Puppy Vaccine Schedule: What Shots Puppies Need & When

You brought a new puppy home! Along with playtime and love, you need to provide care. Preventive care ensures your new furry friend has a long, healthy life. Here, our vets in Brookhaven discuss the importance of vaccinations and offer a puppy vaccine schedule outline to follow.

The Importance of Preventive Care for Puppies

Preventive care for your new puppy will include deworming and vaccinations. Along with parasite prevention, vaccinations are a key component of preventive veterinary care. They help stimulate the immune system to produce protective antibodies against harmful diseases, providing immunity without your adorable fur baby suffering from the illness.

These adorable young family members are particularly vulnerable to infections at this stage due to their developing immune systems, making vaccinations and other preventive care, like deworming, an essential part of their early care.

Every puppy is unique, and their deworming and vaccination schedule can vary based on breed, location, and health history. Your veterinarian is your best source of guidance for tailoring a schedule to meet your puppy's specific needs.

What vaccines will my puppy need?

The puppy vaccines recommended by our Brookhaven veterinarians include immunizations to help protect against rabies, parvovirus, distemper, hepatitis, canine parainfluenza and bordetella. While each vet may recommend a slightly different schedule for these vaccines, these are some commonly included shots.

• Rabies: Rabies is an extremely serious, fatal virus that affects the nervous system. Rabies is a zoonotic disease, meaning it can be transmitted to humans. The rabies vaccine is legally required in most states and their counties.
• Parvovirus (Parvo): Parvovirus causes severe gastrointestinal symptoms, including vomiting, diarrhea, and dehydration. It's especially dangerous for young puppies as well as elderly and immunocompromised dogs.
• Distemper: Distemper is a highly contagious virus that can be fatal and affects a puppy's respiratory, gastrointestinal, and nervous systems. Therefore, it is incredibly important to prevent this illness.
• Hepatitis (Adenovirus): Hepatitis can cause liver damage, respiratory issues, and even death. Vaccinations can help prevent this health condition from developing, protecting your pup.
• Parainfluenza: Parainfluenza is one component of the kennel cough complex. This virus causes coughing and respiratory distress in our canine companions. It's an important vaccination for social puppies in close contact with other dogs.
• Bordetella: Bordetella is another highly contagious respiratory infection that causes kennel cough. This virus commonly spreads through close contact in group settings like the kennel.

Puppy Vaccine & Boost Shot Schedule in Brookhaven

Your vet can help you determine the best puppy deworming and vaccination schedule for your furry family member when you come in for your pet's first examination, but below is the typical vaccination schedule recommended for puppies and adult dogs.

Here, we offer a standard puppy vaccination schedule as an easy-to-read chart:

Are there any risks with puppy vaccines?

Vaccines for puppies generally don't have any side effects. If your puppy were to create the vaccine, it would likely be a mild reaction.

In rare cases, some dogs may be allergic to getting their shots. This is typically due to a sensitivity to an individual ingredient of a specific vaccine. Different breeds tend to react to some ingredients.

If your dog is determined to have an increased risk of a reaction, your vet will share the options and their recommendations with you. Your puppy's health and well-being are the priority at our veterinary hospital in Brookhaven.

Note: The advice provided in this post is intended for informational purposes and does not constitute medical advice regarding pets. Please make an appointment with your vet to accurately diagnose your pet's condition.