Hi,

So I’m new to the site and new to breeding.
Although this is something I thought I had read about and prepared myself for I seem to have fallen at the first hurdle!
So my dog is now 30 days pregnant, confirmed by scan and carrying a litter of 6.
However I have just found out she should have had a herpes vaccine at 10 days post mating!!!!
I’ve spoken to my vet, who have advised that if she missed the 10 day dose she can’t have the second dose (understandable).
However this leaves me wondering if I should isolate her for a few weeks before her due date? If so how long?
I’ve read that temperature control is essential at minimising the ability of the virus to become active in the puppies. So planning on keeping them super toasty!

Just confused as to what I should do now

Don't worry too much. The herpes vaccine isn't even available in North America and breeders there seem to do just fine! If you're going to give it, IMO it's best to give it once her heat cycle has started and before breeding. That way you don't need to take her to the vet after breeding and have that slightly stressful experience afterwards - she can take it easy.

Herpes is transferred by the bitch sniffing the urine of an infected dog - it doesn't have to be direct contact. Short of wrapping her up in cotton wool, you can't really prevent her catching it. But the vast majority of dogs have already had it anyway.... if she has been around other dogs, been to training classes etc, you can be sure she has already had it.

Sometimes the immune system can see an outbreak of herpes during pregnancy (like you might get cold sores when run down) but not often, so all will probably be well.

FWIW I never gave my bitches a Herpes jab, before or during pregnancy and we had no problems in the comparatively few litters we produced - 5 in Canada and 5 back in the UK.  

Was a time when there was a fad for owners of stud dogs to prefer bitches coming to use them went onto a course of antibiotics before being mated.   Especially with the popular stud dogs.    I asked my vet here, early days, to do that and she said 'why, your bitch isn't sick'!!!   So I never did.

I know of a breeder who only ever gives the 2nd jab and not the 1st so it can be given if you want it

Your vet can call the company to see if the 1st can be given at this stage as well. I know when we had an issue previously the company said it could be given safely later than the 7-10 days post mating but best to get the vet to call and check

I called the vet, they said they will only go on the guidance the company give. Something about mid pregnancy injection causing miscarriage??

There really is no point isolating your bitch, a recent survey in England showed that nearly 80% of all dogs carry the virus. So if she didn't have it before she was mated she probably has it now. It's been around a lot longer than the vaccine has and people still bred successfully. We've no way of knowing if they would have had bigger litters or less puppy mortality with the vaccine.

I usually take visiting bitches and their owners to my vet to get the jab after mating, no point getting it before if we don't know for sure if there will be a mating. A few years ago the vaccine was out of stock everywhere, but by the time bitch was about 8 weeks in whelp it was back in stock at their vets so they got one jab, she had a normal sized healthy litter.

I just had the first jab last time, and skipped the second. I can't recall why, I think I just didn't want to schlep a heavily pregnant bitch to the vet in the heat (it was summer) so I just decided not to get it and all was fine.

I am not sure if you can just have the 2nd one. My understanding when I looked into it, is they work like a booster - the 2nd boosts the 1st one so the bitch has high antibodies by the time the pups are born and passes those on in her milk to them. But surely just the 2nd one would give some protective effect. I'd suggest you ask your vet to phone the company and ask them if only the 2nd one can be given - and don't accept any BS answers from your vet... Since finding a good vet, I now know what that relationship is supposed to be like and I get really irritated when I hear about other people's poor experiences!

My friends definitely just had the 2nd one, and I don't remember their vet arguing about it.

It's the exact same injection given both times, so I suppose we shouldn't call it a 2nd one if it's the only one, so they gave the 1st just before whelping rather than around mating time, perhaps the OP could find another vet to do this is theirs won't?

I may be thick (don't answer that) but if both jabs are the same, how can 'the second one' not be 'the first one' if 'a first one' wasn't given?  And surely the jab, be it one or two, should be best given before the bitch is mated?  Clearly it's the end of the day and my brain has packed it in.

ps   I had my hair chopped this am - isn't there something about having hair cut .......

Both jabs are the same. The first should be given from start of heat up to (I think) 10 days or something after mating. The second one is given within a certain period before whelping.

The 2nd one boosts the effect of the first.

> how can 'the second one' not be 'the first one' if 'a first one' wasn't given?

No reason really, but there would be no point in giving the 2nd after the pups are born, so it would just be one jab now.

> should be best given before the bitch is mated?

It doesn't matter if you give it before or after mating, as long as it's about that time to protect conception/implantation.

Anyone using my dogs will be staying here for at least a few days, sometimes weeks as we're so far away from everyone else, so I usually book bitches in to my vet for the CHV jab, although I've never not managed to get good matings it does happen so there seems little point vaccinating a bitch until you're sure she needs it.

I have never used it, and bred 25 litters over last 3 decades.

Every time I looked into using it, it was unavailable.

Thank you all for your replies!