;

"VACCINATIONS SHOULD NOT BE GIVEN NEEDLESSLY" Taken from page 3 of the WSAVA Global vaccination guidelines
"CORE VACCINATIONS SHOULD NOT BE GIVEN MORE FREQUENTLY THAN ONCE EVERY THREE YEARS BECAUSE THE DURATION OF IMMUNITY IS MANY YEARS AND MAY BE UP TO THE LIFETIME OF THE PET" Taken from page 3 of the WSAVA Global vaccination guidelines

No more frequently than every three does NOT mean giving a booster every three years it means that, three years is the minimum/soonest they should be given

"A DOG THAT HAS RESPONDED TO CORE VACCINATIONS MAINTAINS SOLID IMMUNITY (immunological memory) FOR MANY YEARS IN THE ABSENCE OF ANY REPEAT VACCINATIONS" taken from page 8 of the WSAVA global vaccination guidelines
"IT MUST BE REMEMBERED THAT EVEN THE THREE YEAR LICENCE IS A MINIMUM DURATION OF IMMUNITY AND FOR MOST CORE VACCINATIONS THE TRUE DURATION OF IMMUNITY IS LIKELY TO BE CONSIDERABLY LONGER IF NOT LIFELONG" taken from page 5 of the WSAVA global vaccination guidelines
"AN ADOPTED ADULT DOG (OR PUPPY OVER 16WKS OF AGE) OF UNKNOWN VACCINATION HISTORY REQUIRES ONLY A SINGLE DOSE OF CORE VACCINATION TO ENGENDER A PROTECTIVE IMMUNE RESPONSE" Taken from page 8 of the WSAVA global vaccination guidelines
"A second major concept regarding vaccination of dogs and cats has been the recognition that we should aim to reduce the 'vaccine load' on individual animals in order to minimize the potential for adverse reactions to vaccine products and reduce the time and financial burden on clients and veterinarians of unjustified veterinary medical procedures. For these reasons we have seen the development of vaccination guidelines based on a rational analysis of the vaccine requirements for each pet, and the proposal that vaccines be considered 'core' and 'non-core in nature" Taken from page 6 of the WSAVA global vaccination guidelines

And the WSVSA's statement on giving more than one core vaccination (ie restarting vaccinations) to an adult dog or pup over 16wks of age is;

"THIS PRACTICE IS UNJUSTIFIED AND IS SIMPLY CONTRARY TO THE FUNDAMENTAL PRINCIPLE OF IMMUNOLOGICAL MEMORY" Taken from page 3 of the WSAVA global vaccination guidelines

The main brands used in the UK for DHP vaccines are Canigen and novibac. In both data inserts for the DHP vaccinations (Insert included below) they specifically state that puppies over 10 weeks old only need a single dose of DHP (NOT a course) to establish active immunity and be protected.

Adding to that, The world's leading experts in vaccinations (such as Dr Ronald Schultz) recommend waiting until the puppy is aged 12 or even 16 weeks, as maternal antibodies are likely to still be circulating in younger puppies and could stop a vaccination from working (these maternal antibodies are the reason that puppies are given a course, to ensure that one of them takes, while providing protection for those whose maternal antibodies have disappeared earlier)

Attached is a screenshot from the Novibac datasheet

NOVIBAC DATA SHEET

And the below is a screenshot of the Canigen DHP data sheet

And the canigen DHP data sheet

What about KENNEL COUGH?

You should find the attached article helpful. As far as kennel cough goes - kennel cough has been described by Dr Ronald Schultz (the leading expert on canine immunology and vaccinations) as an un-vaccinatable disease. Personally, I would only ever give my dog this vaccine if it was absolutely necessary.

Why Lepto Vaccinations Should Be Reconsidered

Extract taken from a brilliant article written by Bridgette Evans

“Leptospirosis (lepto) is a bacterial infection with some 200 different variants (serovars). The vaccine contains 2 (L2) or 4 strains (L4) . The risk of your pet contracting lepto is dependent on three factors: climate, geographic area and lifestyle.

