A critical part of keeping a dog healthy is maintaining a vaccination schedule.  This means that every year you visit the veterinarian and your dog receives both an examination and vaccinations.  You may wish to use the following as a general guidline for vaccinations of your dog:

Age	Vaccine Recommended
5-8 weeks	Distemper, Measles, CPI
14-16 weeks	DHLPP, Rabies
12 months & annually	DHLPP, Rabies (1)
12 months & 3 yr. intervals	Rabies (1)
(1) Rabies vaccinations available in either 1 year or 3 year doses. DHLPP = Distemper, Hepatitis (Canine), Leptospirosis, Parainfluenza               (Canine), Parvovirus (Canine).

These vaccinations represent the minimum vaccinations your dog should receive.  The geographical area you live in may necessitate additional shots as some diseases are more prevelant in certain areas.  You should ask your vet about additional shots as they may not be routinely included in normal shot programs.

Vaccinations can fail if:

• they weren't properly administered (a vet should either administer or supervise vaccinations)
• the dog has some innate inability to respond
• the dog has already been exposed to the disease in question, thus it has immunity
• the puppy is too young for the vaccination to "take"

Other vaccines and preventives you should also consider include:

• Heartworm

Heartworm prevention should begin (at the earliest) at around 5 months.  The actual timing of the medication does depend on where you live.  If you live in an area where hard frosts don't occur, you may need heartworm medication for your dog year-round.  In areas with winters and hard frosts, heartworm medication is administered from spring through late fall.

• Bordatella vaccines (for Kennel cough)

Usually administered at 6 months (or earlier depending on your circumstances).  This vaccine protects your dog from Kennel Cough.  Recommended if you intend to have your dog around other dogs for any length of time.  If you plan to go to dog school or even play in the park on a regular basis with other dogs, I would recommend this vaccine.

What is Ehrlichia? (please view the Ehrlichia article available on the Web)

Ehrlichiosis is a rickettsial disease.

Ehrlichiosis is related to Rocky Mountain Spotted Fever and shares similar signs, though rarely does a victim of ehrlichiosis display the rash that is associated with RMSF.  Lyme disease also shares some of the same signs, but technically is in a separate category. Lyme disease is caused by a spirochete (a spiral shaped bacteria) and although it is transmitted by ticks, as are most of the rickettsias, Lyme disease is sensitive to a wider range of antibiotics, and Lyme disease has never been linked to fatalities as are many of the rickettsias. The rickettsial group is unique in that it's members share some traits of a virus, and some traits of a bacteria, but they are classified with bacteria.

from "Ehrlichiosis:  A Silent and Deadly Killer" by Jan Hendricks and Bob Wilson

Ehrlichia has many forms.  The diseases attributed to the organizms in the genus ehrlichia include one disease found in humans which causes HGE (Human Granulocytic Ehrlichiosis).

The strain of Ehrlichia that has historically affected dogs (through tick contact) is E. canis.  However, another strain that has been known to affect dogs is E. risticii.  E. risticii is from the same species which causes Potomac Horse Fever (in horses, of course).

Another strain is E. equi species which causes illness in horses.  E. equi has recently been found to affect dogs, too.  The author of the referred Ehrlichia article and Ehrlichia updates, Jan Hendricks, knows of a few new E. equi cases in Border Terriers.

Other identified species are E. sennetsu, human pathogen, E. ewingii and E. platys, both canine pathogens. The species E. ewingii has been reported in dogs in Minnesota, and likely occurs in other states as well.

This disease is, unfortunately, very difficult to diagnose and often has the exact same symptoms as many other diseases that veterinarians are more familiar with (e.g., autoimmune disorders, parvo, etc.).  I cannot stress enough how important it is for you to understand this disease and keep it in mind when your dog becomes ill and no amount of care (steriods, antiobiotics like amoxycillan, etc.) helps.

Additionally, please read my section where the latest information on Ehrlichia, from Jan Hendricks, is published.

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