CANINE PARVOVIRUS INFECTION, CANINE-DISTEMPER AND INFECTIOUS CANINE HEPATITIS - INCLINATION TO VACCINATE AND ANTIBODY-RESPONSE IN THE SWEDISH DOG-POPULATION

The inclination of dog owners to vaccinate was investigated by sending a questionnaire to randomly selected Swedish dog-owning households. A ccording to the owners (n = 538), 86.7% of the dogs had been vaccinate d against CPV and 95.8% had been vaccinated against CD/ICH. The inclin ation to vaccinate mixed breeds was significantly lower than the incli nation to vaccinate pure-bred dogs. In a second study titres of CPV, C D and CAV-1 virus antibodies were measured in 176 randomly selected do gs with known vaccination histories. CPV antibody titres greater than or equal to 1:80 were detected in 70.9% of the CPV vaccinated dogs. Th ere was a significant difference in the fraction of dogs with CPV titr e greater than or equal to 1:80 between the group last vaccinated with live attenuated vaccine and the group last vaccinated with inactivate d vaccine. Titres of CD and CAV-1 virus antibodies greater than or equ al to 1:16 were found in 86.1% and 91.6% of the vaccinated dogs respec tively. The fraction of dogs with CAV-1 antibody titres greater than o r equal to 1:16 was significantly greater in the group that received i nactivated CAV-1 vaccine than in the group vaccinated with attenuated live CAV-2 vaccine. Approximately 50% of the dogs were booster vaccina ted against all 3 diseases at one year of age.