Dog Vaccines : The Basics
What do we vaccinate dogs against?
I believe vaccinating your dog is the most important thing. In the UK we routinely vaccinate against five diseases. The main vaccine is an injection and covers for Distemper virus, infectious hepatitis, parvovirus and leptospirosis (lepto). There are two leptospirosis vaccines L2, which covers for two strains of lepto and L4, which covers for four strains of lepto. Lepto is a zoonotic disease which means that humans can catch it from animals so it is extremely important to vaccinate for this and for this reason I personally recommend the L4 vaccination.
The other vaccine available is Kennel cough (bordetella) which is usually an intranasal vaccine (squirt up the nose without a needle). This is usually a modified live vaccine so any people who are immunocompromised or pregnant shouldn’t have contact with this vaccine or animals vaccinated with this vaccine as it may affect them. If you fall in this category I always recommend asking your human doctor before vaccinating your dog with this vaccine. Some of the kennel cough vaccines set a time frame not to be in contact with the vaccinated animal for people in this category so its worth asking this question to your veterinarian who may need to call the vaccine company to receive this information. There are injectable kennel cough vaccines available but I haven’t personally had experience with these.
How does the vaccine course work?
I will be using L4 as my example as this is the vaccine I personally use:
Distemper (D) - Infectious Hepatitis (H) - Parvovirus (P) - Leptospirosis 4 (L4) - Kennel Cough (KC)
Puppy vaccine is 2 vaccines 4 weeks apart exactly. This usually has to be to the exact day so make sure you will be free on the day of the 2nd vaccine otherwise you will have to re-start the course all over again and pay for it again. Then the vaccine is carried out every year. The vaccine can go over due by a certain amount of months usually to give you a buffer time to be able to get the vaccine done. Make sure to book your vaccines in advance with your vet to make sure you get them done on time otherwise you have to start all over again with the same puppy course of 2 vaccines 4 weeks apart which usually costs more money to do.
Kennel cough is a squirt up the nose that is done annually. The initial course only required one vaccine not two for kennel cough.
What can I expect after my dog is vaccinated ?
After being vaccinated your dog may be sensitive over the vaccine site if your dog is anything like mine they could scream the house down if you touch the area so this isn’t unusual. They may feel a little under the weather also. If you are concerned about your dog after vaccination I would recommend contacting your vets.
Some dogs can vet a lump where the vaccine was administered. This is called a vaccine reaction site. If you notice this call your vet to notify them and they can advise you best and potentially report this to the vaccine company.
Different brands of vaccines
There are several vaccine companies out there and some will follow a different course timing or cover for slightly different things its worth asking your vet what the vaccines your dog is receiving covers so that you are best informed before the appointment. If your puppy/dog had the first vaccine before you had them check that your vets vaccine is compatible as not all brands are compatible and a restart may be required unless you find a practice using the same brand.
My dog has some issues at the moment should i still vaccinate them?
Only healthy dogs should be vaccinated if there is underlying inflammation/infection it may be worth discussing if it is worth vaccinating your cat now or later on with your veterinarian!
Resources :
https://www.noahcompendium.co.uk/?id=-455402
https://www.noahcompendium.co.uk/?id=-455469
https://www.noahcompendium.co.uk/?id=-455455
