Abstract: The general field of the invention is a method for nucleic acid vaccination for animals to protect them from parvoviral infection. This invention is more particularly related to the preparation and use of parvoviral DNA and its administration to dogs, cats and mink so as to induce an immune response that can protect these animals from disease caused by virulante parvovirus. Nucleic acid immunogens are designed to include the antigenic portions of the parvoviral genome which are incorporated into bacterial plasmids. These plasmids produce the desired parvoviral gene product when introduced into host cells by transfection. Host cells transfected with the parvoviral immunogen expressing plasmids produce a stream ot antigenic proteins to which the host immune system will mount a protective immune response.