Does nursing puppies after their first shots make them ineffective?

Question

I’ve been told that after puppies have their first needle letting them feed from the mother will cancel out the purpose of the needle – is this true? Pet's info: Dog | Beagle | Male | unneutered | 1 month and 15 days old | 5 lbs

Sara Farmer, DVM · Accepted Answer

It is true that maternal antibodies can interfere with the immune system's ability to respond to a vaccine in a young puppy, but puppies do not get significant antibody from the mother's milk past the first day so it is absolutely fine for them to continue to nurse. One reason we give so many vaccine boosters when puppies are young is because it is difficult to predict exactly when mom's antibody will start to decline in the puppy so that they can mount their own adequate immune response. Usually maternal antibody is completely gone sometime between 16-20 weeks, which is why we try to time the last vaccine booster around then.

Does nursing puppies after their first shots make them ineffective?

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