Can i give shots to my puppy

Caring for a puppy Give your puppy the best start in life by following our handy advice on caring for a puppy. Dog welfare campaigns Love dogs? Looking after a puppy. Dogs die in hot cars. Dog grooming. Common dog illnesses. Caring for older dogs. Dental care. Adolescent puppies. Dog first aid. Some of those affect man and some don't affect man, but they all affect dogs. The manufacturer's recommendation says it should be given within a certain period of time.

So if it's been a long time, your veterinarian will determine the age and week when the dog received each of the vaccines and they will then determine the new series for your dog. For example, if your dog had its first vaccine at 8 weeks and then there was no proof of a vaccine after 8 weeks and your puppy is now 15 weeks, the vet will give one right away, and then another vaccine in weeks when your puppy is about 18 weeks.

It is best for your dog to adhere to the vaccine schedule to guarantee percent efficacy. If the dogs are not ill, that's a huge advantage. Regardless, however, there is a certain amount of risk associated with doing that until the series is done plus a week or two.

Because we give the shot and that stimulates the immune system to say, "Okay, we need to build defenses. It's not like we give the shot and we have immediate immunity. So it's safest to do it a week or two after they've finished their entire vaccine series for a particular disease.

Of course, we also understand that puppies are social beings and that you will likely want to get them into training classes, too, so if you're going to bring your puppy around other dogs before being fully vaccinated, just make sure the other dogs are vaccinated and that you're doing so in a safe environment that's not frequented by other dogs. Keep in mind that body mass is also a factor. If you come in with a two-pound Chihuahua, we're not going to give distemper and rabies and parvo and lepto and Lyme and influenza—we can't go ahead and give all of those vaccines because it's just going to be too much and it will overwhelm for the immune system.

In cases like that, we'll have you bring your pet back more frequently to stagger the vaccinations, giving them once every 2 weeks instead of every 4 weeks. It may take longer, but it's safest for your tiny pet this way! This is to give the puppy adequate time to nurse and wean.

Distemper is a potentially deadly disease that is transmitted through dogs, raccoons, foxes, and coyotes. Symptoms begin with respiratory distress and can quickly turn into seizures, diarrhea, vomiting, and even death. Sometimes known as canine hepatitis, adenovirus is transmitted through urine. It is highly contagious and affects the liver, kidneys, spleen, eyes, and lungs. One of the top contributors to kennel cough, parainfluenza leads to respiratory distress.

The virus is spread when nasal secretions of other dogs are inhaled. If parainfluenza leads to kennel cough, your pet may experience irritation of the airway, causing mild to severe coughing, and in rare cases, death.

Parvo is a severe virus that can occur in all ages, however young puppies who are unvaccinated are at the greatest risk. This virus is spread through contaminated feces and attacks the digestive and immune system. There is no cure for Parvo, and the death rate is extremely high, especially in young puppies. Leptospirosis Lepto for short is a bacterial disease that attacks the liver and kidneys.

This is a zoonotic disease, meaning it can be spread from animals to people. Symptoms of Lepto can lay dormant for some time, but when symptoms do occur they typically present as fever, vomiting, pain, lethargy, and kidney failure. Once your puppy starts growing a little bit bigger than a little bit stronger they can handle stronger vaccines, and will likely need them, too. The Corona virus is highly contagious and attacks the intestinal tract.

Hi Cat R, and thanks for sharing this valuable information with everyone. Grouping your order with others is a good money saving idea as well.

Or order them at Dr. Smith online. Get your friends together and order together. At least in NC. Thanks, Eddy, for the vote I hope all is well in Wales and I'm anxious to read your next hub:.

Thanks, moonlake, for reading and commenting on this hub about giving dogs shots at home. I'm glad it is working well for you; Drs. Foster and Smith's staff was incredibly nice when I called them to get the information for this piece.

If I ever decide to do home vaccinations, I'll definitely patronize them:. Thank you for your kind words, Moon Lightened I've always wondered if giving our dogs shots at home would really save us that much money, especially since I'm one of those squeamish people:.

I hope I never have to give any dog or any one a shot.. I never wanted to be a nurse. I always take my animals to the vet. I voted up We live by Foster and Smith so we buy our dogs and cats vaccines from them. The rabies shot we get at the vet so at that time the dogs get checked by the vet. Very useful hub, Donna and well written. I've wondered about these things in the past and now you've given a brilliant resource.

Well done! Health Problems. Freshwater Pets. Freshwater Aquariums. Saltwater Pets.