While you cherish the friendship and affection of your furry friend, you need to be very careful when it comes to their healthcare. It is crucial to ensure that your pets are properly vaccinated in order to prevent any fatal diseases and other health issues.

As these diseases can be fatal, there are even several laws that mandate vaccination for puppies and dogs. Besides rabies, there are multiple types of vaccinations for dogs that you need to know about. It is essential to make informed decisions and plan appropriate vaccination schedules for doggo.

We know there may be many questions in your mind regarding the vaccinations, how are they done, how important they are, if they are optional, the right time to start their vaccine, the side effects of vaccines, etc. Before you get on with a vaccination schedule for your pup, we thought of answering all those questions for you.

About Dog Vaccines

Vaccines boost up your dog’s immune system. It defends any invasion of viruses, bacteria and prevents disease. Antigens are present in the vaccines. It mimics the disease-causing virus in the immune system without causing illness.

The necessity of vaccines for dogs and puppies is to boost up the immune system to recognize the antigen present. After the dog is vaccinated, its immune system can identify the disease.

Therefore, it can fight it off or reduce severe effects. There are many types of dog vaccinations available in the market. You need first to consult your veterinarian and decide which one your dog or puppy needs.

Also Checkout: Important things that you should consider when buying food for dogs.

What Are The Core Dog Vaccinations?

Core dog vaccinations are essential for all canines. It prevents the universal risk of exposure, risk of transmission from other pets, including human beings, and the gravity of the disease. According to the experts, these are some of the core dog vaccinations:

1. Canine Parvovirus
2. Leptospirosis
3. Rabies
4. Canine Distemper
5. Hepatitis
6. Non-core – vaccines include
7.  Canine Influenza (dog flu)
8.  Bordetella
9.  Lyme vaccine

Although the last few are not core vaccines, they are critical for your dogs. They prevent many infectious diseases. Review these vaccines at your next dog’s appointment. This way, you will understand the need for these non-core vaccines and appropriate recommendations.

Rabies vaccinations are a must by law in almost every country. Dog owners should vaccinate their puppies and dogs periodically. State specifies the time frame of the vaccination schedule mainly. Generally, the rabies vaccine for puppies is given around 16 weeks. The vaccine works well for a year. For adult dogs, the rabies vaccine works well for three years.

Are Dog Vaccines Optional?

As an owner, you may be curious if vaccines are mandatory for your dog. Well, vaccines are essential, but all of them are not mandatory depending upon your dog’s overall health. Every dog and puppy does not need to be vaccinated against every disease. It depends on the immunity of the puppy or dog. The factors that determine the vaccination of your dog are given below:

1. Age
2.  Medical history
3. Travel habits
4. Lifestyle
5. Environment

The factors vary from dog to dog. Before you vaccinate your dog, you should always seek professional recommendations. Therefore, you must discuss the vaccination protocol for your pet with your veteran at the next dog vaccination schedule.

When To Start Vaccination For Puppies?

Generally, puppies are vaccinated as soon as they are brought home, which is mostly between 6 to 8 weeks. Additionally, it receives the vaccine every three weeks until it reaches four months of age and receives the final one.

Puppies receive antibodies from their mother’s milk if the mother has strong immunity. Vaccination should begin once it stops feeding its mother’s milk. Always consult your vet once before starting with your puppies first vaccination.

Scheduling Dog Vaccination

A dog vaccination schedule begins when your puppy hits the age of adulthood. After the core puppy vaccinations are done, the veteran starts with the adult vaccination schedule. The adult vaccine schedule includes periodic adult boosters and the combination of the same type of DHPP vaccine. They are similar to the ones given to the puppies with more additions.

In the first one-year visit, the veteran advises boosting their DHPP, Rabies vaccine, Leptospirosis, Canine Influenza, and Lyme depending on the dog’s lifestyle. Kennel Cough (bordetella) should also be administered by that time.

Side Effects And Risks That May Come Along With Dog Vaccinations

The benefits of dog vaccination generally outgrow the risks. Adverse side effects to the vaccines are very rarely found. Although the immunization or medication history, there are some side effects to dogs’ and puppies’ vaccines. Several reactions post-vaccination are as follow:
1. Fever
2. Sluggishness
3. Diarrhea
4. Pain or swelling around the injection site
5. Vomiting
6. Loss of appetite
7. Facial or paw swelling and hives
8. Collapse, difficulty breathing, and seizures (anaphylactic shock)

The maximum of the reactions is for a concise duration. You can ignore the mild symptoms, which are almost similar to human vaccines if you find a more severe reaction and immediately get in contact with your veteran for an extended period.

Why Is Dog Vaccination A Good Decision?

According to a report from the American Veterinary Medical Association, dog vaccines have saved the lives of millions of animals over the past many years. As a dog owner, we hope that you have thought well about getting your pet vaccinated.

As per several recent studies, these dog vaccines provide long-lasting immunity against illness and different fatal diseases that tend to hound the animals. Their effects are much better than what vets and scientists had thought. There’s certainly no reason to skip vaccination for your pet. We have still listed some reasons why vaccinating your dog is a good decision.

1. Helps Prevention Of Fatal Diseases

The most important and obvious reason for dog vaccination is preventing any illness or diseases for them. There are different types of dog vaccinations that help in preventing and eliminating various diseases.

It is often suggestible to begin the vaccination right when your dog is young. Animals are known to be at a greater risk of serious diseases at a younger age. It is that stage when their immune system is not fully developed. Getting some extra help at the right time will surely help in fighting off illness and improve their growth.

Starting vaccination at the right time helps to build up immunity against specific diseases. The pet’s immune system starts creating additional antibodies that are capable of fighting off any disease-carrying elements. To protect your pet from dangerous diseases and help their immunity build up completely, it is important to follow the vaccination cycle carefully. Before you adopt a pet, set some time apart for their healthcare and vaccination.

2. Protects Other Pets

As a dog owner, the most fun part that you will experience is forming new friendships and communities at the park with other pet owners and even on the streets. Your furry friend could be a social butterfly or maybe a “fly solo” type.

In both ways vaccinating them is the right thing to do concerning other animals out there. Unless your pet is vaccinated, there’s enough chance that they may make other animals sick. In fact, unvaccinated pets can spread diseases to other people, especially younger children.

While this can be worse than you think, make sure your pets are safe for your family and other animals. If you wish to take your pets to special dog parks, it may be mandatory to get them vaccinated. Before you let your pets socialize with other animals, make sure to enquire from the pet owner about their vaccinations. Believe us, there’s nothing wrong with initiating a conversation regarding vaccinations. You might be just saving lives!

3. Ensure Your Safety

We know very well that you are trying to put in all the efforts to keep your furry friend healthy and safe. Certainly, now you understand that vaccination is one of the major elements of pet care.

However, along with preventing diseases for your four-legged friends, vaccinating them also tends to protect you and other family members against any diseases or illnesses that may be caused due to the pets.

Your pets are often known to carry various diseases which also include serious ones like Leptospirosis and Rabies. This should be a major concern especially when your pets are more likely to be around kids and the elderly in the family. It’s both a social and moral obligation to get your pets vaccinated on time.

Conclusion

To end with, vaccines are essential for your dogs or puppies. It is the way to protect your pet from harmful diseases. Vaccines boost up your dog’s immunity and help it to fight any invaded virus or bacteria.

So when you take your dog or puppy to the clinic, consult the veteran about what is right for your pet. As mentioned above, all dogs do not need the same vaccines. It depends on various factors. Therefore take the veteran’s recommendation before you get the vaccine.

We hope this little guide helps you to take the right decision regarding your pet’s health and follow a proper vaccination schedule.