Your Puppy's First Vaccines

Posted on: 27 October 2020

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You love your new puppy, and providing them with appropriate veterinary care is a way to show that love. Puppies need a number of vaccines in order to protect them from disease, not only in the short-term but throughout their lives. Below, you will find some details about each of the vaccines your puppy will need.

DHLPPC

This is one of the first vaccines most puppies get, as they can have their first dose after they are a few weeks old. Its name may sound confusing, but the letters are just an abbreviation for the multiple diseases that this one vaccine protects against. The vaccine allows for protection from distemper, hepatitis, parvo, parainfluenza, and coronavirus. (A different strain of coronavirus from that which is contagious in humans.) Most of these are respiratory illnesses; hepatitis is an infectious viral disease that affects the liver, and parvo affects the GI tract. It's important that your puppy is immunized for these diseases before they interact with other dogs. They'll need their initial vaccine plus a few booster shots in their first year of life.

Rabies

Rabies is a serious viral infection that attacks the immune system. Once infected and showing symptoms, a puppy infected with rabies will die. Rabies is also contagious to humans, making it even more important to protect your fuzzy pet from this disease. Puppies are usually vaccinated for rabies for the first time when they are a few months old. In many states, vaccination is required by law, and you can be fined if you do not comply and have your dog vaccinated.

Bordetella

This disease is more often known as kennel cough because it makes dogs cough and it tends to spread in kennels. It is a good idea for your puppy to be vaccinated against kennel cough even if you don't plan on taking them to the kennel. Your puppy could catch bordetella at a dog park or from a friend's dog. The first bordetella vaccine is usually given within the first few months.

Giardia

Giardia is an illness that puppies can pick up from drinking from puddles or swimming in ponds. Even if you do not typically let your puppy drink from puddles, they could walk through one and then lick their paws later, leading to giardia. The first vaccine is given within the first few months of age.

Talk to a vet to learn more about pet vaccinations. Vaccinating your puppy is one of the best things you can do for their future