This is especially important for kittens under six months of age, in which positive results are often caused
by immunity from the mother.
The goal is for at least two of these to fall into the timeframe when the puppy has
lost immunity from its mother but has not yet been exposed to disease.
Because a puppy or kitten's
conferred immunity from their mother can last anywhere from 6 - 14 weeks, a puppy or kitten may remain vulnerable to infectious disease if they receive only one round of shots.
However, because there can be a gap between the gradual decline in
residual immunity from mother's milk and the pup's ability to respond to the vaccination, some
There are many benefits babies receive as a result of nursing from and interacting with mom, but the passage of
protective immunity from the mother through the milk ceases just a few days after birth.
We hope that at least two of these will fall in the window of time when the puppy has
lost immunity from its mother but has not yet been exposed to disease.
Especially with all the emerging research about the transfer of gut flora and
immunity from mother to baby during delivery, it would definitely be preferable not to take antibiotics if it can be avoided (especially if testing positive for GBS can be avoided in the first place).
As mentioned previously, puppies obtain
their immunity from their mother's first milk, the colostrum, on the first day of life.
Kittens and puppies inherit a natural
immunity from their mother that protects them at birth, but it begins wearing off at six weeks of age.
Fortunately most puppies already have
some immunity from their mother or from vaccinations.
They may «borrow»
some immunity from their mother's milk, but once they're weaned, they need to be manufacturing their own protective antibodies.
We hope that at least two of these will fall in the window of time between the kitten losing
the immunity from its mother and potentially being exposed to disease.
Prior to weaning, the puppies will get
some immunity from their mothers, but young weaned puppies are a particularly vulnerable to infections; and it is known that diseases do spread like wildfire in kennel conditions.
This preserves the maternal antibodies (
the immunity from mother's milk) that a vaccine binds and destroys.
The puppies get a natural
immunity from their mothers, but by the time they are 6 to 8 weeks old, they're losing that and they become very vulnerable to all the diseases and illnesses that are out there.
Your kitten aquired
some immunity from its mother (maternal immunity) at birth.
Kittens that receive bottle feeding immediately after birth will not get
this immunity from their mother to prevent possibly fatal diseases like feline panleukopenia.
While pups receive
some immunities from their mother's milk, there's no point in exposing them unnecessarily.
Puppies and kittens inherit a natural
immunity from their mother that protects them from birth until about 6 weeks of age.
They receive
this immunity from their mother, as maternal antibodies.