When you first get your new dog you are probably overwhelmed with happiness, love and joy, but don't forget that you need to go through puppy vaccination. Puppy shots are an integral step towards keeping your dog healthy and free from disease, while allowing him to live a happy, full and fun life.
Knowing about the puppy shots that you need, the timing and schedule for this and more will ensure you take the right steps for your pooch.
Puppy vaccination is extremely important because it is going to keep your canine healthy from both small diseases and major problems as well. Young dogs do not have strong, functioning immune systems. They are at first protected by antibodies provided in the mother's milk. However, puppy shots are then needed to carry on that protection into a more mature stage while also immunizing from serious illnesses as well.
The puppy shots your dog always needs to receive protect against distemper, parvovirus, hepatitis and rabies, along with adenovirus and coronavirus. Depending on where you live and other factors, puppy vaccination for Lyme disease and Para influenza may also be recommended.
Right now your head might be spinning thinking about keeping track of all of these different dog vaccines! But don't worry, these aren't applied separately. Your pooch will receive a combination puppy vaccination that includes protection against all of the ailments and diseases that are necessary.
The first puppy vaccination for your pooch should be at the age of about six to eight weeks. This won't include the full array of combination shots that your puppy will get when he is a bit older. For example, rabies vaccination isn't applied until usually three to four months of age.
After the initial vaccination you're not done yet, because shots still need to be given to keep immunity up. After the initial puppy vaccination, the cycle of puppy shots will need to be continued about one every three weeks until approximately four months of age. After that, another round of booster shots should be given at one year of age.
The traditional recommendation was that after puppy vaccination, adult dogs still undergo a yearly booster shot. Many veterinarians now recommend however only getting these booster shots once every three years. Once again there may be many different factors involved with this that you should pay attention to and that can affect the schedule, so always just talk it out with the vet to see what's best.
Some dogs can have allergic reactions to their puppy shots. This isn't too abnormal, however most of the time the symptoms that arise are mild and short lived, disappearing within a day or a few days.
In rare cases severe symptoms can arise immediately following a puppy vaccination, including difficulty breathing as a result of larynx swelling, called anaphylaxis. Other symptoms include dog seizures and puppy vomiting. While this sounds terrible, it rarely happens and because it generally happens immediately after shots are administered you'll be in the presence of the veterinarian team who can provide assistance.
If you are adopting a dog from a pound or another source you may not be able to determine exactly which puppy shots your dog was given, if any at all. In this case you should err on the side of caution and go through a complete cycle of puppy vaccination. Clarify this issue with your vet, but he'll usually recommend giving all of the shots as a precaution.
Remember that until your puppy is completely up to date with his shots he should not yet be socialized and integrated with other dogs and crowded environments. This is to protect your dog from coming into contact with any harmful diseases and illnesses that another dog may have. So until your dog has undergone complete puppy vaccination you'll have to keep him entertained all on your own!
Clearly there is some important information you need to know about puppy vaccination. But the good news is that it's not overly complex, and you shouldn't need to worry too much about "going wrong". As long as you get the recommended dog vaccines and you consult with your veterinarian to determine a proactive schedule for the complete cycle of puppy vaccination that your pooch needs, he will be as healthy and happy as possible and you'll be able to rest easy knowing you did everything you needed to ensure that.
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