Dog vaccines play an important role in preventing the spread of various diseases. It’s necessary for us and our dogs to be vaccinated.
Different kinds of dog vaccines and their necessity can be confusing though. I’ve gathered answers to the most asked questions that I was wondering about with my first doggo as well.
Let’s look at some necessary dog vaccines more closely and always consult your vet as well!
Absolutely necessary dog vaccines
Due to the vaccination, millions of animals have been saved.
Pet vaccinations don’t only prevent the spread of the diseases but also helps in saving the costly treatments.
There are some important dog vaccines that are required to be given. Without these, dogs are at the risk of exposure to deadly diseases. These diseases can be transmitted to human beings as well.
There are two types of vaccines:
- Core Vaccines
- Non-Core Vaccines
Core Vaccines are said to be very important for dogs. Vaccines given for the treatment of distemper, hepatitis, rabies, and parvovirus are called Core Vaccines.
However, the non-core vaccines’ dose depends on the dog’s exposure to a risk condition—the vaccines against Leptospira bacteria, Borrelia burdorferi, and Bordetella bronchiseptica.
However, your pet’s vet may determine the best-suited vaccine for your dog.
Do dogs really need yearly vaccinations?
There is a long debate on whether booster shots are necessary for dogs every year or not. By the law, there is only rabies vaccination that must be administered every year. Other than that, there is not any hard and fast rule that tells that you should vaccinate your dog with booster vaccines every year.
Primary vaccination is very much important for your puppy to ensure the prevention of deadly diseases. However, if you think that yearly vaccination is also as important as primary vaccination, recent research shows that not all vaccines require annual boosters.
However, if your vet says to give the yearly boosters to your dog, it should be indicated by the blood test for antibody titers. If some specific antibody is less than normal, then a booster vaccine should be given to your doggo. But, it should be made sure that the pros and cons of the vaccines are discussed.
Can a dog live without vaccines?
Being a dog owner, it could be your utmost try to give your puppy an alternative to vaccines. It is due to the fact that vaccines do come with risks. Putting such a substance in your perfectly healthy dog, which could be dangerous for him, may raise concerns in you.
There are a number of dogs who have not been vaccinated yet and are still living their life. Your dog gets vaccines for the prevention of diseases. Vaccines are not as effective in curing the disease, though.
If your dog isn’t vaccinated, your dog is at the risk of contracting diseases. That could be prevented using vaccines.
It should be kept in mind that not all diseases are deadly. However, some of them have the potential to be deadly in nature.
If you have come to the point of not vaccinating your dog, then you should be vigilant in keeping your dog under extreme supervision.
The alternative to vaccines is to increase the natural immunity of your dog. However, this process of increasing immunity is not as easy as it seems. The overall health of your puppy defines the pattern of fighting against the diseases.
If your dog is healthy enough and is generating enough antibodies, then it is a good sign.
How often do dogs need vaccines?
Many animals that are living indoors do not need the vaccines every year. Studies suggest that the dogs who have been vaccinated are immune for almost three years after their first booster.
However, you should vaccinate your dog after every three years as recommended. This three years duration is for most of the core vaccines.
There are some mild adverse effects of vaccines, such as fever, lethargy, and diarrhea. It’s not recommended to vaccinate your dog if your dog is at an older age. The aging process affects your dog’s vital organs.
If your dog has grown older, then most of the vaccines, excluding rabies, can be stopped. The necessity of the vaccines only comes at the time if it becomes the only option.
Do dogs need heartworm pills?
As heartworm disease progresses, dogs may develop heart failure. You may notice some sort of swollen belly due to excessive fluids in the abdomen.
Suppose you are noticing mild but persistent cough, resistance to exercise, fatigue after any moderate activity, loss in weight followed by decreased appetite. These types of situations indicate the presence of heartworm in your dog.
The up mentioned condition may prove to be worse for your dog’s overall health.
There are two types of heartworm medicines for dogs:
- to prevent dogs from heartworm disease
- to treat the heartworm infected dog
Prevention treatment includes chewable pills, topical spot-on, and injections. The American Heartworm Society recommends year-round checking and feeding of doses to ensure the prevention of deadly heartworms.
It is cheaper to use preventive medicines than the treatment for infected dogs. Natural products can’t prevent heartworm disease or cure it. Always consult your veterinarian and use FDA-approved medication.
Many vaccines given at once
Vaccines for five different situations are given at once for your puppy. These five situations include distemper, parvovirus, hepatitis, leptospirosis, and parainfluenza.
This 5 in 1 vaccine is given at different ages of the puppy three times before the yearly boosters are given.
However, over-vaccinating can be dangerous for the immune system of your little puppy.
In the list of dog vaccines, rabies vaccination is included in many countries. Dog owners visit the veterinarian at periods to vaccinate their dog against rabies, but the exact time frame for the puppies and dogs varies by state.
Shots your dog needs yearly
We have discussed that there are two schedules followed for the vaccination of dogs. One is the core vaccination schedule, and the other is the non-core vaccination schedule. These are the vaccines that are administered once at an early age and then after a year.
Core vaccines are the essential vaccines that your vet recommends to protect your dog from life-threatening and painful diseases.
The core vaccines
- Distemper
- Provirus
- Rabies – 1 year
- Rabies – 3 year
- Adenovirus type 1
- Adenovirus type 2
Booster vaccines are necessary to make sure that your dog is not prone to get the disease. There is no evidence up till now that booster vaccines are not beneficial.
So, it’s important that you follow the schedule of vaccination. Completely and seriously for your dog’s safety.
Do dogs really need to be vaccinated?
A rational answer to this question is yes! There are a number of viral and bacterial strains in our surroundings that can be deadly for your dog.
There are quite a number of epidemics occurring all over the world.
Our furry doggos are prone to these diseases. The one and only guardian angels for our dogs are vaccines.
Vaccines contain a dead or weakened antigenic strain of the virus that triggers the immune system to start a response against that virus. The body’s response against that strain saves the dog from further infections of that specific virus.
Resultantly, when a dog experiences the actual virus, the body is already ready to cope with the virus effectively.
Is it ever too late to vaccinate my dog?
If your dog is not vaccinated against any disease, set an appointment with your vet knowing that it’s never too late to vaccinate your dog!
In most adoption cases, the new dog owner doesn’t have the vaccination record, and neither does the rescue centers. You should undoubtedly get an immediate appointment with the veterinarian and tell him the whole situation.
Some people have concerns about using vaccines that, in their opinion, are not suitable for pet health. These people don’t vaccinate their pets, and, to the surprise, they don’t even get the dog vaccinated against rabies.
Final Thoughts
Whenever you realize that there is some disease prevailing in your locality or you have traveled to another region, it is in need of the hour to vaccinate your furry family member against any potentially harmful disease.
I know that you want the best for your dog. Your one on-time step can save you and your dog from deadly conditions and heartbreak.
Pay a visit to your lovely veterinarian regularly as recommended. Your vet will assess your dog’s situation and administer the necessary vaccine on time.