Nobivac^® DP PLUS Q&A

Nobivac DP PLUS is for the active immunisation of puppies from 4 weeks of age:

• to prevent clinical signs and mortality of canine distemper virus infection and canine parvovirus infection
• to prevent viral excretion following canine distemper virus infection and following canine parvovirus infection

Nobivac DP PLUS can be given from 4 weeks of age.

The parvovirus strain in Nobivac DP PLUS is called 630a. This is a new strain which is a recombinant vaccine virus combining the backbone of our existing 154 vaccine virus (as used in our existing Nobivac^® DHPPi, Nobivac^® DHP, and Nobivac^® Parvo-C vaccines) with a capsid derived from a CPV type 2c isolate.

The structure of 630a: The inverted terminal repeat (ITR) ends—the folded hairpin parts at the end of the parvovirus genome—belong to the CPV-2 154 strain (the existing CPV strain in our other Nobivac^® vaccines) as do the non-structural proteins that drive the replication of the DNA. What is different is the virus capsid, which is derived from a CPV2c field isolate.

The Onderstepoort distemper strain is the same as used in the rest of the Nobivac^® range (i.e. in Nobivac DHP and Nobivac DHPPi) but with a higher minimum titre of 10^5.1 compared to 10⁴ in Nobivac DHP and DHPPi.

It is likely to be linked to the targeted changes made to the virus capsid as well as the way that it was made using genetic modification. The 630a strain was made using recombinant technology to directly put specific attenuating changes into the virus capsid. As a result, it behaves in a similar manner to a field virus, except for the fact that it doesn't cause disease. It is therefore likely that 630a is able to grow better inside the dog, meaning that it is likely it can efficiently infect and replicate without being inactivated as easily by maternal antibody. It is also possible that the structure of the capsid is better able to evade being bound to and neutralised by maternal antibody.

The on-label onset of immunity is 3 days for canine parvovirus and 7 days for canine distemper virus as determined by challenge.

The minimum duration of immunity after a single dose, as determined by challenge trial, has been established as 8 weeks. Puppies should continue to complete their primary vaccination for the core diseases with Nobivac^® DHP or Nobivac^® DHPPi to provide an extended duration of immunity for the core viral diseases and complete a 2 dose primary course against leptospirosis, using either Nobivac^® Lepto 2 or Nobivac^® L4.

There are no breed-specific contraindications for Nobivac DP PLUS.

Nobivac DP PLUS is intended as a stand-alone vaccine for young puppies.

Safety data is available for Nobivac^® KC used concurrently with Nobivac DP PLUS. Studies demonstrated no increased safety risk when these two products were used concurrently via their separate routes. As regards to efficacy, although there was no evidence of any negative effect on the efficacy of the Nobivac DP PLUS, the efficacy of the Nobivac KC was not investigated and therefore there were insufficient data to be able to demonstrate the efficacy of both products following concurrent use.

Hence, the SPC wording is a ‘safety only’ concurrent use indication as follows:

“Safety data are available which demonstrate that this vaccine can be administered on the same day but not mixed with vaccine of the Nobivac series containing Bordetella bronchiseptica and canine parainfluenza virus components for intranasal administration. Efficacy after concurrent use has not been tested. Therefore, while safety of concurrent use has been demonstrated, the veterinarian should take this into account when deciding to administer the products at the same time.”

No. Unlike other Nobivac dog vaccines, Nobivac DP PLUS has not been assessed for safety or efficacy during pregnancy.

Nobivac DP PLUS requires storage in a refrigerator between 2°C and 8°C. Do not freeze. Protect from light.

Yes, however there is no concurrent compatibility claim with the Nobivac^® leptospirosis vaccines and further vaccination against the core viral diseases would be needed to extend the duration of immunity and to include protection against adenovirus (hepatitis).

In this situation the following protocols could be considered, dependent on which leptospirosis vaccine is used:

If using Nobivac L4:

Or if using Nobivac Lepto 2:

Yes, as a single dose of Nobivac^® DHP or Nobivac^® DHPPi given at 10 weeks or older would be considered sufficient to protect against the core viral diseases (a single dose of Nobivac DHPPi would need to be given at 12 weeks or older for additional protection against canine parainfluenza virus). A 2 dose primary course against leptospirosis would also still be necessary. Please note that Nobivac DP PLUS does not protect against canine adenovirus. Therefore, if protection against canine adenovirus is required before 10 weeks of age earlier vaccination using Nobivac DHP or DHPPi would be necessary.

Some practices may give an additional vaccine to puppies at 16 weeks of age due to the concern regarding high maternally derived antibodies (MDA) interfering with vaccination for parvovirus. As the efficacy of Nobivac DP PLUS is not impacted by MDA from 4 weeks of age an additional parvovirus vaccine would not be considerd necessary at 16 weeks of age.

However it is advisable to continue to give a full vaccine booster at 12 months of age so that any puppies that did not seroconvert after distemper or adenovirus vaccination have another opportunity to do so before using an extended duration of immunity protocol.

* Please note that WSAVA vaccination guidelines suggest the timing of the final vaccine in the puppy series should be at 16 weeks of age or older for all core viral components. Therefore, in order to follow these guidelines a further dose of Nobivac DHP or DHPPi would be necessary at 16 weeks of age or older, to include protection against canine distemper virus and canine adenovirus.

WSAVA vaccination guidelines also make a recommendation for a full booster between 6 and 12 months of age so that any puppies that did not seroconvert to the core viral components have another opportunity to do so before moving to an extended duration of immunity protocol.

There is a little doubt that there can be significantly more confidence in early protection against both canine parvovirus and distemper after vaccination with Nobivac DP PLUS. The approach to a phased programme of socialisation would depend on your risk assessment taking into account the potential exposure to low risk diseases such as canine adenovirus and, to a lesser extent, canine distemper virus for that puppy. Potentially a puppy could start phased socialisation from a younger age depending on the age they were vaccinated with Nobivac DP PLUS. A week after their Nobivac DP PLUS vaccine you may consider puppies could be socialised outside and start meeting other dogs with some restrictions. As they are not protected against leptospirosis some caution is necessary to minimise exposure e.g avoid swimming, keeping the puppy on a lead, not allowing it to drink from pools and other watercourses likely to present a risk and avoiding areas where there are large numbers of rodents, such as stable yards and farmyards.

Yes. It is intended as a stand-alone vaccine for young puppies from 4-6 weeks of age. We would recommend a 2 week gap between Nobivac^® DP PLUS and a different brand of vaccine to finish the primary course.