Buying a dog, we are responsible for its safety and health. A responsible owner must take seriously the issue of vaccination of an animal. Alas, not all owners pay due attention to vaccinations, and such carelessness sometimes turns into serious consequences for our four-legged friends. Today we will talk about what vaccinations for the dog you should do and why it is so important.
Table of Contents
First dog Vaccination
The first vaccinations are given to a puppy at the age of 2–2.5 months – as a rule. By this time, the action of protective antibodies, which he received with his mother’s milk, is weakening in his body. The baby, as a rule, receives this vaccination from the breeder before the new owner takes it. If you took a dog at an earlier age, then you will have to attend to the first vaccination by contacting a veterinary clinic. Usually, puppies are vaccinated immediately from several diseases –
- leptospirosis
- parvovirus enteritis
- viral hepatitis
- distemper
- parainfluenza.
Approximately 7–10 days before this procedure, the dog needs:
- to get rid of worms,
- treat flea from fleas (if there are any)
- exclude the pet’s contacts with sick animals.
Do not forget, when vaccinating a dog, the same principle applies as with a person:
- a four-legged patient should be completely healthy at the time of this procedure.
Second dog Vaccination
After the injection, the puppy should be kept at home for at least two weeks. During this time he should develop immunity against the above-mentioned diseases.
At the age of 3–3.5 months, a comprehensive vaccination is repeated. After it, the dog needs to sit again for two weeks at home. The same vaccine is recommended to repeat after a year.
By the way, vaccines are both polyvalent (at once against several diseases) and monovalent (against anyone) – and here you can choose at your discretion, from which to vaccinate the dog in the first place. It is clear that a comprehensive vaccination will cost you more than a vaccination against a single disease.
Also, the owner should pay attention to the fact that the price of vaccination with the same drug in each clinic has its own, so you should not carry a dog into the first one – it is better to call several nearest ones and find out where this procedure will be cheaper.
Also, do not forget about the mandatory vaccination of animals against rabies. No matter how “domesticated” your dog is, you cannot exclude one hundred percent from the fact that it will not be in contact with potentially infected animals.
After all, she is not around the clock in the four walls and for sure (even if it is a sofa dog) goes outside. Well, in the summer, when the pet is in the country, a neighbor cat, a mouse or a hedgehog can run into your plot. Hence the conclusion: it is necessary to vaccinate a dog for rabies.
Which Vaccinations Do Puppies Need?
In order to have no doubts about the need to vaccinate your pet, it is enough to at least briefly familiarize yourself with the dangers of the most common diseases.
- Parvovirus enteritis is a potentially fatal disease. The virus destroys the liver, strikes the pancreas and disrupts the gastrointestinal tract. Parvovirus is especially dangerous for puppies because it leads to rapid dehydration.
- Hepatitis is very often fatal for puppies and young dogs, and in adult animals, it is likely that it will become chronic.
- Human parainfluenza viruses are not so often fatal, but the respiratory system suffers from this disease. As a complication, a dog can get pneumonia.
- Such a well-known disease, like the plague of carnivores, is generally difficult to cure, as it strikes at the central nervous system. Often, animals die from it.
- Adenovirus also very often turns into complications or entails chronic diseases.
- As for leptospirosis, it is an infectious disease, which, by the way, a person can catch, affects primarily the liver and kidneys. In some cases, leptospirosis can be lethal to a dog.
- Well, it’s not worth talking about rabies – everyone knows that if the disease could not be prevented and it has already manifested itself. (and it can only be recognized visually when the symptoms are already visible), it is 100% lethal.
Puppy Vaccinations Cost
How much vaccinations for your puppy will cost depends on several factors. Where you live is one: Veterinarians in crowded and expensive urban areas will charge more than a rural vet in a small town. In other words, there are significant differences in price. But no matter what the range in costs, some vaccines, such as the “core vaccines,” and for rabies, are necessary.
Vet Info has a helpful guide for the approximate cost of puppy vaccinations for her first year.
- The average cost will be around $75—100. These will include the core vaccines, which are administered in a series of three: at 6-, 12-, and 16 weeks old.
- The core vaccines include the DHLPP (distemper, hepatitis, leptospirosis, parvo, and parainfluenza). Your pup will also need a rabies vaccination, which is usually around $15—20. (Some clinics include the cost of the rabies vaccination.)
- Often animal shelters charge less for vaccines — approximately $20 — or are even free. If you acquired your dog from a shelter, he would most likely have been vaccinated, up until the age when you got him.
The initial puppy vaccination costs during the first year are higher than during adulthood.
Some Important Vaccination Tips
- When we say that at the time of vaccination a dog must be completely healthy, we mean not only its appearance. It is necessary to pay attention to the pet’s chair, and its body temperature, and appetite. Well, a veterinarian also carefully examines the animal before vaccination.
- After vaccination, it is necessary not only to keep the dog at home but also to exclude its contacts with other (unvaccinated) animals. Also not allow the pet to lick the doormat at the entrance door or gnawing dirty street shoes.
- If you plan to knit your dog with a dog, it is desirable to vaccinate it at least three months before this event (just before the vicious danger). You should remember, if a pregnancy has occurred, then it is already impossible to vaccinate it. Otherwise, there will be a high probability of giving birth to puppies with pathologies
- If your dog is prone to allergic reactions, it is advisable to give him tavegil or suprastin before vaccination. In addition, within half an hour after the injection, it is advisable not to leave far from the clinic – so that if the dog feels somehow wrong, immediately show it to the veterinarian.
- Not all owners buy dogs from breeders. It happens that the dog picked up on the street. In this case, no need to rush to make his vaccinations. To begin with, check in the clinic if he has the necessary antibodies to infections: perhaps the dog has already been vaccinated before.
