Puppy Vaccination Schedule

Vaccination or puppy shots are an extremely crucial part of owning a dog as it ensures that the dog will have a long and healthy life. Most puppies when born have a certain amount of immunity to infections and diseases on account of the antibodies they derive via the placenta from their mother’s blood. During the first 24 hours post birth the puppy receives additional anti bodies via the mother’s first milk which is also called colostrums.

However, thereafter the puppy is highly susceptible to any infection or virus. Before setting a puppy vaccination schedule care should be taken to consider the duration during which the puppy has not received his mother’s milk as this means that there will be a significantly lower amount of anti bodies in the puppy which will make the vaccine more effective. Else the maternal anti bodies in the puppy will attack the vaccine and thereby nullify its effect. An ideal puppy shot schedule will begin when the puppy is around six weeks of age. Typically a puppy is initially given a combination vaccine at six weeks of age which is then followed up with a booster puppy shot every three weeks till the puppy is almost sixteen weeks of age. When an average puppy is almost five weeks old the first puppy shot administered by the vet is against parvovirus. The next in the list of puppy vaccines is the Combination vaccine which provides immunity against parvovirus, adenovirus cough and hepatitis, Para influenza and distemper and is administered to a puppy between six to nine weeks of age. When the puppy is around 12 weeks of age the vet will usually administer the rabies vaccine. The next vaccine for puppies is again the combination vaccine but this time it will also provide immunity against coronavirus, Lyme and Leptospirosis. Adult booster shots are given by the vet depending on the overall health of the puppy and the environmental conditions it is exposed to.

However each time the puppy is vaccinated it should be monitored closely to see if there are any changes in its activity level or appetite. Some puppies tend to have allergic reactions to these vaccines which may range from mild reactions such as decreased appetite, lethargy, slight fever etc to even more serious reactions such as anaphylaxis which starts out with vomiting or diarrhea and may lead to seizures, drop in blood pressure and even death in some cases.