Booster Shots
 

Hey!!

Zoe is now 1 year and 5 months and I just made an appt for him to get all his one year booster shots next weekend. What Shots should I get and what shots do I watch out for NOT to get?

Also, do they have to be on heartguard their whole lives?

Thanks!

We always give heartguard to our babies monthly. One is picky and wont' eat it so we have to cut it in very very small peices and mix with cottage cheese to get her to eat some of it. She still picks some of it out. We have just recently found you can get heartguard in pill form. We are giving this to he today, so pill form may help with those that are picky. Ours got their yearly booster and be prepared because ours feel terrible afterward for a day or two. Te booster is like four shots in one or something. Can't remember all it covers.

I think it is best to get a recommendation from your vet about which boosters your dog needs. Some areas are more prone to certain problems than others. For instance, we decided to forgo the Leptospirosis vaccine as it is not prevalent and I had read it has some risks. There has been a lot of controversy over vaccine schedules in the last few years. Some vets are suggesting longer intervals between shots. Annual boosters are not always needed.

Rabies is almost always required. After the first one, you can choose to get the 3 year rabies vaccine. There is usually a combo shot that includes some combination of distemper, hepatitis, adenovirus, paravirus and parvo. You may also want to get the giardia, corona, leptospirosis, and bordetella depending on vet recommendations. Some areas even suggest the lyme disease vaccine.

As to heartguard -- yes, you need to provide some protection against heart worms for life. I use Heartguard Plus in pill form. Many use Sentinel or Interceptor and some use Revolution. My vet will not prescribe Revolution for dogs as it does not protect against canine intestinal worms. I will probably go to Sentinel or Interceptor when I need to replenish my supply as they afford the extra protection against whip worms. So, talk that choice over with your vet.

I would highly recommend not getting more than one vaccine at a time. The boosters are a much larger vaccine dose. Talk with your vet about the rabies, make sure it will be good for 3 years and then also tell them that you know the recommended minimum dose is for a 25 lb dog!!! My vet reduced what Sissy was given. Once Zoe gets a distemper booster, that should also be good for 3 years (again see if your vet will only give part of the dosage). Lepto is always recommended if you have active strains in your area and bordatella as well if you ever board, having doggie play dates or take Zoe out to stores and parks.

I got each vaccine individually. It definitely costs more this way, but we had no reactions and I'll continue to go this route. I'd rather err on the side of caution and my vet happens to agree with me. (I also had the distemper and lepto given separately), though she did get the distemper and bordatella together.

vaccines!
 

I agree only one vaccine at a time and the lepto no way! too many pups died from that shot and you don't really need it.

Good advice -- we separate most of ours too. They do get a combo shot but not at the same time as their rabies.

My dachshund and Jack Russell both had a bad reaction to their vaccines once -- doggie hives are bumpy! They now get an antihistamine shot with their vaccines and we split up the shots.