FAQ's

Frequently Asked Questions

I have heard leptospiral vaccines are very reactive. How safe is LeptoVax 4?

Most dogs have no problems at all after vaccination. A few may experience mild, self-limiting fever, malaise, lethargy or anorexia. (This should be considered a normal response to vaccination and indicates the dog’s immune system is responding and developing a protective immunity.) Rarely, signs of allergy may be seen (facial edema, hives, pruritus, vomiting and/or diarrhea). Although possible, anaphylaxis is an extremely rare event. In a retrospective study of more than 1.2 million dogs, Duramune ^® Max 5/4L demonstrated an extremely low rate of adverse events on par with other canine vaccines such as rabies or corona.¹⁰

I have been told LeptoVax 4 should not be used in small-breed dogs because it causes reactions. Is this true?

No. While some smaller dogs and puppies may be more likely to experience mild, self-limiting malaise or lethargy, this should not preclude vaccination as these dogs still need protection from disease. Most small breeds tolerate vaccination well and experts recommend small breeds receive leptospiral vaccines.

Can I use LeptoVax 4 as a diluent for other vaccines?

No. It is a stand-alone product and cannot be mixed in the same syringe with any other Boehringer Ingelheim Vetmedica, Inc. vaccine or any competitors’ vaccines. Consider choosing Duramune® Max 5/4L or Duramune® Max 5-Cvk/4L combination products with distemper, adenovirus, parainfluenza, parvovirus and/or coronavirus for the convenience of a single injection. LeptoVax® 4/C and Duramune® Lyme + LeptoVax® 4/C are also available to veterinarians using a modified protocol such as Duramune Adult 3. These combinations are useful for filling out the appropriate vaccine protocol.

I have a dog that only requires leptospiral vaccination. Can I use the diluent from Duramune Max 5/4L to vaccinate it?

No. Unlike LeptoVax® 4, this diluent is not pH and salt balanced (until the diluent and cake portions are mixed together). Many dogs will experience stinging if the diluent is used without the distemper, adenovirus, parainfluenza, parvovirus cake portion. Use LeptoVax 4 if only leptospiral protection is required.

A dog received only one dose of LeptoVax® 4 last year and never had its booster. Will it be protected with a single dose this year?

Unlikely. The dog should be scheduled for a booster dose two weeks after the year’s first dose. This ensures the greatest certainty of protection. Counsel your client about the importance of protection from a potentially fatal disease, one that also may cause disease in people.

A dog has been vaccinated regularly with canicola and icterohaemorrhagiae bacterins only. It received Duramune® Max 5/4L (containing four serovars of Leptospira) this year. Does it still need a booster in two to three weeks?

Yes. Protection against grippotyphosa and pomona, two of today’s most common disease-causing serovars, requires two doses two to three weeks apart. You should use LeptoVax® 4 even though the dog does not require a booster of the canicola and icterohaemorrhagiae portions.

If a dog has recovered from leptospirosis, does it still need to be vaccinated?

Yes. Immunity following recovery from disease will protect the dog only against the infecting serovar. For instance, if illness was caused by serovar pomona the dog is still susceptible to grippotyphosa, canicola or icterohaemorrhagiae.

All the dogs in my area that tested positive for leptospirosis had autumnalis. Why should I use LeptoVax® 4 if it does not contain this serovar?

Autumnalis is not thought to be a true infectious serovar for dogs. The most likely reason for this result is the dog was infected with another serovar and autumnalis titers were a cross reaction, a limitation of the MAT test. Look for the serovar with the next highest titer as the cause, or if possible, perform a convalescent titer two to four weeks after the acute phase titer to further refine the infecting serovar.

If LeptoVax® 4 does not contain serovar bratislava, why should I use it in my clients’ dogs?

To date, researchers have not been able to prove bratislava is a disease of dogs, although bratislava may be a common result of MAT testing. If you are seeing bratislava in your practice area, then exposure to other serovars also is likely. Use LEPTOVAX 4 to offer protection for the most serovars currently available in a lepto vaccine. BIVI promises continued innovation and expertise in vaccine research and development, and will continue to offer lepto vaccines with the most current serovars to further refine the infecting serovar.