A lepto vaccine is usually given to your dog at the SAME time as either a DHP or DHPPi vaccine, commonly called a "booster" or annual vaccination. The lepto part of the vaccine is a liquid and is given this way to act as a dilutant for the powder form of DHP/DHPPi. Saline solution can be used instead.

The vaccine does NOT prevent your pet from catching leptospirosis. The vaccine is designed to REDUCE shedding of the bacteria in an INFECTED animal because the disease is zoonotic and can be transferred to humans. Read the Summary of Product Characteristics leaflets. However, it is NOT a notifiable disease. Sewer workers in the UK aren't given this vaccine due to the side effects so why should we give it to our pets?

If your pet remains unvaccinated it carries one risk of catching leptospirosis. If you decide to vaccinate it carries two – firstly of catching the disease and secondly of suffering from an adverse reaction which can be either fatal or life-limiting requiring often very expensive veterinary care. The incidence of leptospirosis in the UK is VERY rare, with most human cases in the UK being contracted in foreign climates.” (See Gideon's Year Book – it records bacterial infection worldwide. https://www.gideononline.com/tag/leptospirosis/. )”

Leading immunologists such as Dr Ronald Schultz do not recommend the Leptospirosis vaccine. Dr Schultz does not vaccinate his own dogs even though he lives on a farm in a Leptospira endemic area.

Infectious disease expert Dr Richard Ford has also stated publicly that despite living in an endemic area, he would not vaccinate his dog with the vaccine.

As the WSAVA specifically states that the lepto vaccine should only be used in areas that are classified as high geographical risk - my personal recommendation would be to ask your local vet to confirm how many laboratory-confirmed cases of leptospirosis they have had and when - and go by that.

There is a government website where you can find the data for cases of leptospirosis in the United Kingdom however the last published report is from 2018 and it must be remembered that these are only reported cases and it’s likely that a large number of cases go unreported.

It’s important to state again that lepto in the UK is VERY rare and in the U.K. it is NOT a notifiable disease therefore there are NO accurate numbers for cases or reactions. Furthermore, it is incredibly difficult to test for and is impossible on a vaccinated animal to know if they "caught" the disease or it came from the vaccine. IF your vet states they have CONFIRMED cases of lepto it’s important to ask them what serovar and if the animal was vaccinated or not.

I would also encourage you to know how the disease is transmitted as well as the signs and symptoms of leptospirosis. When symptoms do occur they usually appear between 4 and 12 days after exposure to the bacteria, and can include; fever, muscle pain, vomiting and diarrhoea, loss of appetite, lethargy, depression, and blood in the urine. You can find out more about these signs and symptoms here;

The Lepto Vaccines are high risk for Adverse reactions;

Data suggests that the lepto vaccine poses a clear risk to our dogs.

“In the last two years, regulators have received 2,000 reports of dogs having suspected adverse or fatal reactions …reports made to the Government’s Veterinary Medicines Directorate (VMD) indicate more than 120 dogs are feared to have died…in the three years the product has been on the market.” (L4 came to market in 2014 - this excerpt taken from an article published in 2016) - Extract taken from this DNM article

The European Medicines Agency recognises there are risks to the vaccine and states in their guidelines for its use:

'A mild and transient increase in body temperature has been observed very commonly (more than 1 in 10 dogs) in clinical studies for a few days after vaccination, with some pups showing less activity and/or a reduced appetite. A small transient swelling at the site of injection which can occasionally be firm and painful on palpation has been observed very commonly in clinical studies. Any such swelling will either have disappeared or been clearly diminished by 14 days post-vaccination . . . . In very rare cases, (defined as less than 1 in 10,000 dogs) clinical signs of immune-mediated haemolytic anaemia, immune-mediated thrombocytopenia, or immune-mediated polyarthritis have been reported. In very rare cases a transient acute hypersensitivity reaction may occur. Such reactions may evolve to a more severe condition (anaphylaxis), which may be life-threatening. If such reactions occur appropriate treatment is recommended.

Specifically concerning Nobivac Lepto 4, the EU was able to establish that: “Several signals were identified, mainly relating to anaphylaxis and various immune-mediated conditions such as anaemia, thrombocytopenia and arthritis.” (And death Ofcourse).

