last time i bred was around 6 years ago.... and back then it was always 2 weeks after jabs they can go out. so since then iv moved house and have a new vet who i have now been with for 4 years... my bitch of 3years recently had her first litter and we kept a pup... hes just had his second injection and the vet said he can go out in 5 days. i know probs all vets say different things... what does your vet recommend?

I take my pups out a few days after the FIRST -I never wait as I would miss out too much on the vital socialisation. I do however not let them meet other dogs until they have had the second.

7 days guideline for us, but from puppy owners feedback this can range between 5-14 days, even though it is exactly the same injection being given????

It depends on the health risk in each area. Most manufacturers' datasheets say "Dogs should not be exposed to unnecessary risk of infection within the first 2 weeks after completion of the vaccination regimen" and would  be within their rights to not accept responsibility for illness if this recommendation wasn't followed.

and from an immunological point of view if the first vaccine took (maternal antibodies had waned enough) then they would be immune within hours to day of the first vaccination, for the main viruses.  On the other hand if second vaccination is given too early, and maternal immunity still persists then even the second vaccination won't be certain to cover.

http://healthypets.mercola.com/sites/healthypets/archive/2011/05/31/what-your-vet-didnt-tell-you-about-all-those-puppy-and-kitty-vaccines.aspx

I prefer to wait to vaccinate until 10 weeks for first and 12 weeks for second, but would be socialising in safe/low dog areas from 6 weeks.

Even had my pups had full vaccinations I would not be wanting to expose them to high dog traffic areas until over three months of age, due to the risk of unpleasant encounters in uncontrolled environments such as ther park.

It's a good idea to quantify any risk by checkng with the vets in your area if there have been any recent outbreaks of canine disease.

I do the same as Barbara.  If I had vaccinations any earlier I would be worried that the bitches antibodies would fight the foreign bodies.  10 and 12 weeks has suited me for some years now.

>10 and 12 weeks has suited me for some years now.

and they never used to finish the puppy course until 12 weeks, this changed with supposedly improved vaccines some 15 years ago????

We have a member on here whose puppy was fully vaccinated at 8 and 10 weeks, and developed parvo at 4 months.  Thankfully she survived and when titre tested she only ahs antibodies for the parvo (which she of course would have ahv8ing suffered the disease) but not for anything else, so her puppy course had not taken, probably too early, as I assume once vaccinated again she now has the required antibodies, though I don't know if she had titres done to check.

> so her puppy course had not taken, probably too early,

This the reason why responsible breeders of pedigree cats have the vaccs done later. Not only are the cats benefiting from being with their mother and littermates for that long, but maternal antibodies last a lot longer in cats.

Dogs are different of course, but in a normal situation, any vaccs given before 8 weeks are unlikely to be of any use. The only time I have seen ads for "vaccinated" puppies younger, are from puppy farms where, if there is a disease risk it *may* help to vaccinate them at that age - but it's still not a full course, and I feel Trading Standards should be involved.

>but it's still not a full course, and I feel Trading Standards should be involved.

Many years ago I bought a pup from a licensed kennels.  (Yes, I know, don't shout at me.)

The pup had been given just one jab at 6 weeks for Parvo.  So you are right.

With goldmali on this one. After vacs mine are out, not on the ground but being carried around seeing things and getting used to everything possible

I don't bother to ask my vet - I always waited a week beyond the second injection but we did usually live in non-dog populated areas, even if my closest neighbour would insist in taking her dogs out on the Common of the local town, risking bring anything back locally!!   If we were living where we are now, I might give it 2 weeks at least!!

> xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml">>10 and 12 weeks has suited me for some years now.<br />and they never used to finish the puppy course until 12 weeks, this changed with supposedly improved vaccines some 15 years ago????

Interestingly in Finland where I come from vets will not start the vaccinations till 12 weeks at the earliest!
Puppies get taken out prior to this as are covered by maternal antibodies. Same vaccinations are used over there but very different routine...

I vaccinate the pups I have kept at 12 weeks for first vaccination (they are with mum and often still suckle ever now and again till about 10 weeks at least) and do take them out but don't let them meet other dogs so places where there is little dog traffic. 15 years of being told there is no point vaccination before 12 weeks and even then it might be the second jab that takes, I have not changed my mind and started to follow the UK routine.

Sorry to hijack but just wondering; if a Puppy has been largely hand reared (some dams milk esp at beginning but she lacked enough milk at the beginning and she was reluctant to feed in later weeks so hand feeding took over) would you be more inclined to vaccinate earlier? I will be getting my pup at 7 1/2 weeks and I'm wondering whether to go straight for the 1st jab so the course is over ASAP (by 10 weeks) or would it be better to wait a week for 1st jab. Or possibly have the 1st right away and then wait longer for the 2nd, ie 3 weeks?
thanks

I bred the pup that Brainless mentioned who caught Parvo after her puppy jabs. This led me to do a lot of research into primary vaccinations and it has been proven that if pups are vaccinated with 4 week intervals between jabs ,with the last jab at 16 weeks, this is the best protocol.  Of course in reality puppy owners want to be able to take their pups out asap so I recommend that they have them done at 10 and 12 weeks, meaning pups have been away from Mum for 2 weeks before their first jab.

that is the advice I give my puppy buyers, but of course some prefer to listen to the vet they see.

I also include this article in my puppy pack to support my view.
TAKING THE RISK OUT OF PUPPY SHOTS 
http://www.dogsnaturallymagazine.com/taking-the-risk-out-of-puppy-shots/