When Puppies Get Shots

Vaccination is more important than you may believe. It protects your puppy and can help him grow and develop safely. These are safe and all puppies should get shots as we will share below. When puppies get shots? This is a big question and the answer is not as simple as you may believe. There are a few points we will have to discuss and you will need to know about.

Core and Non Core Puppy Vaccines

The first thing here is to know that there are two types of vaccines for puppies. The first type is core vaccines. These are mandatory. When puppies get shots? Well, they get core vaccines first and these are usually mandatory by the state or the country. The main goal of these vaccines is to protect your puppy and make it immune to severe diseases and the ones that can easily infect other dogs. Here we have two main options.

• DAP or DHP- This stands for distemper, hepatitis, and parvo. These are usually combined and they are mandatory.
• Rabies- These vaccines protect your dog from rabies. The precise time for vaccination will depend on the state or the local law. 

Non-core vaccines are those that are also very important but they are not mandatory. In general, not all puppies need these hence you can skip one if you really like. However, we will not recommend this! It is important to protect your puppy as much as you can. There are several categories here.

• Parainfluenza- These are commonly combined with DHP.
• Leptospirosis- This vaccine may be a part of DHPP or DHP. The series of 2 vaccines is mandatory and a puppy will need a yearly booster.
• Bordetella- A vet may inject this vaccine or may give it orally. The best option and also the interval is something your vet will decide.
• Canine Influenza- 2 vaccines are present and there are two strains. They are H3N8 and H3N2. Annual booster is mandatory as well.
• Lyme disease- 2 vaccines are mandatory here. An annual booster is recommended. However, your vet may recommend this vaccine or he may not. It depends on the lifestyle of a puppy.

Vaccination Schedule

Here is the main answer you are looking for. The vaccination schedule is important and it will help you protect your puppy in a safe manner and help him enjoy his young age and later in life. Keep in mind that some variations are possible due to local laws and your specific puppy.

1. The first vaccination is mandatory between 6 and 8 weeks of age. Your puppy will get DHP.
2. The second vaccination is between 9 and 11 weeks and a puppy will get DHP.
3. The third vaccine is DHP as well and a puppy will get it between 12 and 15 weeks.
4. The fourth vaccine is DHP and a puppy needs it between 16 and 20 weeks of age. 
5. At 12 years of age or 1 year after the last vaccine, a puppy needs a DHP booster. After that, he will need this every 1-3 years.
6. Rabies vaccination is next. A puppy needs it at 3-6 months of age. After 12 months he needs a booster. Once again we can see that regular boosters at 1-3 years intervals are mandatory.
7. Canine Influenza, Parainfluenza, and Bordetella are something we will recommend. These vaccines are helpful to dogs who spend a lot of time with other dogs in parks, etc.
8. Lyme disease vaccination is the last one here. A vet may recommend you to give this vaccine to your dog but he doesn’t have to do it. It is not mandatory.

Possible Side Effects

As with any vaccine, some side effects are possible. The first thing you need to know is that this happens rarely. The situation is the same with humans. We can get side effects but we usually don’t or they are minor so we don’t need any help. There are a few symptoms your puppy can get from any of these vaccines. These are:

• Vomiting
• Diarrhea
• Fever
• Lack of appetite
• Sluggishness
• Seizures
• Swelling around the injection spot
• Collapse

With minor or harmless symptoms you can see here there is no need to react. You basically need to provide water and food to your puppy and you are done. He will recover soon and he will be perfectly fine. The issue is when you notice more severe symptoms. 

More severe symptoms include seizures, collapsing, high fever, and diarrhea or vomiting that last a few days. In that case, it is better to call your vet and take the puppy. He will examine the puppy and if he needs help an additional treatment will be applied. Once again, this is not something you need to worry about and something that will probably happen. It happens rarely.

Should You Vaccinate Your Puppy

At the question puppies should get shots, the simple answer is yes and you can even see that some vaccines are mandatory by the law. This is due to the fact vaccines can prevent a pandemic of dog influence or many other diseases and issues. Some puppies really need these vaccines so it is your task to provide them to him! Avoiding vaccination will do your puppy more harm than good.

There are no benefits or skipping vaccination. This is not painful, doesn’t cause severe problems, and can only protect a puppy. If you have a puppy who spends a lot of time outside with other dogs, these vaccines are even more important. After all, all children get vaccines when young so the situation is the same here. 

The Final Word

Now you know when puppies get shots. All we can add is that you should schedule vaccination as stated above and you need to talk with your vet about additional vaccines your puppy needs. These are safe and will protect your puppy. If you want him to stay healthy and grow into a beautiful dog, all the vaccines are mandatory and essential.