(Taken from EMA veterinary pharmacovigilence 2016 report)

(Taken from EMA veterinary pharmacovigilence 2016 report)

The below screenshot is a snippet from the publicly published EMA 2020 annual report which only includes limited data online.

You can find this by heading to page 88 of the EMA 2020 report

Though I requested several times, the EMA declined to send me the data and cited that due to covid - they did not have the staff capacity to fulfil such a request and so I have not been able to include the 2020 adverse reactions data for vaccines in this document.

VMD RECORDED ADVERSE EVENTS

Please remember that a large number of reactions continue to go unreported and figures. You can report a suspected adverse reaction yourself here

This study regarding the increase in lepto in Switzerland may be useful evidence for not using the Leptospirosis vaccine. Of the dogs that contracted Leptospirosis, 95.2% were vaccinated against the disease!

It is a long-term, peer-reviewed study and cannot be dismissed as anecdotal.

In 1996 Canine Health Concern carried out a vaccine survey of 3800 dogs. In which 100% of dogs with Leptospirosis had been vaccinated within three months prior to infection. This can only be because:

“The vaccine caused the disease, or
The vaccine didn’t contain the serovar that caused the illness, or
The vaccine contained a non-local serovar that the dog hadn’t adapted to, or it just didn’t work'.”

More resources on lepto from world-renowned vets and other notable people within the canine health community ;

What does the WSAVA say about Lepto?

The World Small Animal Veterinary Association (WSAVA) vaccine guidelines on vaccinating for lepto currently are the following;

“vaccination against leptospirosis should be restricted to use in geographical areas where a significant risk of exposure has been established.”

If you do decide to vaccinate for lepto, it’s very important to ask your vet that the vaccine be given separately from the DHP vaccine (vanguard have a vaccine that combines DHP with lepto which is a lot for a puppy’s immune system to deal with all at once) You should also be aware that the WSAVA recommend that toy breeds should NOT receive the lepto vaccination as they're at a significantly higher risk of an adverse reaction.

Taken from page 18 of the WSAVA veterinary guidelines.

So What Is The preferred minimal puppy vaccine protocol?

It’s important that every pet parent and puppy owner should do their own research, and weigh up the risks involved for each vaccination protocol and make their own decision - but still a well-informed decision.

Having done this myself, my preference would be to vaccinate the puppy after 10 weeks of age, at which age the pup will only require one core vaccination (DHP only ). The optimal time as stated above is from 12-16 weeks and carrying out a titre test 4-6 weeks later to prove immunity. (this protocol is backed up by statements and information provided by the WSAVA included in this document). As mentioned above - I would personally recommend avoiding any lepto vaccines unless the geographical risk can be proven to be significantly high.

I followed this protocol with my own puppy, Teddy - he was vaccinated at 16 weeks (The vet wanted to wait until the latest window) and was then titer tested 6 weeks later to prove he has circulating antibodies to protect him. I feel much more at ease knowing I have exposed Teddy to minimal vaccine damage and at almost 12 months of age (as of March 2022) he is happy, healthy and thriving, being reared in the most natural way possible.

He will be titered again at a minimum of 3-year intervals (see the WSAVA statement on this below)

Extract taken from page 42 of the WSAVA Global vaccination guidelines

What does the WSAVA say about titre testing?

"Can we test dogs as an alternative to annual vaccination? We are concerned about the advice to only boost every 3 years?

Yes, certainly. There are now well-validated in-practice serological test kits that permit the determination of the presence of protective serum antibodies specific for CDV, CAV, CPV-2 and FPV. In other countries, these kits are used to confirm protection at 3-yearly intervals (instead of automatic revaccination for core diseases). You could perform serology annually, but if you were to collect and analyze the data that you generated within your practice, you will quickly find that annual testing is unjustified" - Extract taken from page 42 of the WSAVA Global vaccination guidelines

Please note you cannot titre test for lepto.

For More information and guidance for titre testing see page 41 of the WSAVA Global vaccination guidelines