Dog Vaccinations
Your furry friend needs vaccinations to stay healthy. New puppies, senior pooches, and dogs of every age in between must remain updated on their vaccines for the shots to benefit from their full effect. Having our Livonia veterinarian vaccinate your pet at Sheehy Animal Hospital could save its life.
Why Does My Dog Need Vaccines?
You should treat your pet like your family. You and your children need vaccines to prevent diseases that are easily transmitted and can have serious consequences. The same holds true for your pets. In the case of rabies, vaccinating your pet is the law. Without vaccines, even healthy dogs can pick up a disease such as distemper or parvovirus and suffer or die from an easily preventable condition.
What Vaccines Does My Dog Need?
Puppies need more vaccines than older dogs because these young animals need to build up their immune systems against conditions like rabies and parvovirus. Some of these vaccines are required for all puppies, but others our Livonia veterinarian may recommend based on your dog's lifestyle. Vets call the required dog vaccinations "core," and those that are optional are termed "non-core."
Core Vaccines include the following:
- Distemper: This vaccine is given on its own at six to eight weeks of age. After that, it is part of the DHPP combination shot for distemper, hepatitis, parainfluenza, and parvovirus.
- Parainfluenza: Like distemper, parainfluenza shots are given individually to puppies between six and eight weeks of age. After that age, parainfluenza shots are part of the DHPP injection.
- Measles: Your puppy needs a measles shot at six to eight weeks.
- DHPP: DHPP is a vaccine your dog gets regularly for rest of his life. Your vet will administer DHPP shots to puppies at 10 weeks, 14 weeks, 12 months and every one to two years after that.
- Rabies: Most municipalities require dogs to have proof of an updated rabies vaccine. Your puppy gets its first dose between 12 and 24 weeks, its second dose at 12 months and a booster every one to three years after that.
Non-core vaccines you can get at our Livonia animal hospital include Bordetella, canine influenza, Lyme disease, and leptospirosis.
Update Your Dog's Shots at Our Livonia Animal Hospital
At Sheehy Animal Hospital, we have a lot of training and experience in keeping our patients up-to-date on their shots. Vaccines are part of your dog's normal checkups. If it's been too long since you last brought in your pet for a health assessment and vaccines, make an appointment now. Phone our Livonia veterinarian office at (248) 615-7670 to set up a time to get your dog vaccinations updated.