What Shots Does My Dog Need?

Your vet will discuss the need for, and frequency of, dog booster shots, depending on the dogs needs and lifestyle. Your veterinarian will recommend appropriate vaccinations for your pet based on the relative risks for your dog and their particular lifestyle. Talk to your veterinarian about which vaccine protocols work best for you and your dog.
It is important to discuss your dogs lifestyle with your veterinarian so that he or she can make the proper recommendations about which vaccinations are needed to keep your dog safe. Many vaccines can be given to pets as young as 6 weeks, so talk with your veterinarian about setting up a best vaccine schedule for your cat or dog, kitten, or puppy. As stated earlier, core vaccinations are probably something that could use a longer schedule, so your veterinarian will be the best person to recommend how frequently they should be given for your dog.
Most dogs in a low-risk lifestyle may need to get their core vaccines once every three years, as well as needed for any non-core vaccines (most non-core vaccines need an annual booster). Non-core vaccines typically offer short periods of protective immunity, and dogs that are at risk of getting an infection must get the vaccines each year. Once your pup has completed the three vaccinations of puppyhood, theirs, and a booster, your dog will need its core vaccines every 1 to 3 years , depending on how long of an immune period the vaccine used is providing - it is best to check with your vet about what vaccinations he or she is using.
Once your pup has reached maturity, and you have given all the basic puppy vaccines, your veterinarian can start to implement your dogs adult vaccination schedule. Depending on the age of your pup, this might require 3-5 shots in the Distemper/Parvo series before your pup is 16-20 weeks old.

​If your vet has recommended the Canine Parainfluenza Virus and Bordetella Brochiseptica Vaccine, it is typically administered as a single, nasal (dripped into your dogs nostrils, head held back a bit) vaccination, along with the second main vaccine, C3, to your pup, then yearly . The canine canine parainfluenza virus and Bordetella bronchiseptica vaccine (most often known, along with a dogs core vaccine, as a C5 vaccine) is recommended for dogs that frequently have contact with other dogs, such as during walks, in parks, daycare, puppy kindergarten, or boarding . The goal of the vaccine is to prevent your dog from getting parvovirus, rabies, or distemper, another deadly disease.
The vaccines that are available include rabies, distemper, adenovirus (infectious dog liver), parvovirus, leptospirosis, parainfluenza, coronavirus, Bordetella bronchiseptica, Lyme disease, and dog flu (for details about these diseases, please refer to individual leafletsRabies in dogs, Distemper in dogs, Adenovirus (infectious liver liver) in dogs, Parvovirus, Leptospirosis, adenovirus, parvovirus, leptospirosis, coronavirus, bordetella, bordetella, bordetella, Bordetella bronchiseptica, Lyme, and dog flu, andcanine flu).
Texas law also requires the first Rabies vaccine given to be one-year-old (follow-up vaccinations may be three years, depending on county laws). For adult dogs, rabies vaccination is three years, which must be addressed during a new patients first appointment. Texas law requires all dogs to have been vaccinated before four months (which we do in our puppy packages) and remain vaccinated for one or three years.
Testing annually becomes much more costly than staying on a normal 3 year vaccination schedule, recommended by the American Association of Boarding Kennels for adult dogs who complete the puppy series, followed one year after the initial booster. While not every vaccine comes with a label that indicates it is effective for 3 years, the current guidelines for basic vaccinations are that once an initial series is completed, adult dogs should receive one booster every 3 years. For the most part, there is one set of core vaccines we recommend to all dogs: Parvovirus, Distemper, Rabies.
Dog and puppy shots are a series of shots your pooch will need for their entire lives, in order to keep them healthy and to keep diseases from spreading. Regular vaccinations will help your pup grow up to become a dog that is free from potentially deadly diseases that could spread to other pets or humans.