Vaccines for your dog : Very Important
One of the most important job for you as a pet parent to do when your little bundle of joy arrives home is to ensure they are vaccinated.
Vaccination protects your pet from falling prey to serious canine illnesses like distemper, rabies and hepatitis. Getting him regularly vaccinated not only protects his health but also the health of the family members as some canine diseases can be passed on to humans as well.
There are basically two types of vaccinations; Core and Non Core vaccines.
Core Vaccines:
– Rabies Vaccine: Since rabies is incurable and can even harm the lives of humans it is been made mandatory by law to administer rabies vaccine to your dog. It should be administered when your dog is 16-18 weeks of age. An additional jab should be administered after a year and thereafter boosters must be given every three years.
– Distemper combination vaccine: This vaccine protects your pet from diseases like Distemper Virus, Parvovirus, Adenovirus and Para influenza Virus in a single injection. This should be administered to your pet when he is 6-8 weeks of age. Booster should be given every 3-4 weeks till he is 6 weeks old.
Non Core Vaccines:
– Bordetella Vaccine (Kennel cough vaccine): This vaccine protects your dog from bacteria called Bordetella Bronchiseptica which cause kennel cough in dogs. It should be administered to puppies if they come in contact with a large group of dogs. It can be taken annually or semi-annually depending on the risk factor of your pet coming in contact with other dogs.
– Lyme disease vaccine: Lyme disease is caused by bacteria called Bordetella Bronchiseptica. This bacteria is carried through ticks and tick bites may lead to various cardiac, kidney and neurological disorders. Your pet must receive two shots of this vaccine three weeks apart and then receive annual boosters to be free from this disease.
The welfare of your beloved pet is in your hands so make sure he receives all his vaccines periodically before mingling with other dogs. Also taking them to the vet for regular checkups would help him to lead a happy and healthy life.
Article by Harshita
