Dog Health & CareDog Vaccinations

Dog Vaccinations

Is vaccinating your dog that important? It’s a silly question that you would raise if you are a pet owner because dog vaccinations are crucial to ensure your dog’s wellbeing all the time. Dog vaccinations protect your dog from countless infections and preventable diseases.

What Are Common Dog Vaccinations?

Dog vaccinations can be divided into two types, core vaccination and non-core vaccination.

It’s crucial to vaccinate all dogs with core vaccines. Here are some core vaccines that your dog should be vaccinated:

  • Canine distemper/adenovirus-2 (hepatitis)/parvovirus/parainfluenza vaccine (given as one vaccine, commonly referred to as DA2PP, DHPP, or DAPP)
  • Rabies virus vaccine

However noncore vaccines are optional. Vets prescribe these vaccines based on the pet’s lifestyle and your living area. It protects your dog from highly contagious or potentially life-threatening diseases. Your vet looks into the following factors before prescribing a noncore vaccine.

  • Geographic location and risk in the area.
  • Whether your pet goes to doggy daycare, dog parks, or boarding or grooming facilities
  • Whether your dog is a traveling furry friend.

These are some of the prescribed noncore dog vaccinations:

  • Bordetella bronchiseptica (kennel cough) vaccine
  • Leptospira (Leptospirosis) vaccine
  • Borrelia burgdorferi (Lyme) vaccine
  • H3N2/H3N8 (canine influenza) vaccines
  • Crotalux atrox (rattlesnake) vaccine

Puppies get vaccinated every two to four weeks until they mature in weeks. Some dogs are at high-risk zone. They receive the last vaccine around 18-20 weeks old. For example, when your pup is 6-8 weeks old you can give the core vaccine DAP and among Noncore vaccines, you can give Bordetella, and Parainfluenza (often included in the DAP combo vaccine). When it’s 10-12 weeks old, DAP is prescribed and among Noncore vaccines, you can give Leptospirosis, Lyme, and Canine influenza. Likewise vaccination schedule changes with the dog’s age.

If it’s a matured dog, you will have to give annual vaccine such as Rabies as the core vaccine and Leptospirosis, Lyme ,Canine influenza, Bordetella (sometimes given every 6 months) for noncore vaccines.

What Diseases Dog Vaccination Can Prevent?

dog vaccinations
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Rabies

It’s a virus that causes fatal neurological disorders in your dog. It transmits through the bites of an infected animal. For example, if your dog has rabies and bites another, the bitten wound will have deposited virus that could spread to another person if it gets into contact. It’s a mandatory vaccine in U.S by law. Remember that there are legal ramifications if your pet has not been vaccinated.  It’s all of your responsibility to give your dog the vaccine at the required time.

Distemper/Adenovirus (Hepatitis)/Parvovirus (DAP)

Distemper protects your dog from a series of diseases. Canine distemper is a disease that results in severe neurologic signs, pneumonia, fever, encephalitis, and death. Adenovirus is another viral disease that causes upper respiratory tract infections as well as fever, liver failure, kidney failure, and ocular disease. Parvovirus causes severe vomiting, diarrhea, lethargy, dehydration, and death in severe cases. Thus, DAP vaccination is prescribed for all these diseases that could spread quickly.

Bordetella and Canine Parainfluenza

Bordetella and canine parainfluenza virus are two agents that are associated with highly contagious cough commonly known as kennel cough, or canine infectious respiratory disease complex (CIRDC). It sometimes could lead your dog to pneumonia condition or more severe respiratory disease. If you want to board your dog it’s a must to have had this vaccine for your dog. If not your dog will lose the facility of boarding.

Canine Influenza

Canine influenza in the U.S. is caused by  H3N2 and H3N8. They are two identified strains of viruses. It is highly contagious and causes cough, nasal discharge, and low-grade fever in dogs. It could possibly cause death. If you loge your dog at daycare, boarding, the groomer, or any place, you must definitely give this vaccine to your furry friend.

Leptospirosis Disease

Leptospirosis is a bacterial disease that causes severe kidney or liver failure in both dogs and people. It’s transmitted via the urine of infected animals and is found in both rural and urban settings. If your living area is geographically vulnerable to Leptospirosis, it’s a core vaccine that you have to give your dog. It usually occurs in suburban and urban settings.The city of Boston experienced an outbreak in 2018 likely due to urine of infected city rats. Hence, this vaccine covers four of the most common serovars of leptospirosis, and the initial vaccine must be bolstered two to four weeks later, and then annually thereafter.

Lyme Disease

Lyme disease is a tick-borne disease. The bacteria Borrelia burgdorferi is its cause. It can cause fever, lethargy, decreased appetite, shifting leg lameness, and kidney failure in severe cases. It’s a must to give the vaccine prescribed for this disease if your dog travels in the zones where this disease is. It initially has two injections spaced three to four weeks apart, and then yearly after that.

How Much Do Dog and Puppy Vaccines Cost?

Vaccine costs vary depending on the area where you live. The basic DHPP vaccine can cost about $25 per shot, while the rabies vaccine may be around $15–20. Other non-core vaccine prices can vary, but are generally less than $100 per shot. However, many local human societies and shelters will provide these vaccines at low cost. Also, you may put a pet insurance that could also offset the vaccine cost. Insurance carriers have wellness or preventative care plans to cover some (or all!) of the core and non-core vaccines.

What Are Adverse Reactions to Vaccines?

Your dog can experience adverse reactions after dog vaccinations. So, you have to monitor your dog after the vaccination. It can have mild reactions such as discomfort or swelling at the injection site. Dogs may also develop a mild fever or have decreased energy and appetite for the day. But if any of these signs persist for longer than 24 hours, contact your veterinarian. Moreover, serious side effects do can occur within minutes of vaccination as follows:

  • Vomiting
  • Diarrhea
  • Swelling of the muzzle around the face and neck
  • Coughing
  • Difficulty breathing
  • Itchy skin
  • Hives

If something happens so, seek veterinary care immediately. Note that before your pet administers any vaccine to your dog, you may alert your dog on the history of vaccines of your dog.

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