Understanding which vaccines your dog needs is an important part of being an educated pet owner. While it’s understandable that you don’t know everything there is to know about dog vaccinations and the diseases they protect against, understanding the basics outlined below will help to make your veterinary visit less stressful.
It may surprise you to learn that not all dogs get the same vaccines. Your veterinarian will determine which vaccines are necessary to keep your dog healthy based on your dog’s environment and lifestyle.
What are the diseases my dog may need to be vaccinated against?
There are two categories of vaccines, core, and non-core.
Core vaccines are recommended for all dogs. At this time the core vaccines are:
- Canine Distemper Virus (CDV)
- Canine Adenovirus (CAV – Hepatitis)
- Canine Parvovirus (CPV)
**these first 3 core vaccines listed are typically combined into one booster shot (DHP-P)
- Rabies Virus – while rabies is sometimes considered a non-core vaccine, it is required by law in many areas
Non-core vaccines are administered based on risk assessment according to your dog’s environment and lifestyle. At this time the non-core vaccines are:
- Bordetella Bronchiseptica (kennel cough)
- Leptospirosis
- Corona Virus
- Canine Influenza (H3N8)
- Lyme Disease (Borrelia burgdorferi)
- Crotalus atrox (the western diamondback rattlesnake)
How does my veterinarian decide which vaccines my dog will need?
There are many factors that veterinarians consider when deciding which vaccines your dog needs.
Some of these factors include:
- Age
- How many pets live in the household
- Exposure to other animals
- Introduction of new pets into the household
- Stress associated with the change of social demographics (this can suppress the immune system, making them more susceptible to infection and disease)
- Making trips to a grooming facility, dog park, or pet store
- Attending obedience classes
- Possibility of staying in boarding facilities or traveling in the future
- Location (geographic distribution of infectious agents may result in different risks of exposure for dogs living in different areas)
- Previous vaccination history
How often will my dog need to get each vaccine?
This varies with the type of vaccine, your pet’s age, lifestyle, local laws, and other health factors.
Core vaccines:
- Puppies typically receive their core vaccines around 6 to 8 weeks of age, with a booster every 3 to 4 weeks until they are 16 to 20 weeks old.
- These core vaccines will need boostered again a year later.
- Depending on factors listed previously, your veterinarian will determine if these vaccines will then be given every 1, 2, or 3 years thereafter.
Rabies vaccine:
- Local and/or state laws mandate how frequently your dog must be vaccinated for rabies.
- The earliest a dog can receive its first rabies vaccination is 12 weeks.
- After your dog receives it’s first rabies vaccine, it must have a booster one year later.
- Subsequent rabies boosters will be determined by the type of vaccine used and state or local laws.
Non-core vaccines:
- Non-core vaccines are typically given once every year.
- Depending on your dog’s exposure risk and the possibility of not lasting a full year, this interval may be shorter than one year.
The overall purpose of vaccination is to protect each dog against infectious agents to which they have a realistic risk of exposure, while vaccinating no more frequently than necessary. Due to the large list of factors that play a part in determining which vaccines your dog needs and how frequently they need boostered, it is necessary to reassess with your veterinarian every year.
Why do the cost and frequency of giving these vaccines vary?
High-quality vaccines have become more and more expensive for vaccine makers, as they are highly regulated and pharmaceutical companies must jump through hoops to produce new and updated vaccines. The result? These costs are passed on to veterinary practices, making some vaccines more expensive than others.
For example, some drug companies have improved the formula enough for vaccines that used to commonly cause tumors at the injection site to a point where this is very rare. In addition to improving the formula of vaccines, they are also able to create longer-acting protection for some diseases. This can affect the price of vaccines, as well as the frequency of boosters needed.
Vaccines that don’t contain the most up to date formulations aren’t necessarily unsafe, but it could mean they aren’t able to trigger as strong of an immune response as newer, more expensive shots.
