Why should I vaccinate?
Vaccinations are an important and somewhat controversial topic. While vaccines are a very important of a healthy pet's wellness program, which vaccines your dog should receive will be based on your dog's individual needs. Vaccines are divided into core vaccines that all dogs should have, and additional vaccines that some dogs should have based on their risk of exposure to that particular disease.
Core vaccinations include:
- distemper
- parvo
- hepatitis
- rabies
- Bordetella - is also a core vaccine for large percentage of dogs in the population
Additional vaccines include:
These individual disease vaccines are discussed in a later section
Core vaccinations are started in puppies at 6 to 8 weeks of age. At this age the puppy should receive distemper, parvo, and hepatitis. The puppy should be re-vaccinated with distemper, parvo, and hepatitis vaccine at twelve and sixteen weeks of age. Rabies and bordetella are also given at sixteen weeks of age. At one year of age, the young adult will be given distemper, parvo, and hepatitis, rabies and bordetella vaccines. This ensures a solid immunity.
After one year of age, distemper, parvo, and hepatitis can be given every three years. Rabies and bordetella are given annually as recommended on a pet by pet by your veterinarian. We will keep track of when your dog is due for vaccinations and notify you when dog needs to come in for his wellness exam.
Additional vaccinations include leptospirosis and Lymes and are administered based on need. See below for the descriptions of the vaccinations. The frequency will be annually unless otherwise noted.
Canine Vaccination Chart
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