Puppy Shots and Deadly Risks in Norfolk and Norwich Terriers

Preface:

The following article is reprinted from the AKC GAZETTE, June 1996, Norwich terrier Breed Column. We want to thank AKC Gazette for its policy allowing non-profit reproduction of breed columns. We are extremely happy AKC Gazette has a columnist for our breed such as Alison Freehling. Alison Freehling exhibits rare courage as she strives to make a difference to improve her breed through candor and disclosure of suspected genetic predisposition to vaccine-induced anaphylaxis. The subject matter here touches close to our hearts; as breeders we also have seen an entire litter of puppies experience anaphylactic shock on their second lepto shot.

George Back and Diane McManus, Sirius Norfolk and Norwich Terriers

RISK MANAGEMENT

by Alison Freehling, AKC Gazette's Norwich Terrier Breed Columnist

I smiled at the Christmas-card photo of my Norwich puppy, Koty, sitting warily on Santa's lap. He was probably worried he had been too naughty to get any presents, I chuckled.

My smile disappeared as I read the accompanying letter. After recounting her 4 1/2- month-old puppy's impish antics, Koty's new owner described
his severe reaction following modified live parvovirus and inactivated rabies vaccinations two weeks earlier.

Not again!, I despaired, remembering too well my 14-week-old Norwich P.C.'s death from anaphylactic shock after his second DHLPP inoculation (see my March and June 1995 columns). Koty's reaction, characterized by facial swelling, a gray tongue and persistent crying, began in the parking lot of the veterinary clinic. After treatment with epinephrine, antihistamines and corticosteroids, Koty seemed OK. But shortly after he arrived home, red blotches erupted on his muzzle and spread to his back. His tongue again turned gray and the crying resumed. Rushed back to the vet, Koty received more antihistamines and remained under observation for an hour.

His owner then spent a sleepless night monitoring his behavior. By next morning, he was fine.

Koty's close call both depressed and alarmed me. Since he is P.C.'s younger, full brother, their dual reactions suggested a possible genetic predisposition to vaccine hypersensitivity in this Norwich line. Unlike P.C.'s experience, however, Koty's anaphylaxis (most likely triggered by his fifth parvo rather than his first rabies inoculation) could not be blamed on the leptospirosis vaccine. The "no lepto" vaccination protocol adopted after P.C.'s death required additional risk-reduction stratagems for Koty's two litter sisters, still with me in Kentucky.

Although homeopathic veterinarians offer alternatives popular with many informed breeders, discontinuing all vaccinations would be, for me,too worrisome. Despite my Norwich's experiences, I know that, statistically, the risk of unvaccinated puppies dying from such virulent viral diseases as distemper and parvo is far greater than the risk of anaphylaxis.

I re-read the article "Are We Vaccinating Too Much?" in the Aug.15, 1995, Journal of the American Veterinary Medical Association. Then I asked one of the authors, Dr. Leland Carmichael, Professor of Virology and Director of Cornell University's Baker Institute for Animal Health, about puppy vaccinations.

Carmichael responded that, given the lack of scientific studies on post-vaccination reactions, the only safe "answer" for dogs with a family history of hypersensitivity is to "reduce risks by eliminating those antigens most likely to cause anaphylaxis," especially if the particular disease is not prevalent
in your area of the country. He also suggested "making sure the vet has epinephrine on hand to cope with acute problems" if they should arise.

During a puppy's first three months, preventing distemper and parvo should be the "principal objectives" of immunization. Hepatitis,lepto and kennel cough are "rarely seen" in puppies under 12 weeks.

The Baker Institute recommends the following vaccination schedule (modified live vaccines, except for rabies):

Distemper/measles and parvo at 6 weeks; parvo at 9 weeks; combined (DHLPP and others, depending on risk) at 12 and 16 weeks; and rabies at 16 to 20 weeks. Canine coronavirus is optional because there is inadequate evidence that the disease is prevalent in most areas and insufficient evidence of the vaccine's efficacy.

After weighing my puppies' life-style, family history of anaphylaxis, incidence of local disease and vaccine efficacy, my veterinarian customized a schedule based on the Baker Institute guidelines, adding intranasal bordetella at 12 weeks and excluding lepto and corona for all my Norwich,puppies as well as adults. As further precautions, Koty's sisters (and Koty!) will henceforth have only one inoculation per visit and will be premedicated with antihistamines. I will also closely monitor the puppies (and all my terriers) in the hours after vaccinations.

Any puppy or adult can experience anaphylaxis. "I'm actually surprised that more reactions do not occur," Carmichael wrote, "because of the large number of vaccine doses some animals receive." Be home in case your dog has a delayed reaction requiring prompt medical attention!

Some additional safety tips I gleaned from veterinary writings include: Do not vaccinate a puppy during any period of heightened stress, such as moving, boarding,strenuous showing or surgery. Do not vaccinate a puppy that is or has recently been clinically ill. Stress or illness can suppress a puppy's immune system and increase the risk of vaccinations. Might P.C.'s reaction have been less acute if he had not had his second combined shot just four days after our move from Connecticut to Kentucky?

Koty's close call has convinced me to not repeat the uncle-niece mating that produced him and P.C. Their traumatic experiences support the notion advanced in veterinary literature that small breeds, particularly closely bred small dogs, are more susceptible to vaccine reactions than large breeds and outcrossed dogs. Although closely linebred/inbred puppies may have super conformation, they also tend to have weaker immune systems. Health must be my foremost priority as a breeder. Two incidents of severe anaphylaxis are more than enough!

Just as I finished writing this column, a distraught Norfolk terrier breeder called to describe her 11-week-old male's near-fatal anaphylaxis following his second DHLPP shot. This incident was eerily reminiscent of P.C.'s, except that the Norfolk is an outcross and, thankfully, recovered after two hours of emergency treatment. I plan to send out a questionnaire in the near future to try to ascertain the frequency of moderate to severe vaccine reactions in Norwich (and Norfolk) puppies.

-Alison Freehling, 3500 Huntertown Road, Versailles., KY 40383, Reprinted from AKC GAZETTE, June 1996, Norwich terrier Breed Column