Safety of Canigen® DHPPi/L(R) Vaccines for Pregnant Bitches and their Offspring

Introduction: Vaccination during pregnancy is usually not recommended with live vaccines, because of the risks of inducing disease in a pregnant female dog with an impaired immune system, and of infecting growing foetuses and neonates, especially with parvovirus. However, there are cases where pregnant female dogs could be vaccinated, for example an unknown pregnancy or during a disease outbreak in a shelter environment. The aim of this study was to assess the safety of a multivalent canine vaccine, Canigen® DHPPi/ L(R), in pregnant dogs. Materials and methods: A vaccine overdose was administered twice (approximately days 25 and 46 of gestation), to five multiparous pregnant beagle bitches. Five non-vaccinated pregnant beagle bitches served as negative controls. Results: No abnormal systemic reactions were observed in any of the bitches following the vaccine injections. All pregnancies went to term in both groups. The vaccinated female dogs gave birth to 44 puppies in total, which corresponds to a median litter size of 9 puppies (first quartile: 7, third quartile: 9). In the control group, the total number of puppies was 40, corresponding to a median litter size of 8 puppies (first quartile: 7, third quartile: 8). No significant differences were observed between the groups regarding the number of live puppies at whelping (p = 0.67) and 14 days later (p = 0.75). Vaccination during regnancy did not alter the general health parameters or growth rate of the puppies. This study confirmed the safety of Canigen® DHPPi/L(R) vaccine, even in the extreme conditions of the repeated administration of overdoses during pregnancy. Canigen® DHPPi/L(R) is therefore a safe multivalent vaccine for pregnant bitches and their offspring.