There is nothing better than bringing home a precious, new puppy. They are soft, cute and bursting with youthful energy. Though shortly after bringing your new puppy home, it will become apparent just how much your puppy relies on you for absolutely everything.
It is so much fun to show your puppy around their new home and introduce them to a world of toys and treats, but owning a puppy is more than fun and games. Soon, you will be racing your puppy to random items on the floor, because to a puppy, shoes, remotes, books, glasses, etc all look like chew toys. On top of that, it is your responsibility to ensure you are taking your puppy to routine vet visits. TCAP provides low cost vaccines for dogs and cats during convenient walk-in vaccine hours and to this effect, we have assembled a guide for essential vaccines for your puppy.
Round 1 | 6-8 Weeks
Puppy vaccines are given in three rounds, spaced 3-4 weeks apart. The order of puppy vaccines is determined by the age of your puppy at the time of their first visit. For the purposes of this guide, let us assume that your first visit falls between your puppy’s 6th-8th week. The following services are given during round 1 of puppy vaccines:
- DAPPv – Commonly called the “Distemper Shot”. This combination vaccine actually protects against five diseases: canine distemper, adenovirus, hepatitis, parainfluenza, and parvovirus.
- Strongid – Known as a general dewormer. Strongid deworms puppies against common intestinal parasites such as Roundworms and Hookworms.
Round 2 | 9-11 Weeks
This round of puppy vaccines will introduce a new vaccine as well as include a DAPPv booster. The Strongid dewormer is included with each round of puppy vaccines because, intestinal parasites are very common in puppies and usually take 2-3 doses of dewormer to clear out of a pet’s system. The following services are given during round 2 of puppy vaccines:
- DAPPv
- Bordetella – Bordetella (commonly called “kennel cough”): The bordetella virus causes an extremely contagious upper respiratory infection.
- Strongid
Round 3 | 12 Weeks+
This is the final round of puppy vaccines. It is important to wait two weeks after this round of vaccines before socializing your puppy or taking them to dog parks. The following services are given during round 3 of puppy vaccines:
- Rabies – Rabies is a virus that may affect the brain and spinal cord of all mammals. The Rabies vaccine is those universally recommended for dogs no matter what the circumstance and most cities in Texas require that pets be current on this vaccine.
- DAPPv
- Bordetella
- Strongid
Missing even one vaccination may leave your puppy defenseless if exposed to a serious disease, so it is very important that you get all three rounds of puppy vaccines within the correct time frame. Once the third round of puppy vaccines is complete, you will only need to boost the Rabies, DAPPv, and Bordetella vaccines on an annual basis. Prefer a visual vaccine guide instead?
Before You Start
If your puppy has not started on their vaccines yet, TCAP has easy-to-use voucher booklets that serve as a guide as well as provide savings on your puppy’s first year of care. These wellness packages come in two options, vaccine only or vaccines and spay/ neuter. Click here to learn more about TCAP’s Wellness Packages.