One the most imperative and confusing responsibilities in caring for your puppy is making sure he gets the right vaccines at the right time. There is controversy nowadays about whether or not adult dogs need every vaccine every year (except for Rabies which is required). But with puppies, getting their rounds of vaccines is crucial.
For instance, if a puppy catches Parvo, he has less than a 20% chance of recovery. So, put your pup’s vaccine dates on your schedule and send yourself reminders.
This tip has a list of necessary vaccines for the first round and further tips will cover the next two rounds. Vets and local laws differ a bit about exactly what to give when so use these tips as guidelines and follow your vet’s advice. The vaccines to give at this age are 1. Distemper 2. Parvo 3. Corona and 4. Bordatella.
There are rarely side effects to vaccines but there are a few serious ones that you should look out for:
- Swelling of face, neck, head or body.
- Loss of consciousness.
- Seizures.
- Hives, or large swellings anywhere on the body.
- Difficulty breathing.
- Disorientation or poor co-ordination.
It is important to keep your puppy from any situation with multiple dogs or unknown dogs until he’s had his third round of boosters. At the least, keep him away from other canines for five days after his vaccines, as it takes that long for them to start working. Ignoring this rule could expose your puppy to something like the aforementioned Parvo and have deadly consequences.
While it’s tough to make all those vet appointments with a new puppy, just think of it as insurance against illness and assurance of a healthy puppy.
