Hello, I'm new to the forum,  I hope you can give me some advice. I brought my new puppy (miniature poodle) home a few weeks ago, at 10 weeks. She was already vaccinated (vanguard). I took her to my vet for her second vaccination and was told I had to start the course again since they did not stock that brand or she wouldn't be protected properly. In hindsight I wish I had tried to find a different vet with the same brand vaccine but, I let him restart the course. He told me that she would be ok to go out on the ground and have contact with other dogs after 7-10 days. I haven't been able to find any information to support this so haven't done this. I have spoken the my insurance vet helpline (not very helpful) and a different vet in my area. The helpine said to go with what my vet said. The other vet said to wait until a week after her 2nd shot to let her out. The problem iswas told to bring her back 4 weeks after the first one. If I follow that advice she will be 15 weeks before she goes on her first walk.

She has been out with me lots of times, to petshops, school, a friend's house who has a dog and she stayed at different friend's house for a few hours last week. She's started puppy classes as well. She's had contact with many adults and children alike, but not much with dogs.

I want to keep her safe, but at the same time I don't want to affect her socialisation in a bad way.

Do you have any advice or experiences to share? Do I follow my vets advice and take out for walkies now (it's been 2 weeks since her vax course was restarted) or follow other vet's advice and keep her off the ground for another 3 weeks (vax is due in 2 weeks)

Thanks for reading & sorry it's so long!
Nyah

THIS is why we didn't do any vaccination before we sent our puppies to their new homes.  All too often I know this, starting again, happens.   Our puppies went at 10 weeks normally with strict instructions that the new owners see their own vet within 48 hours, when vaccination should be started.   If we knew the people they'd go at 8 weeks if doing well enough, in which case I'd again advise them to see their own vet within 48 hours, BUT perhaps not to go ahead with vaccination immediately much as by 8 weeks, it's felt safe to externally vaccinate.

If I were you (and I'd not be happy to have had a vet start over) I'd get the two sets in (UK?) and wait another week before putting the puppy on the ground off your property.   He can of course, be outside on a contained area from day one.

Your puppy should be protected after the final set of vaccination of course, but it only takes one dog to infect your puppy, so waiting the extra time is, for me, well worth doing.    With my breed, 'socialising' isn't such a big deal.   None of mine saw much of the outside world, much as they always had our small pack around of course, until they went to Ringcraft classes.  And none was the worse for not being out and about much early on.

As for puppy classes, I'd have thought no puppy that hasn't had all it's vaccination shots, would be able to go to these, and I'd certainly not be taking one.   Again it only takes one dog to infect your puppy - and someting like Parvo can be walked in via another dog, on your shoes or clothing btw.

"The other vet said to wait until a week after her 2nd shot to let her out."    Yes!!!

A week after the second shot is pretty standard advice.

As for classes - if they are run at a vet's, then going after the first shot is typical and the place will be thoroughly disinfected first; anywhere else and I'd expect full vaccinations to be required.

> if they are run at a vet's, then going after the first shot is typical

Not so with our local vets.   They won't accept a puppy for Puppy Socialising classes without it being fully vaccinated.

For Nobivac DHP/DHPPI one vaccination at 10 weeks gives cover, after one e week, according to the data sheet.  Lepto 4 is the one that a 4 week gap is needed.  Personally,  I don't give any Leptospirosis jabs as it only covers 4 out of 250+ serovars, doesn't last a full year and is the most dangerous.

Thats how it is nowadays....everyone wants a puppy to have the first vaccine....puppy buyers don't realise they'll have to start from scratch if it isn't the same brand at their own vet.

I refused to sell someone a puppy because they wanted it to have its first vaccination before they collected it.

All you have to do is find a vet that does the same brand.
I just rang round, starting with vets closest, and found one.

Thanks for the replies everyone. I'm sorry I'm a little confused - Looking at her vacccination card, she was given Vanguard 7 CVP-L and vanguard Da2Pi at the breeders vet at 8 weeks. At 10 weeks with my vet she was given Novibac DHP and Canigen L-4 and was told to come back in 4 weeks for another L-4 shot (just the L-4) If she's not going to get anymore shots for distemper, parvo, parainfluenza does it mean then that she's actually fully protected against those now? This is so confusing.

