Can there be any variations in the puppy and dog vaccine schedules?

Because it's their first experience with the vaccine, puppies need to get boosters of most of our vaccines. Some vaccines require more boosters, some require fewer, but we're going to work out that vaccine schedule with you when we meet your dog.

For the most part, every puppy needs the core vaccines every three weeks until they're four months, and then the rabies vaccine some time between three and four months. That's pretty standard, but some dogs are going to be exposed to different things. If your dog is boarding a lot or going to daycare, we highly recommend the flu vaccine for dogs as well because it's transmitted via aerosol. Bordatella is not considered a core vaccine, but it is essential if your dog is out and about. Then there's leptospirosis, which is another essential vaccine. It depends on the dog’s lifestyle.

There can be variations in the puppy and dog vaccine schedules. As I said, the puppies will be getting that every three weeks, and then they are good for a year after that last booster. And then dogs sometimes will be able to go every three years, depending on the types of vaccines they need. We’ve come to find that some of them last a little bit longer, but as far as your puppies go, you need to make sure you're doing that every three weeks.

The variations include leptospirosis, which we consider a core vaccine here at Blue Oasis because we live in Middle Tennessee. Our pet population is exposed to leptospirosis, a bacteria that's shed in the urine of wildlife. We recommend reboostering this vaccine annually. We also deal with many pets that go to daycare and boarding. They have a higher risk of respiratory exposure, so they should have the Bordetella, or kennel cough, vaccine every six to 12 months. We also recommend an annual booster for canine influenza, which is becoming more common in North America.

Yes, some veterinarians are strict about every three weeks or every four weeks. But, it's basically every three to four weeks until the puppy is 14 weeks of age, and for adult dogs, it's once a year.