Effect of Aging on the Immune Response to Core Vaccines in Senior and Geriatric Dogs

Abstract

Elderly dogs are steadily increasing worldwide as well as veterinarians’ and owners’ interest in their health and wellness. Aging is not a disease, but a combination of changes negatively affecting the organism in general and the immune system in particular, resulting in a decline in protection over time. The aim of this study was to measure the specific serum antibody titers against the main dangerous and widespread viral diseases preventable by core vaccinations in senior and geriatric dogs using the in-practice test VacciCheck. A cohort of three hundred fifty elderly dogs was analyzed for Protective Antibody Titers (PATs) against CPV-2, CDV and CAdV-1. The age ranged from 5 to 19 years, with two hundred fifty-eight seniors (73.7%) and ninety-two geriatrics (26.3%), and 97.4% of them were vaccinated at least once in their lives. More than half of the entire study population (52.9%) had PATs simultaneously for all three diseases, with 80.5% seniors and 19.5% geriatrics. Specific PATs were found in 88.6% of aging dogs for CPV-2, 82.3% for CadV-1 and 66.0% for CDV, demonstrating that unprotected aging dogs represent a minority. Unexpectedly, the larger elderly dogs resulted as more protected than smaller ones for CPV-2. Protection then decreases over time, with geriatric dogs less protected than senior ones. Veterinary practitioners should therefore always consider whether to maintain core vaccinations in aging dogs as in adults on a three-year basis or opt instead for closer boosters (every 1 or 2 years). PATs for core vaccines could then represent a good biomarker of protection and their titration could become a standard of care, especially in such a sensitive period of the dogs’ life.

Canine Euthanasia’s Trend Analysis during Thirty Years (1990–2020) in Italy: A Veterinary Hospital as Case Study

“…"Old age" is considered a primary risk factor for euthanasia [11][12][13]. In modern society, the heightened focus on animals leads to a greater emphasis on their well-being, even during the geriatric phase of their lives [14][15][16]. Euthanasia is often viewed as a compassionate act aimed at alleviating unnecessary suffering in animals, regardless of their age [17].…”

Canine Amniotic Fluid at Birth Holds Information about Neonatal Antibody Titres against Core Vaccine Viruses

“…The increased immune response against this specific virus might be attributed to environmental exposure, as CPV-2 can persist for extended periods in the environment. Consequently, larger dogs, which are often more active and kept outdoors or allowed to roam freely with their owners, have a higher likelihood of exposure to CPV-2 [ 76 ].…”

Prevalence of Serum Antibody Titers against Core Vaccine Antigens in Italian Cats

“…The use of antibody titration to estimate protection before or after a core vaccination should be the first choice of every veterinary practitioner in daily practice to properly vaccinate their patients. This has always been possible through the use of gold standard tests (HI and VN), while only in recent years have practical in-clinic tests become commercially available such as the VacciCheck, which was used in this study and in similar studies of ours when core vaccine protection in dogs was the focus [67,85,[87][88][89][90]. Antibody titer tests may be very useful for monitoring immunity specific to core vaccines through a careful interpretation of antibody titration results [67].…”