Puppy’s First Year: A Guide to Puppy Vaccinations

Once you decide to bring a puppy into your home there are plenty of preparations to make. Do you have enough food, toys and comfortable bedding for your new friend? Are you ready to train your puppy or enroll him in puppy school? Most importantly, did you know that all puppies need to follow a puppy vaccination schedule to ensure a lifetime of health and happiness? There are quite a few contagious diseases that, without proper puppy vaccines, can severely harm or fatally injure your new best friend.

The most common puppy vaccinations help protect new pups from rabies, distemper, hepatitis, parainfluenza, parvovirus, and Bordetella.

• Distemper: This serious disease caused by a virus is one of the most critical vaccines for puppies. Distemper is highly contagious and can be spread through the air, or if your puppy comes in contact with an infected dog’s food or water bowls or shared equipment. Infected dogs will exhibit respiratory and gastrointestinal (GI) symptoms including severe drainage from the eyes and nose, fever and coughing, vomiting and diarrhea, as well as seizures, twitching and paralysis. This disease can be fatal and infected dogs can be contagious for months.
• Hepatitis: Canine hepatitis is completely unrelated to the strains of hepatitis found in humans. Hepatitis is highly contagious and attacks the liver, kidneys, spleen and lungs. Most dogs can overcome hepatitis if they contract a mild form of it, however serious forms prove fatal.
• Parainfluenza: A virus that is a cause of kennel cough in puppies. Adhering to your puppy vaccination schedule can help eliminate the risk of your puppy contracting kennel cough through parainfluenza.
• Parvovirus: This is a highly contagious disease that affects dogs of all ages, but puppies under four months old are at the greatest risk. Symptoms include vomiting and diarrhea, leading to extreme dehydration that can kill a dog in 48-72 hours. Keeping your dog hydrated is essential to fight off this disease and if you suspect parvovirus, see your veterinarian immediately.
• Bordetella: The main cause of kennel cough, Bordetella is a contagious bacteria causing severe coughing and vomiting. In rare cases, if left untreated, Bordetella can cause seizures and death.

Chipman Road Animal Clinic is happy to provide you with all the necessary puppy vaccines your pal will need in his first year of life, as well as boosters through his adult life to keep him protected.

Puppies need to see the vet frequently in their first year of life to stay up to date on their puppy vaccination schedule. A typical puppy vaccine schedule will generally result in visits every four to six weeks, starting around six weeks of life. Where you get your puppy from (pet shop, family friend, or animal shelter) will determine when to vaccinate puppies. If you adopt a puppy from an animal shelter, generally they will receive puppy vaccines before they come home with you, so make sure you check with the shelter to know what your puppy vaccination schedule will look like moving forward.

If you’re unsure of what vaccinations your puppy has had before you brought him home with you, talk to the veterinarians at Chipman Road Animal Clinic for advice on the appropriate vaccination schedule. The list below provides a general rule of thumb, but it’s important to talk to your vet about your puppy’s specific needs:

• 6-8 weeks: Distemper, Measles, Parainfluenza, Bordetella
• 10-12 weeks: DHPP (Distemper, Hepatitis, Parainfluenza, Parvovirus), Bordetella
• 12-24 weeks: Rabies
• 14-16 weeks: DHPP
• 12-16 months: Rabies, DHPP, Bordetella

Bringing a new puppy home is an exciting time, but often people forget about puppy vaccination costs when adding puppy expenses to their family budget. Others will just assume puppy vaccination prices are a one-time occurrence. Chipman Road Animal Clinic is proud to provide affordable vaccinations for puppies. While the puppy vaccination cost varies depending on the size/breed of dog, our low-cost puppy vaccinations are here to keep your new dog healthy without being a financial burden.

The risk of not vaccinating your puppy is far greater than the puppy vaccinations cost attached to protecting your dog. Not only are you putting your dog in danger of contracting serious and even fatal diseases, you puppy can infect other dog’s and animals around him. The rabies vaccine for puppies is required by law in several states, including Missouri. If your puppy gets sick and bites another dog or human, you could be held responsible if you did not get the necessary puppy vaccinations. Instead of putting your puppy, other pets, nearby animals and neighbors at risk to save a few dollars, visit Chipman Road Animal Clinic and stick to your puppy vaccination schedule. We offer affordable puppy vaccine rates to protect your best friend and set him up for a lifetime of health.

Chipman Road Animal Clinic is a walk-in clinic for your convenience. Unless your puppy needs dental work or a surgery, we do not take appointments. Our office is open six days a week, with doctors on-site from 8:00am until 7:00pm Monday – Friday, and 8:00am until 12:00pm on Saturday. When your puppy needs a check-up or is ready for the next round of puppy vaccines, just stop by our clinic and our exceptional veterinary staff will provide top-tier care for your puppy on your schedule. Come by today to start your new puppy vaccines!

If you are looking for an expert veterinarian in Lee's Summit, MO, call Chipman Road Animal Clinic 816-524-1886