Puppy Vaccinations
Congratulations on your new furry friend! We understand how overwhelming it may be to welcome your puppy into your home and we hope you relish and enjoy their early days. That being said, as a responsible owner, there are things that you must do right away. The first is to ensure that your puppy is properly vaccinated. Aside from protecting them from diseases and parasites, vaccines will also protect you, as well as other animals and people around your puppy.
Why is it important to get puppies vaccinated? Can their vaccines wait until they are older?
No. We strongly suggest that your puppy gets their vaccines. At this point, the immunity that puppies receive from their mother when they are born is rapidly wearing off, so it is important to take them to the veterinarian ASAP. Please contact us to schedule your puppy’s consultation, so that we can determine the best vaccine treatments and schedule for them, and make other recommendations about their health (e.g. diet, activity, socialization).
What vaccinations do you provide to new puppies?
At Dundas Veterinary Services, we provide all of the core vaccines that your puppy needs to have a healthy immunity. We provide the distemper/infectious hepatitis/parvovirus (DHP) vaccine – perhaps the most important one – which is started at 8-weeks-of-age. This is followed by a booster at 12 weeks and then at 16-weeks-of-age. We also administer other core and standard vaccines like the rabies shot. Once they are given all of the essential vaccines, you can actually choose which elective vaccines will work best for you and your pet, with the guidance of our team. Your pet’s activity level, breed, size and your environment are some of the factors that will help you determine which medications to add to their roster of vaccines. As a mixed-animal practice, we carry most vaccines here at the hospital.
How should I prepare my puppy for their first vaccination visit?
First, we recommend that you stay as calm as possible, and give your puppy treats and other forms of positive reinforcement prior to their first visit. This way, they will associate these visits as positive experiences. Do not forget to bring the records given to you from the breeder or shelter, so we can use this to develop our vaccination plan. In addition, please bring a stool sample if you can, as this can help to inform our parasite prevention/treatment plan.
Dog Vaccinations
Vaccines are a proven way of protecting your dog from illnesses in the future that may require costly and extensive treatments. With the recommendations of our veterinarians, the most suitable vaccination program can be designed and administered for your loyal companion. Please reach out to our team if you have any other concerns about your pet’s vaccines that are not covered on this page.
What types of vaccinations do you offer for adult dogs?
The rabies, distemper, parvovirus and infectious hepatitis are examples of the vaccines that we administer here at Dundas Veterinary Centre. In addition to these core and essential immunity boosters, our team offers lifestyle-specific vaccines against diseases such as leptospirosis, Lyme disease, bordetella, parainfluenza and influenza.
Is there a schedule for how often a dog should be vaccinated?
Every patient is different, and there is no cookie-cutter approach to how often they should be vaccinated. To be certain that your pet’s immunity is strong, and that they have the highest level of protection, frequent visits to our veterinary team are key. This way, we can conduct comprehensive exams to assess their health and make tweaks to their vaccine schedule as needed.
Why is it important to vaccinate my dog?
Vaccinations are important in order to keep not only your pet, but also other pets and people in around you protected from transmittable health issues. If your pet is not properly vaccinated they may pass on harmful diseases to you and other members of your family. What’s more, the diseases that vaccines protect against usually require long, complex and expensive treatments to be fully resolved, with some causing irreversible damage to your pet’s health and body.