Dog Immunizations

Some knowledge of the body's defense against diseases and of immunity is necessary in understanding methods of prevention and cure.When a dog that has been bitten develops an abscess, its body builds dam around the area and walls it off from the rest of the body. The next time the dog is bitten other infections may develop from the same bacteria. But if, instead of developing a localized abscess, the bacteria invade the bloodstream, a different condition develops. If the dog survives by its own bodily mechanism or chemistry, it will be immune to that species of bacteria for a long time afterward. But if the dog mistreated with medicine such as penicillin, which destroys every bacterium of that type in the body within a few days, then solid immunity may not be developed.

This happens because the body builds up defenses to overcome infections in several ways: white cells may engulf them, or the body may develop anti-toxins which counteract the toxins elaborated by the bacteria. All an i-mal bodies have the power to develop specific countercheck that will act to destroy invading bacteria. These defense chemicals are called antibodies. It is amazing how specific they can be. The antibodies against one disease organism are seldom of value against another. Re-covering from one species of coccid, a dog can still contract an-other form. But if the dog is to develop immunity, it may have to recover without medication. If the recovery from a bacterial disease is due to chemicals added to the blood, the dog does not always develop antibodies which will solidly protect it against that form of is-ease in the future.

There are different kinds of immunity. Passive immunity is conferred by additions of biologics to the blood that ensure temporary protection .Inherent or inherited immunity is transmitted from parent to offspring .Acquired immunity is acquired after birth. Active immunity is produced by an dog's own tissues or fluids. It may be produced by (1) having disease and recovering; (2) constant mild exposure to the disease-producing organism; (3) injection of dead organisms or products of dead organisms; or (4) injection of attenuated or dead viruses. The viruses are attenuated in several ways: by the addition of chemicals to live virus; by passing the disease through another species; and by grow-in it in cell or tissue cultures.

Anti vitamins--rancid fat destroys vitamin E; an enzyme in raw fish destroys thiamine; raw egg white inactivates biotin; high temperature cooking destroys many vitamins; excesses of some vitamins such as vitamin D are dangerous.

Although not specifically vitamins, unsaturated fatty acids perform many of the same functions, and so we list them here:

Scientists have made careful studies of what they often .11 "nutritional wisdom" in dog. In doing so they expose dog of one species or another - children, rabbits, dogs, cattle, poultry to separate dishes of all kinds of foods. Each day they measure what is left and keep track of what the appetite dictates the dog needs. In making these studies the scientist tries to rule out "conditioning." He knows

The female organs of reproduction are, from the outside in, the vulva,clitoris, vagina, cervix, uterus, Fallopian tubes, ovaries; and, on the lower abdomen, the udder, which includes the mammary glands with their accessories. The udder is actually a group of skin glands, and its ailments are considered here only because they are so closely tied in with the reproductive processes.

The reproductive system is subject to many ills, but those most obvious to the layperson are growths, unnatural discharges, irregular heat periods, infertility, and insufficient milk production. In addition there are many disorders and infections which, though not evident from the outside, can cause infertility and even death.

Ovarian Problems. A bitch's ovaries are about as large as pea bean sand are surrounded by capsules on the outside of which the fallopian tubes twist along and end in spongy-looking edges called imbricate. The ovaries have most commonly one problem.

Cysts is not found in young bitches (up to six or eight months old, letups say), cysts in older dog are the most frequent ovarian problem in our experience.

Cysts do not grow out of the ovaries proper but from the tissue connected with them. They may be as large as pigeon eggs but more often are half an inch across or smaller. Many exploratory operations to determine the cause of sterility have been performed, and when cysts were discovered, it was found that merely rupturing them resulted in aitch's coming in heat promptly and producing sizable litters.

Cysts around the ovaries do not always produce complete sterility,and they usually affect the general health very little.