What vaccinations does my puppy need?

Well, most vaccinations for puppies come in a combination, and the big ones that most people are familiar with and are probably still the most important are distemper virus and parvovirus. That doesn't mean that those are the only two that your dog needs because there are other things like coronavirus, not the same one, a different canine coronavirus, hepatitis, leptospirosis. Those are all things that can be included as well. But distemper and parvo are probably the two most common that we still do see from time to time in practice on young, unvaccinated puppies. So, I think those are the most important ones.

From day one, your puppy should absolutely receive what's called DATPP. That's distemper, adenovirus, parainfluenza, and parvovirus. And from then, every three weeks, they'll receive that same vaccine, plus some later on.

It depends on the age. When we start, the first ones we typically give are what we call distemper parvo. Most dog owners have heard of distemper parvo, but when we use that term, we're protecting against several different diseases in that one vaccine. Those two diseases are highly contagious and life-threatening viruses. We're also protecting against a disease called adenovirus, which is an upper respiratory disease and a liver disease. And another one is called parainfluenza, which is a form of kennel cough in dogs. Those are the primary ones. And then there's another one called leptospirosis, which we highly recommend in this part of the country because it is a bacterial infection that they get from contaminated water sources, like backyard puddles and such. The then is also the rabies vaccine, but we don't start that until they are three months of age, excuse me. That one is required by law because of the potential for human health because it is a deadly virus and a deadly disease. Another one is called Bordetella. Bordetella is a form of kennel cough as well. Those are the three that we always recommend. Other ones are going to be based upon their lifestyle, like Lyme disease vaccines and canine flu vaccines.