Dog vaccination calendar: compulsory and recommended vaccinations
Vaccinating a dog for rabies is the responsibility of every owner, but there are other diseases against which you should especially protect your pet. What does the dog’s vaccination calendar look like, which vaccinations for a dog are mandatory, which ones are recommended and when do you need to vaccinate your puppy?
Vaccinating a dog, just like a human, is of great importance for health, because it helps protect the animal against diseases that not only destroy the body, but can even end in death. The mechanism of acquiring immunity is moreover similar: after receiving the vaccine, a small amount of a pathogen – bacteria or virus enters the body. Because it is low, the animal’s body quickly copes with it. At the same time, however, thanks to immune memory, the immune system “remembers” the enemy – when he contacts him again, the body will already have antibodies that will not allow the infection to develop, or make its course much milder.
The vaccine, depending on the type, contains either a live but weakened pathogen, also known as an antigen – then we say they are vaccines attenuated or dead pathogen (so-called inactivated vaccines). There are also vaccines that only contain fragments of the microbe that causes the disease – just enough to cause the body’s response, but not harm it. Vaccines can be either monovalent (protect against one disease) or polyvalent, otherwise combined – thanks to the content of several antigens they allow the animal to be immunized against various diseases.
Types of vaccinations in dogs
In accordance with the recommendations of WSAVA, which is a global organization associating veterinarians, vaccination for dogs can be divided into three main groups:
• basic vaccination – so-called Core Vaccination. All dogs should be vaccinated with this group. These include vaccinations against rabies, parvovirus, nasal disease, and Rubarth’s disease.
• additional vaccinations – Noncore vaccination. They are recommended when, due to the state of health or lifestyle, a given dog may be at risk of specific diseases. These include, for example, vaccination against Lyme disease (for animals that live in areas infested with ticks), leptospirosis (if the animal often walks in the forest or has a tendency to hunt rodents), or dermatophytosis or herpesvirosis (for breeding).
Dog vaccination calendar
The vaccine is given individually, depending on, among others from the animal’s state of health. Vaccination, however, is not worth delaying, if only for the fact that for puppies certain diseases are more serious than for older dogs, and between different vaccinations a certain distance should be kept due to the fact that immediately after vaccination the body is weakened and another vaccine could result infection.
It is recommended that the vaccination course be started after 8 weeks of age – previous vaccinations may not be effective due to the antibodies that the puppy received from the bitch along with colostrum.
Therefore, dog vaccination calendars have been developed, suggesting when to vaccinate the animal. It is divided into so-called Early, standard and late vaccinations – the one to follow depends on when the puppy was first vaccinated.
Early vaccinations – for puppies over 6 weeks of age
6-7 weeks: distemper and parvovirosis (vaccine for puppies)
9-10 weeks: rhinoceros, parvovirus, coronovirus, Rubarth’s disease, kenel cough, leptospirosis
12-13 weeks: rhizome, parvovirus, coronovirus, Rubarth’s disease, kenel cough, leptospirosis
15 weeks: rabies
After 12 months, booster vaccinations are required.
Standard vaccination – for puppies over 9 weeks of age
9-10 weeks: rhizome, parvovirus, coronovirus, Rubarth’s disease, kenel cough, leptospirosis
12-13 weeks: rhinoceros, parvovirus, coronovirus, Rubarth’s disease, kenel cough, leptospirosis- 15 weeks – rabies. After 12 months booster vaccinations are required.
Late vaccination – puppies over 12 weeks of age and adult dogs
after week 12: distemper, parvovirus, coronovirus, Rubarth’s disease, kenel cough, leptospirosis.
after another 2-4 weeks: distemper, parvovirus, leptospirosis, kenel cough, viral hepatitis, coronary virosis.
after another 2-3 weeks – rabies.
After 12 months, booster vaccinations are required.
When does the vaccine start working?
Vaccination can take the form of an injection, both subcutaneous and intramuscular. Oral and nasal vaccines are less common. However, the vaccine does not give immediate immunity. When it is introduced into the body, the animal’s immune system begins to produce antibodies, but the process is complicated and takes some time. Usually, post-vaccination immunity is generated within 14 to 21 days of vaccination after the first administration of the vaccine – with the next administration of the same vaccine, the animal is resistant already on the day of vaccination.
How to prepare a dog for vaccination?
A week before the scheduled date of vaccination, the dog should be trimmed and monitored for signs of infection, as the dog must be healthy – giving a vaccine to a sick dog may burden him with another infection, but will not stimulate the immune system. Before vaccination, the doctor should examine the dog: check the temperature, auscultate, assess the lymph nodes, as well as check whether the animal has already been vaccinated (and with what vaccines) and has not had any adverse reactions. During the pre-vaccination interview, he should also ask about the animal’s lifestyle, as in some cases he excludes certain vaccines (e.g. against leptospirosis).
The dog should not be vaccinated:
during illness or weakness, eg after illness, dehydration, severe stress
after treatment with certain medications, e.g. corticosteroids
when they are wormed, infested or lazy
adverse reactions have occurred during previous vaccinations
Pregnant bitches are also not vaccinated.
What to do after vaccinating a dog
It is worth reserving some time for the vaccination visit and not leaving the office right after vaccination, but sit with the dog in the waiting room and watch for half an hour whether there is an unexpected anaphylactic reaction or a strong vaccination reaction. It is also worth observing the pet at home: it may happen that after being vaccinated for several consecutive days at the puncture site there will be swelling and soreness, the dog will be depressed and will not have appetite. In this case, please contact your vet who will advise you.