Species: Dog Breed: Husky Mix Age: Less than 3 mon
Hi,
We live in the high arctic and don't have access to vet services and thus have had a difficult time in acquiring the first series of vaccines for our new puppy. Most vets will not sell them to us and we do not want to fly down south in fear of her being overly stressed or catching something at such a young age. We have located a supply company out of Winnipeg who will ship us a Pfizer product but don't know what type of vaccine to order from them. We're hoping you would be able to clarify what Pfizer brand vaccines we should order for the 6, 10, 14 week shots. We are provided the rabies shot free of charge through the gov't of Nunavut and don't need this product.
Thank you for your time.
Al & Adriana
Dr. Marie replied:
Well this is an interesting question. I know that I have shipped vaccine to Nunavut for clients of mine who had moved there. But I can see that other vets would not be willing to do that if you are not an established client. That is good news that you are able to get vaccines on your own.
There are probably legal issues with me giving you advice on what to give to your pet without having a client-patient relationship with you, but I can give you some generalizations that really should help.
I would think that the main concerns in Nunavit would be for parvovirus, possibly distemper and also rabies. I dont' think that leptospirosis and lyme disease would be common in a northern climate.
So, I would generally start vaccinations between 6 and 8 weeks of age and the vaccine I would use would be one that has distemper and parvo. (We generally use a combo called DA2PPV (distemper, adenovirus, parvo virus and parainfluenza)). Then, I would be giving this vaccine again 3-4 weeks later and a third time 3-4 weeks after that. Each needle is given as a subcutaneous injection. I usually use a 3cc syringe and a 25g needle, but a 22g is ok as well. The dose for each vaccine will be 1cc which should be the whole bottle.
With that final vaccine I would also give a rabies vaccination. I would be surprised if you can buy rabies vaccine out of Winnipeg as most provinces have a legal requirement for a licensed vet to administer a rabies vaccine. But, if you can get the DA2PPV vaccine that's a start.
(Added: I just reread your question and saw that you have access to rabies vaccines, so ignore that last part!)
Here is another place that may be able to help you. This is the licensing body for veterinarians in Nunavut:
Government of Nunavut Department of Health and Social Services
Nunavut Registrar Professional Licensing
P.O. Box 390
Kugluktuk, NU X0B 0E0
(867) 982-7672
Disclaimer: Although Dr. Marie is a qualified veterinarian, the information found on this site is not meant to replace the advice of your own veterinarian. AskAVetQuestion.com and Dr. Marie do not accept any responsibility for any loss, damage, injury, death, or disease which may arise from reliance on information contained on this site. Do not use information found on this site for diagnosing or treating your pet. Anything you read here is for information only.
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Veterinarian, Dr. Marie created this site to be able to provide quick, accurate veterinary advice online. She would love to help with your pet's problem!
Dr. Marie is a veterinarian who practices in a busy animal hospital in Ottawa, Ontario. She created Ask A Vet Question as a resource for good, accurate veterinary advice online. Dr. Marie treats dogs, cats, hamsters, guinea pigs, and rats. She has been a vet since 1999.
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