Sat 9th Feb: Happy Saturday at Tai Po

Mork the doberman will be rottie girl Gina's brother

It was a great day for the Tai Po dogs, with doberman Mork going home to become ex-HKDR rottweiler Gina's "brother", and German shepherd Harper leaving for a trial adoption.  Puppy Trudy was also picked up from her foster home after having been successfully interviewed during the week.

Trudy will soon be much bigger than her new poodle brother

Puppy Mello was also a lucky boy today, going home with a lovely family who also have another ex-HKDR adoptee to show Mello the ropes.

Puppy Mello has a big sister to look after him

New collie-mix girl Bali was also chosen, but there was concern about her not yet being desexed when there was a male older puppy, also not yet neutered, in the home.  I explained that female dogs will only mate when in season and can't get pregnant at any other time, and as the desexing surgery will be carried out very soon there shouldn't be any issue with the male-female combination.  I'm happy that this family are responsible enough to not want to take chances with an unwanted pregnancy, but I'm obviously also eager to see sweet dog Bali going to a home.

We haven't been able to have Bali desexed yet

Other than the fact that female dogs will only mate when they are in season, which happens twice a year, there is another issue that has dog owners confused and that's regarding vaccinations.   There is no disputing that puppies absolutely must be vaccinated against infectious diseases, with the current outbreak of parvovirus all over Hong Kong and the New Territories really hammering that point home.  This also applies to adult dogs that have never previously been vaccinated even though they will have a better natural immunity and are more likely to recover if they become infected.   Young puppies will need to have three DHPPiL vaccinations, three to four weeks apart, while older puppies (over four months) and adults only require two.  Puppies can also have one vaccination booster one year following the first set if there is any doubt. The rabies vaccination is required to be given at five months of age, and by law every three years thereafter, but that's a separate issue.

The confusion isn't about the first round of vaccinations as they are necessary to protect against diseases that can, and do, kill, it's whether or not subsequent annual vaccinations are needed for continued protection.  If you go round the vet clinics on Hong Kong and asked different vets you'll get varying opinions, so I would suggest you decide for yourself after doing some research.  It's easy enough to Google and the first site that shows up is this one, which I'll use as an example: http://www.nbcnews.com/id/8572826/ns/health-pet_health/t/still-vaccinating-your-pet-every-year/#.XF924FUza1s

Basically what it says is that yearly vaccinations are recommended by the drug manufacturers (no surprise there) but it's not backed up by the facts.  Immunity doesn't suddenly stop after a year, and three years, five and even much longer are the more updated periods given.  In fact vaccinating every three years is now the most widely accepted protocol, although even that is an arbitrary period, a compromise between the old way and the latest research.   Do I believe that dogs need vaccinating every year?  No I don't.  However as the article I used as an example says, that doesn't mean your dog (or cat) doesn't still need general health checks, especially older pets who may have things going on that you can't see, but I would definitely skip the vaccinations for these senior dogs too.

These little pups are ready to go to homes

Our puppies will be at Whiskers N Paws on Sunday as always, and as I write I'm still debating whether or not the "Kitten Litter" of small-sized babies should join this week.  The wind's blowing strongly outside and I'm afarid they might get blown off the terrace.  I'm joking, but regardless of whether this litter of youngsters is at Whiskers N Paws or at our own Ap Lei Chau Homing Centre, they're available for adoption.