Over the years, we have found that there are several
misconceptions concerning the timing and development of a
puppy's immune system. When puppies are born, their immune
systems are not fully developed. Therefore, they are susceptible
to any and all infectious conditions. If a serious disease
organism were encountered, the puppy would probably succumb to
the disease. Fortunately, Mother Nature has devised a method to
provide newborns with protection from disease causing organisms.
This method is called passive immunity. Immunity is "passed" to
the puppy through the antibody loaded, first milk produced by
the mother. This special milk is called colostrum. When one
animal receives another animal's disease-fighting antibodies
and/or white blood cells, rather than developing their own, we
refer to this as 'passive immunity.' Examples of passive
immunity include the antibodies received by a fetus through the
placenta, antibodies the newborn receives from her mother
through the very first nursing, antivenins to tre