At Lugaru K9 Training, we require all dogs to be up-to-date on their required vaccinations, and we strongly recommend including a number of other vaccinations for a number of reasons.

Surprisingly many pet owners today don’t get their pets vaccinated, or don’t consider it a necessary part of their pet’s care. In this article, we will explain what a vaccine is, how it works, how much dog vaccines are crucial your dogs’ and even your own health, and what vaccines are available for dogs and their vaccination schedule.

What are Vaccines for Dogs?

A vaccine is a substance or biological preparation designed to stimulate the production of antibodies and provide active acquired immunity against one or several diseases. Vaccination is also termed as immunization because it uses the natural immune system of body to protect from infectious illnesses.

How Are Vaccines for Dogs Made?

Vaccine production is a complex and lengthy process. On average, it takes one to three years to make a vaccine before it is available for distribution. In simple words (for the understanding of dog owners), a vaccine (of any particular disease) consists of weakened or dead germs of that disease, which prompts an immune response while posing little to no health risk for the animal being vaccinated. The other constituents of any vaccine preparations are

• Adjuvants: Help vaccines to activate the immune response.
• Preservatives: Ensure the efficacy of the vaccine for a long duration.
• Stabilizers: Keep the vaccine safe during storage and transportation.

The germs contained within a vaccine are dead or nullified, meaning their pathogenicity is reduced to the extent that they can’t cause the disease but are still able to stimulate the immune system of the body to produce antibodies against those germs.

How Do Dog Vaccines Work?

When you inject a vaccine (weakened or dead germs) into your dog, it stimulates the natural immune system of the dog’s body. The immune system recognizes the germ, produces antibodies to neutralize it, and remembers the germ and how to fight it. In the future after vaccination, if there is actual exposure to those germs, the immune system will respond more efficiently before your dog becomes unwell.

In simpler terms, the body responds to the presence of the safe version of the germs contained within a vaccine, which creates antibodies that help prepare your dog in the case of exposure to the real thing. This significantly decreases the risk of your dog contracting potentially fatal diseases like rabies, parvo, and distemper.

Should I Vaccinate My Dog?

It is a bare minimum requirement of pet care to have your pets vaccinated. Many core vaccines protect against very dangerous disease, and some are even required by law in most U.S. states.

Vaccination is an easy, secure, and efficient way to safeguard your dogs against potentially serious diseases before they come into contact with them. It strengthens your immune system by utilizing the body’s natural defense system to build resistance to specific infections. In short, the vaccine is a safe and clever way of inducing an immune response in the body without causing any illness to your dog.

There is one more reason why timely vaccination is extremely important. Vaccines not only protect your dog from different diseases but also protect you and your human family, as there are certain diseases that can be transferred from dogs to humans that can be debilitating and even deadly.

If your canine friend is safe, it means you are also safe.

Essential Vaccinations for Dogs

Dogs are vaccinated against many diseases; however, they are divided into two main groups by the American Animal Hospital Association’s Canine Task Force.

Core Vaccinations for Dogs

Based on the worldwide risk of exposure, the severity of infection, and the risk of transmission to other dogs, as well as other animal species, including humans, these vaccinations are considered vital for all canines and are included in the core vaccinations.

• Canine Parvovirus
• Canine Distemper
• Hepatitis
• Rabies

Non-Core Vaccinations for Dogs

This group includes

• Bordetella
• Canine Influenza (dog flu)
• Leptospirosis
• Lyme vaccine

Although these vaccines are not included in Core, it is still recommended to vaccinate your dog against these diseases, especially if you are in an area or live a lifestyle that puts your dog at additional risk.

Dogs with exposure to other dogs, for instance, can benefit from bordetella (kennel cough) vaccines and canine influenza vaccines, which are communicable between individual dogs. We strongly recommend this vaccine for any dogs coming in to our board-and-train programs as well.

If you life in an area with many deer ticks, a lyme vaccine can be incredibly beneficial as well. When I was a child, a family dog died from lyme disease after contracting it from ticks, as my parents didn’t know the risk after moving from California to an area with deer ticks.

Although these vaccines make up the non-core category, it’s still recommended to consider if they may be worthwhile for your dog and your situation, as these diseases can also be fatal for your dog if contracted.

Prevention is, by far, the easiest and surest cure to these conditions.

Dog Vaccination Schedule

The first thing to understand is that there is no single puppy vaccination schedule that applies to all dogs. Factors such as where you live in the country, and your dog’s individual risk factors will be considered. Some dogs do not require all vaccines. So this is a decision that should be made after consultation with your veterinarian.

However, a general vaccination schedule is given below.

DHLPP: This vaccine provides protection against canine distemper, infectious canine hepatitis, parainfluenza, and parvo.

• First Dose: ………………………..6 – 8 weeks
• Second Dose……………………..9 – 11 weeks
• Third Dose……………………… 12 – 14 weeks
• Fourth Dose……………………… 16 – 17 weeks
• Booster Dose……………………..Every 12 months

Bordetella Vaccine:  It protects your dog from bordetella, commonly known as kennel cough.

• First Dose: ……………………….14 weeks
• Booster Dose:……………………Every 6 – 12 months

Rabies Vaccine:  As the name indicates, it saves your pet from the lethal rabies virus.

• First Dose: ………………………..16 weeks (varies by state)
• Booster Dose: …………………….Every 12 – 36 months

Lyme Vaccine: It protects your dog from Lyme disease, which is commonly transmitted by ticks.

• First Dose: ………………………..14 weeks
• Second Dose: ……………………17 weeks
• Booster Dose: ……………………Every 12 months

Side Effects and Associated Risks of Dog Vaccines

Vaccination provides far more benefits than risks. Dogs very rarely experience any adverse reaction from vaccines. However, there can be a few side effects, so we do recommend that you must get your dog vaccinated only when you have the means to monitor them for at least 24 hours after the vaccination.

Common symptoms of any adverse reaction are:

• Fever
• Sluggishness
• Loss of appetite
• Facial or paw swelling and/or hives
• Vomiting
• Diarrhea
• Pain or swelling around the injection site
• Collapse
• Difficulty breathing
• Seizures (anaphylactic shock)

Just like with human vaccines, the symptoms are mostly mild, short lived, and can be ignored. If you noticed that your dog is showing the symptoms of more severe reaction to puppy or dog vaccines, (such as facial swelling, vomiting, or lethargy), call your veterinarian right away.