Thanks again.
Nyah

Yes. If she received the jab after she was 10 weeks old, 1 jab gives protection according the data sheet that comes with the vaccination ( e.g manufacturer of the vaccination says only one needed if given after 10 weeks)
She will not have cover for lepto 4 but that really is not one to be concerned of, many people do not even give lepto vaccination as it is pretty rare disease in UK and even after vaccinations, cover is questionable.

>

Thank you Noora!  It makes sense now - that's why she isn't scheduled for another of nobivac dhp vaccine. She was 10 weeks and 3 days old when she had the nobivac vaccine. Wish the vet had been clearer about this. This means she is in fact fully vaccinated (apart from lepto, possibly).
I've had so much conflicting information,  it's been really confusing. Thanks again and thanks to everyone for the advice and comments.
Nyah

Thank you debbo198. This clarifies a lot!
Nyah

I refuse to vaccinate puppies before they leave if they leave before 10 weeks.

They go without or they have to be fully vaccinated.

So glad to hear that- I hope that doesn't sound condescending not meant that way

With the new Lepto4 being 4 weeks apart it would mean keeping the pup quite a few weeks extra to get the second jab......1st jabs worth nothing here anyway, because our vet refuses to give the vaccination cards until the second jabs given.

I'm of the same opinion/practice as Brainless  

> our vet refuses to give the vaccination cards until the second jabs given.

well that's not on, as a dog could change ownership or even vet between.

lepto is not really a core vaccine although some will try and tell you it is. Its optional same as KC, neither of which I would have. If it is now one week past the core vaccines I would have her out and about and enrolled in puppy classes.

Watch the socialisation classes as not all are run very well more as a free for all. They need to be well controlled an preferably not a mixture of all sizes so your pup gets a gentle intro to others.

When it comes to boosters some well expect you to have the first year booster, again lepto and kc  optional if they cover anything its for less than a year anyway but after that the core vaccines  should be no more frequent than every 3 years. If you want to get an idea of what's going you can titre to get an rough idea of antibodies present to help you decide if you with to booster . You may want to research about titres another time its a complicated area that has differeing oipinons as to the value

I only give puppy vaccines and no more after that as even the drug companies admit that there is proof that vaccines usually cover for at least 7 years probably life time. Brainless I have heard of a couple of vets withholding the vaccine card how ridiculous

I am of the opinion, rightly or wrongly, that provided the puppy is externally vaccinated with the full sets, and boostered again with the full set 12 months on, it's fine to go to boosters every 3 years, other than the one for Lepto which dips over a 12 month period (as I understand it) and needs to be boostered annually.   And down here, Lepto is 'around'.   As it would b if you have rats around!!    However having said that, I have never carried on boostering beyond around age 7 because I believe (but again am no vet) that if a dog isn't protected by that age, it never will be!

And as for titres, I asked the previous vets I was using about having these done rather than boostering when not needed, and was quoted £60, with the warning that titres are not always reliable in any case.   With one of mine, boostered every 3 years up to now, over 8 now and the over over 7 years, I now have to decide whether to booster again, ever, or not.   I might stop, but keep an eye on local Parvo outbreaks.   We have a big dog population where we now live, and loads of dogs coming in from all over the country during the holiday months, which isn't something I've lived with until now.

If your dogs mix in high dog density areas they will boost their immunity,  the dogs at risk of waning immunity are those who are kept on home turf and don't  mix.

I now do pip vaccines at 10 and 12 weeks,  and booster a year later,  do not repeat Lepto and no more after that.

I carry pups around from 8 weeks,  put pups down on ground a few days later,  avoiding high dog traffic areas.  Chances are that the core vaccines will have taken,  if not then maternal antibodies still active,  and next jab at 12 weeks will work.

Don't know why the word pip got into my post.