imunesystem

Question
we had a Rottwiler which died when he was 4 months old. The vet said that he died of catflue even though he was inoculated. A nother vet told us that he most probably died of a weak imunesystem and that is because his mother was not inoculated in the year he was born. Is it true that it is important for a strong imunesystem of the puppy that the mother should have been inoculated in the birth year?

Answer
The most common thing that Rottweilers die of here is parvo virus. I don't know about cat flu, we only have a canine flu here.

Vaccinations are tricky things Hilke. If the mother is not vaccinated, then the puppies don't get as good immunity as they should at birth. They are born with 'maternal antibodies' that help them fight off diseases.

If the mother didn't pass on strong ones, the puppies won't be as able to fight off viruses. If the mother does pass them on, then they can actually render the vaccinations you get for the dog useless while they still protect the puppy.

The problem is this: no one knows when the maternal antibodies wane or disappear. So what happens is that if the puppy isn't vaccinated every three weeks, then there can be a point when there is no maternal antibodies to protect AND there are NO vaccinations circulating to protect the dog- which leaves it wide open to get parvo or any thing else and die.

I know that is confusing but that is the way it works. Most puppies are born with pretty good immune systems even if the mother wasn't vaccinated, but the maternal protection will probably wear off faster in these puppies.

I am sorry about your puppy- I know it is hard to lose them even so young.
I hope that your next dog is much healthier. Half breeds are generally stronger dogs, so instead of encouraging breeders to produce inferior dogs, save the life of one in a shelter.