1st Year Vac

[Oscar (AmBull)]

I am looking for some DOL advice.

Oscar is booked in for Friday to receive his 1st year vaccination. I have never had a dog of my own and all the dogs my parents have had have only ever received their puppy vacs. I want to know what the vac should be? What questions should I be asking?

I guess I am posting this as from what I read in another thread on the heartworm vac I am a little concerned, I don't want him pumped full of unnecessary or harmful chemicals. I know I have had the heartworm vac suggested to me by another vet, when we had his initial vacs done., however he has never had it and is wormed monthly on interceptor. I will not be getting this done after reading the thread.

Any help is much appreciated.

[t-time]

If you look at his vaccination card, it will tell you which vaccine he was given when he was a puppy and they literally do a "top-up" of the same or similar vaccination. ie. C3, C4, C5 Just make sure he's feeling healthy and well on the day of the vaccination and there shouldn't be any issues.

So, it's ok - not big and scary

The heartworm yearly is a separate item and as you are already using heartworm prevention, there is no need to change unless you want to.

Don't be bullied into anything you don't feel comfortable with - do ask your vet questions even if they are silly or simple - this is how you learn.

I'm with you about the heartworm injection!

[raffikki]

Hi

Here is a little info about the different vaccinations:

Canine Vaccinations

In dogs, the primary diseases that are routinely vaccinated against are:

Parvovirus: causes potentially fatal diarrhoea, especially in pups and dogs under 2 years.

Distemper: causes coughing, diarrhoea and sometimes twitching, seizures, loss of balance, blindness

Hepatitis: causes vomiting, diarrhoea, abdominal pain and possibly even liver failure.

The vaccination against these three diseases is called a C3.

Further protection against the components of Canine Cough is also available:

Parainfluenza: the viral component of Canine Cough (C3 and parainfluenza is a C4)

Bordatella bronchiseptica: bacterial component of the cough (C4 and B. bronchiseptica is C5)

A C5 vaccination is the minimum requirement for most boarding kennels and is recommended for dogs mixing frequently with large numbers of dogs (eg Obedience training).

And a bit more info here Vaccinate for Life!

Edited May 20, 2010 by raffikki