
Puppy and Dog Vaccinations
There are lots of nasty diseases out there that puppies can catch and vaccinations are the best way to protect your dog from some of the worst ones.
Your puppy can be vaccinated from 7 weeks old and they will need a primary vaccination course to get their protection started. This primary course consists of two injections given two to four weeks apart with the second injection given at a minimum age of 10 weeks.
Until your puppy has had their vaccinations it’s really important to make sure that they don’t mix with dogs who may not have been vaccinated. They also shouldn't go to places where unvaccinated dogs might have been, like the park.
After the primary vaccination course, your puppy will then need to be vaccinated every year to keep up their protection against the diseases. We often call this a booster vaccination as it boosts your dog’s immunity.
Your vet will ensure your dog receives a full health-check at their vaccination appointment and carry out a thorough head to paw assessment and answer any questions you may have. The diseases we can protect dogs against with vaccinations are:
Distemper is passed from dog to dog. The symptoms of Distemper are a runny nose and eyes with coughing and sickness, unusual tiredness and nervous signs including twitching or even fits.
Infectious canine hepatitis is caught from another infected dog and it affects the liver. A dog with infectious canine hepatitis will have a very high temperature, pale gums, sickness, diarrhoea and seem generally poorly.
Leptospirosis can also be spread to humans so vaccinations are important here to protect your dog as well as your family who could catch the disease from your dog should they become infected. There are different types of Leptospirosis which affect different organs of the body. Signs of Leptospirosis include a high temperature, severe thirst, tiredness, sickness, bloody diarrhoea and jaundice.
Parvo is highly contagious and causes either severe sickness and diarrhoea or problems with breathing and the heart. Unfortunately, most dogs who get Parvo don’t survive it even with veterinary attention.
We vaccinate against Kennel Cough separately to the other diseases which are all covered in the same injection. Kennel Cough causes a persistent hacking cough that lasts for several weeks. Although, as the name suggests, this cough is often picked up when dogs stay in boarding kennels, dogs are just as likely to catch it whenever they are close to other dogs, so at training classes, playing at the park, at shows etc. Most good boarding kennels won’t accept your dog unless they have been vaccinated beforehand.
Dogs only need to be vaccinated against rabies if they are going to be taken abroad as this disease isn't currently seen in the UK.
There are lots of nasty diseases out there that puppies can catch and vaccinations are the best way to protect your dog from some of the worst ones.
Your puppy can be vaccinated from 7 weeks old and they will need a primary vaccination course to get their protection started. This primary course consists of two injections given two to four weeks apart with the second injection given at a minimum age of 10 weeks.
Until your puppy has had their vaccinations it’s really important to make sure that they don’t mix with dogs who may not have been vaccinated. They also shouldn't go to places where unvaccinated dogs might have been, like the park.
After the primary vaccination course, your puppy will then need to be vaccinated every year to keep up their protection against the diseases. We often call this a booster vaccination as it boosts your dog’s immunity.
Your vet will ensure your dog receives a full health-check at their vaccination appointment and carry out a thorough head to paw assessment and answer any questions you may have. The diseases we can protect dogs against with vaccinations are:
- Canine Parvovirus normally known as Parvo
- Distemper
- Infectious Canine Hepatitis
- Leptospirosis
- Kennel Cough
Distemper is passed from dog to dog. The symptoms of Distemper are a runny nose and eyes with coughing and sickness, unusual tiredness and nervous signs including twitching or even fits.
Infectious canine hepatitis is caught from another infected dog and it affects the liver. A dog with infectious canine hepatitis will have a very high temperature, pale gums, sickness, diarrhoea and seem generally poorly.
Leptospirosis can also be spread to humans so vaccinations are important here to protect your dog as well as your family who could catch the disease from your dog should they become infected. There are different types of Leptospirosis which affect different organs of the body. Signs of Leptospirosis include a high temperature, severe thirst, tiredness, sickness, bloody diarrhoea and jaundice.
Parvo is highly contagious and causes either severe sickness and diarrhoea or problems with breathing and the heart. Unfortunately, most dogs who get Parvo don’t survive it even with veterinary attention.
We vaccinate against Kennel Cough separately to the other diseases which are all covered in the same injection. Kennel Cough causes a persistent hacking cough that lasts for several weeks. Although, as the name suggests, this cough is often picked up when dogs stay in boarding kennels, dogs are just as likely to catch it whenever they are close to other dogs, so at training classes, playing at the park, at shows etc. Most good boarding kennels won’t accept your dog unless they have been vaccinated beforehand.
Dogs only need to be vaccinated against rabies if they are going to be taken abroad as this disease isn't currently seen in the UK.