What type of lifestyle does your dog have? Is he a social butterfly, an explorer, a tick magnet, or all three?

Be sure to discuss your pet’s lifestyle with your veterinarian in order to determine the vaccinations your pet needs to stay healthy. Core vaccines are considered those that are needed by all dogs and include the Rabies, Distemper, Parvovirus, and Hepatitis vaccines. Your pet’s lifestyle may suggest other vaccines are essential to maintaining your pet’s health.

Vaccinations Every Dog Needs

What They Do: Dog stuff like laying on couches, going for hikes, hanging out in the yard, judging your driving from the backseat of the car, and so on.
Where They Go: Anywhere, from the foot of your bed to mountain top trails.
What Vaccines They Need: The Distemper, Hepatitis, and Parvovirus (often called the distemper combination), and the Rabies vaccine.
Why They Need Them: These are considered “core” vaccines and are recommended for every dog. Rabies is a universally fatal disease that can be transmitted to humans, vaccination is required by law. The other viruses are highly contagious among dogs and can cause deadly infections, especially in puppies. Antibodies provide protection against these diseases if your dog has been vaccinated.

Explorers

Puppy vaccine schedule for rural dogs

What They Do: Work hard and play hard. They love the outdoors and may swim in or drink from freshwater lakes or streams. Explorers also stroll the city streets and parks and drink from rain puddles.
Where They Go: Wherever the wild things (wildlife, livestock, rodents) are: forests, parks, neighborhoods, farmlands, bodies of water, and city streets.
Vaccines They Need: Core vaccines (Rabies, DHP) and Leptospirosis (4 serotypes: canicola, icterohaemorrhagiae, grippotyphosa, and pomona).
Why They Need Them: Leptospira bacteria can live in soil and water contaminated by the urine of livestock, rodents, wild animals, and other dogs. If the bacteria comes in contact with a dog, they can develop kidney and/or liver failure, lung disease, and bleeding disorders. Leptospirosis can cause disease in humans as well. An infected dog is a source of potential infection for human family members.

Tick Magnets

pet vaccinations for lyme disease

What They Do: Get bitten by ticks in areas where Lyme disease is prevalent.
Where They Go: Yards, forests, parks, and fields where deer, rodents, and ticks live.
What Vaccines They Need: Core vaccines (Rabies, DHP) and Borrelia burgdorferi (Lyme) vaccine.
Why They Need Them: Vaccination against the organism that causes Lyme disease can help prevent clinical signs associated with the disease. Joint pain, fever, and fatal kidney failure can be consequences of Lyme infection. Never forget flea and tick preventatives as an additional layer of protection against Lyme disease.

Social Butterflies

puppy vaccine schedule for social pets

What They Do: Spend time around other dogs
Where They Go: Dog parks, doggie daycare, dog parties, dog shows, boarding kennels, grooming parlors.
What Vaccines They Need: Core vaccines (Rabies, DHP) and commercially available strains for canine influenza (dog flu), Bordetella bronchisceptica, and parainfluenza virus.
Why They Need Them: Dog flu, Bordetella, parainfluenza, and sometimes adenovirus type 2 viruses are easily transmitted. Once infected, dogs can develop sneezing, coughing, and even pneumonia.

Your veterinary team uses lifestyle information to recommend the perfect vaccines for your pet while also using a puppy vaccine schedule as a jumping-off point. If you have questions or concerns regarding vaccinations, discuss this with your veterinarian.

Source: https://www.aaha.org/public_documents/professional/resources/vaccination_poster.pdf

Frequently Asked Questions

  • Where can dogs get infected by Leptospira bacteria? It can live in waterlogged soil and water sources, such as puddles or lakes, contaminated by the urine of livestock, rodents, wild animals, and other dogs. An infected dog is a source of potential infection for human family members.
  • How can I protect my dogs against ticks? Vaccination can help prevent clinical signs associated with infection of Borrelia burgdorferi, the bacteria transmitted through tick bites responsible for clinical signs associated with Lyme disease. s. Joint pain, fever, and fatal kidney failure can be consequences of a tick-borne infection. lea and tick preventatives add an additional and essential layer of protection against Lyme and other tick-borne diseases.
  • What vaccines do all dogs need? At a minimum, all dogs should receive the Distemper, Hepatitis, Parainfluenza, and Parvovirus combination vaccine), Leptospirosis vaccine, and Rabies vaccine.
  • What vaccines do outdoorsy dogs need? Core vaccines (Rabies, DHPP), Borrelia burgdorferi (Lyme) vaccine, and Leptospirosis (4 serotypes: canicola, icterohaemorrhagiae, grippotyphosa, and pomona).
  • What vaccines do dogs need that are frequently around other dogs? Core vaccines (Rabies, DHPP) and commercially available strains for canine influenza (dog flu), Bordetella bronchiseptica, and parainfluenza virus.