Puppy Vaccination Guidelines

6-8 Weeks
9-12 Weeks
12-15 Weeks
16-19 Weeks
16 Months
Distemper, Adenovirus, Parvovirus, Parainfluenza, Coronavirus
Every 1 to 3 thereafter pending of risk level
Bordetella (Kennel Cough) Intraoral or Intranasal
Annual
Rabies
Every 3 years if living in Utah. Each state may have different requirements.
Leptospirosis
Annual
Influenza H3N2
Annual. Recommended if traveling to states where outbreaks were documented.
Rattlesnake Vaccine
Annual recommended if dog is going to be exposed to rattlesnake bites (ex. Hiking, camping, etc)
Deworming
Monthly Oral Deworming/Heartworm Preventative for life

6-8 Weeks

  • Distemper, Adenovirus, Parvovirus, Parainfluenza, Coronavirus
  • Deworming

9-12 Weeks

  • Distemper, Adenovirus, Parvovirus, Parainfluenza, Coronavirus
  • Bordetella (Kennel Cough) Intraoral or Intranasal
  • Deworming

12-15 Weeks

  • Distemper, Adenovirus, Parvovirus, Parainfluenza, Coronavirus
  • Leptospirosis
  • Influenza H3N2
  • Rattlesnake Vaccine
  • Deworming

16-19 Weeks

  • Distemper, Adenovirus, Parvovirus, Parainfluenza, Coronavirus
  • Rabies
  • Leptospirosis
  • Influenza H3N2
  • Rattlesnake Vaccine
  • Monthly Oral Deworming/Heartworm Preventative for life

16 Months

  • Distemper, Adenovirus, Parvovirus, Parainfluenza, Coronavirus: Every 1 to 3 thereafter pending of risk level
  • Bordetella (Kennel Cough) Intraoral or Intranasal: Annual
  • Rabies: Every 3 years if living in Utah. Each state may have different requirements.
  • Leptospirosis: Annual
  • Influenza H3N2: Annual. Recommended if traveling to states where outbreaks were documented.
  • Rattlesnake Vaccine: Annual recommended if dog is going to be exposed to rattlesnake bites (ex. Hiking, camping, etc)

Remember The Magic Date: 16 Weeks!

Puppy vaccines are EXTREMELY IMPORTANT to stimulate your pet’s immune system to produce antibodies (the “good guys”) to fight the viral antigens (the “bad guys”) like distemper, and parvovirus.

Timing is KEY to these early vaccines and here is why:

  • New mothers naturally produce colostrum (the mother’s first milk), and as long as she was properly vaccinated, her puppies will receive “maternal antibodies” by means of this colostrum.
  • For up to 14 weeks, these maternal antibodies serve to protect the puppies. After this, the antibodies start to lessen and the puppies own immune system will begin responding to infections.

Because of this, we recommend vaccinating puppies at:

  • 8 weeks, 11 weeks, 14 weeks, and 17 weeks of age to ensure adequate protection and immune system development.

What if your puppy is older than 16 weeks and has not received any vaccines yet?

  • If your puppy is older than 16 weeks of age, we recommend 2 DA2PP vaccines 3-4 weeks apart to provide adequate protection.

What about vaccines after the puppy shots?

  • Your dog will need a 1 year booster of the DA2PP at 1-1 ½ years of age depending on when the last puppy vaccine was administered. This is to ensure that your pet has an appropriate immune response when exposed to these infections. After the booster, your pet will then be placed on a 3-year protocol.

What about other vaccines?

Rabies must be given to your pet at 16 weeks of age, and then administered as a Rabies booster at 1-1 ½ years of age (for the same reasons as listed above for the DA2PP). After this booster, your pet will then be placed on a 3-year protocol. However, if you do not get the 1-year booster during the appropriate time interval or go beyond the 3-year interval, by law, we must start over with a 1 year protocol for your pet’s Rabies vaccine.

Rabies is REQUIRED BY LAW. Unless your pet is sick or has extenuating circumstances, every pet must be vaccinated for Rabies at our clinic.

Bordetella is often known as the “Kennel Cough” vaccine. Bordetella is one bacterial component that we can vaccinate your pet for in the “Kennel Cough” complex. It is recommended to be administered yearly to maintain appropriate protection. Bordetella is not required, but strongly recommended for any dogs who participate in “at risk” activities. These activities include: hiking, visiting dog parks, boarding/kenneling, grooming, puppy daycare, traveling, and obedience/agility classes.

Leptospirosis is a disease caused by infection with Leptospira bacteria. These bacteria can be found worldwide in soil and water. There are many strains of Leptospira bacteria that can cause disease. Leptospirosis is a zoonotic disease, which means it can be spread from animals to people. Infection in people can cause flu-like symptoms and can cause liver or kidney disease.

In the United States, most cases of human leptospirosis result from recreational activities involving water. Infection resulting from contact with an infected pet is much less common, but it is possible.

Any dog over 4 months of age that is exposed to rattlesnakes whether at home, walking, hiking, camping, hunting or elsewhere might be a good candidate for rattlesnake vaccine.

The first time your dog is vaccinated, we recommend an initial vaccine injection followed by a booster dose about one month later. We recommend then boostering each subsequent year.

Typically, boostering would involve a single dose at the start of the rattlesnake season in your area.

Puppies and kitties are more likely to be infected with intestinal parasites, which in turn can be passed to humans.

We strongly recommend deworming since 3 weeks of age and continue treatment every 2-3 weeks until 12 weeks when your pet will start taking a monthly deworming medication.

Puppies and dogs after the age of 1 year old. Recommendation heartworm testing every 2 years if your pet has been on heartworm medication once a month. Otherwise, we recommend once a year testing.

Heartworm disease is a serious and potentially fatal disease in pets. It is caused by foot-long worms (heartworms) that live in the heart, lungs and associated blood vessels of affected pets, causing severe lung disease, heart failure and damage to other organs in the body. They are transmitted by mosquitoes.