What Shots Does My Puppy Need in Wilton, NY?

Welcoming a new puppy into the family is one of life’s great joys. But amidst all the excitement, it’s important to remember that your new puppy needs lots of care from you and their veterinarian to ensure a healthy start in life! They need a thorough physical examination, appropriate nutrition recommendations, parasite prevention, and, last but not least, puppy shots.

Here in Wilton, NY, our veterinarians highly recommend puppy shots to help your four-legged family member strengthen their disease immunity and stay protected from infection so they can grow into a healthy, happy adult.

But what puppy shots does your pet need, specifically? Saratoga Veterinary Hospital offers a variety of high-quality vaccines for puppies and adult dogs. Read on to see what we recommend, and why.

At our animal hospital, we carefully consider the safety and effectiveness of all our vaccines for dogs and cats. Safer and more effective vaccines are higher-quality vaccines, and they can be a little more expensive than other vaccines.

Below are the core vaccines we recommend for puppies:

Rabies

The Rabies vaccine is required by law and protects your puppy from the fatal Rabies virus.

DHPP

DHPP stands for distemper, hepatitis, parvovirus, and parainfluenza. This vaccine protects your pet against multiple viruses.

Lyme

The Lyme vaccine gives your puppy protection against Lyme, a zoonotic disease transmitted by deer ticks.

Lepto

The Lepto vaccine increases your puppy’s immunity to leptospirosis, a potentially deadly bacterial infection.

What About Non-Core Vaccines?

The vaccines listed above are considered core vaccines, which means they are highly recommended for all puppies and adult dogs. Non-core vaccines are given based on lifestyle factors for diseases that are not as prevalent or as high a risk for many dogs.

The non-core vaccines we recommend include:

Bordetella (Kennel Cough)

Kennel cough is a highly contagious upper respiratory virus often found in dog kennels, dog parks, and animal shelters.

Influenza (CIV)

Canine influenza is also highly contagious, and, like kennel cough, is typically spread in places such as shelters, boarding kennels, grooming salons, and dog parks.

How Frequently Does My Puppy Need Their Shots?

Building up your puppy’s immunity is a gradual process. We need to give them time to absorb each booster shot, and we also want to make sure your pet does not experience a vaccine reaction. Vaccine reactions are extremely rare in puppies, but they can still happen.

We typically see puppies every 2 weeks for their boosters, which include DHPP, Rabies, Lyme, and Lepto. Their initial boosters will be given when they are 6-8 weeks of age and continue every 2 weeks until they are 16 to 18 weeks of age. While this is the general timeline we recommend for puppies, our Wilton, NY, veterinarians will customize your puppy’s vaccination schedule based on their individual needs.

Are Puppy Shots Safe?

We vaccinate puppies and adult dogs to keep them safe from harmful diseases, so it only makes sense for us to be equally vigilant about providing the safest possible vaccines.

A key part of making sure puppies are vaccinated safely is spreading out their booster shots. We recommend 2 weeks between boosters to give your puppy the time they need to absorb their booster and build up their immunity. Some puppies might experience minor soreness at the injection site for a couple of days after their booster, but this discomfort fades quickly on its own. However, we do recommend that you contact us if, for any reason, your puppy’s discomfort persists. We can amend their vaccination schedule if we feel that a specific vaccine is unsafe for them.

Additionally, our animal hospital uses the highest-quality vaccines available, formulated for maximum safety and effectiveness, and we can tailor your puppy’s vaccinations according to their unique needs. We can discuss your puppy’s most pressing disease risks, along with their lifestyle, to establish a vaccination schedule that is appropriate for them.

What’s a Recombinant Vaccine?

Our veterinarians are firm believers in recombinant vaccine technology, and we use it whenever possible! In simple terms, a recombinant vaccine is designed to elicit a strong immune system response in your pet without the need for an adjuvant. An adjuvant is a chemical additive included in a vaccine to generate a stronger immune response, but over the years, adjuvants have come under scrutiny as it is believed they are responsible for causing adverse vaccine reactions in pets.

Merial is a major manufacturer of vaccines for dogs and cats, and their researchers have been able to create a vaccine that incorporates tiny pieces of DNA from different viruses, including Rabies, to craft a safer, but equally effective vaccine. Our Rabies, Lepto, DHPP (recombinant), and Bordetella vaccines are all produced by Merial, and our Lyme (recombinant) vaccine is produced by Zoetis.

Still Have Questions About Puppy Shots in Wilton, NY?

Our team at Saratoga Veterinary Hospital looks forward to answering your questions and giving you peace of mind about your puppy’s shots. Every puppy is different, and we want your new four-legged family member to have the best start possible. To begin protecting your new puppy, contact our hospital today at (518) 587-3832!