In order to avoid multiple injections, some vaccines are configured to protect against more than one disease in one injection. Likewise, some diseases have multiple variations within a species of bacteria or viruses. Formulating vaccines that contain all possible variations adds more expense.
Fecal Testing:
Your veterinarian may ask you to bring in a stool or fecal sample at your dog’s annual exam to check for intestinal parasites or “worms.” Some of the parasites they are testing for include roundworms, hookworms, whipworms, tapeworms, coccidia, and giardia. Some of these parasites are also a risk for humans, with children being at high risk due to their play habits and affection for pets.
This test is not required but is recommended annually. There is no individual deworming medication that will treat every type of parasite at once; therefore, the fecal test will determine which medication your pet needs.
Monthly heartworm prevention contains medication that also treats for some of the common intestinal parasites in dogs and should prevent them from becoming a problem.
If your dog is experiencing the following symptoms, a fecal test is highly recommended.
- Weight loss accompanied by a marked increase or decrease in appetite
- Distended abdomen, or ‘pot-bellied’ appearance
- Lethargy
- Vomiting
- Diarrhea/chronic soft stools
- Rubbing or dragging the hindquarters across the ground
- Visible presence of segments of tapeworms in dogs attached to the skin and fur around the anus/hindquarters area; look like tiny grains of rice or small flat segments of a worm
- Visible presence of roundworms in dogs in infected stool; looks like spaghetti
Keep in mind, worms don’t always shed their eggs in the stool. Therefore, a negative result doesn’t completely rule out the possibility that worms are present. For this reason, your veterinarian may recommend treatment anyway, especially if your dog is having any of the symptoms listed above.
Heartworm testing:
Heartworm testing requires a small blood sample from your dog and is typically scheduled during yearly vaccination exams. Many clinics run heartworm tests in-house, oftentimes obtaining results before you leave the office. Some clinics send the heartworm tests to a diagnostic laboratory, also getting results fairly quickly.
The American Heartworm Society recommends annual heartworm testing for adult dogs, even when they are on prevention year-round to ensure the prevention program is working. Each veterinary clinic will determine their heartworm protocol based on these guidelines, as well as geographic location and other factors on a case-by-case basis.
Things to consider when questioning whether a heartworm test is necessary for your pet:
- If just one dose of a monthly medication is missed or given late, it can leave your dog unprotected.
- Your dog may spit out or vomit a heartworm pill, or rub off a topical medication.
If you live in an area where heartworms are prevalent and do not have the income to spend on annual testing, it is highly recommended to spend what is necessary to prevent heartworm disease monthly throughout the entire year. Prevention is simple and inexpensive compared to the treatment of heartworm disease.
What is a microchip?
Microchips provide a form of permanent identification for your pet. Unlike a collar with tags, a microchip cannot fall off or get lost. The American Veterinary Medical Association (AVMA) did a study on more than 7,700 stray animals at animal shelters. The results showed that dogs without a microchip were returned to their owners 21.9% of the time, whereas dogs WITH a microchip were returned to their owners 52.2% of the time. Microchipping represents a significant improvement in the chances that your pet will be returned home!
These tiny implants, the size of a large grain of rice, are typically injected under the skin between the shoulder blades using a needle and syringe similar to their vaccinations. The needle used for microchipping is slightly larger than needles used for vaccinations, and are no more painful than a typical injection. A microchip can be inserted at a routine vaccination visit or while your pet is sedated for a procedure, such as spaying or neutering.
Veterinarians and animal shelters have a scanner that uses radio waves to detect the chip, which then transmits the unique alphanumeric code registered to your dog. The key here is to make 100% sure you remember to register your dog with the pet recovery database. It is also important to update your information in the event you have a change of address or phone number.
Because our pets are considered as part of our family, many pet owners are becoming more involved in the health care of their pets. Understanding the importance of the different vaccinations, staying on a vaccine schedule, and communicating with your veterinarian to determine which vaccines are necessary will help keep your dog healthy.
Click here to download your free Canine Patient Visit Sheet to communicate your questions and concerns with your veterinarian.
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