Vaccinating your Dog | Hairy Hounz Charity

When you acquire a puppy or dog is it extremely important to have them vaccinated as soon as possible. Although it is essential for a puppy's development that they be allowed to socialise with other animals while they are very young, it is NOT a good idea to allow this before they have been vaccinated. By doing so, not only are you protecting your puppy or dog from various deadly diseases which can cause them much pain and distress, you are also preventing the disease from spreading to other animals. From 10-12 weeks of age a puppy has his/her own natural immunity from his mother; however, after this time he/she will still require further vaccinations to continue this protection and to keep them safe.

The first vaccination is usually given between 8 and 10 weeks, with the second two weeks later. Over the year, the vaccine will fade and your puppy will then require a booster vaccination every year to keep them protected. Vaccines and vaccination protocols are designed by pharmaceutical companies and are administered by veterinarians to protect your pet from highly contagious diseases that are common, and could potentially threaten your pet's health.

How it Works

Vaccines contain a harmless form of the virus or bacterium that causes a particular disease. They work by stimulating the dog's immune system in a safe way. From then on, if the dog comes into contact with the disease for real, the dogs immune system "remembers" what it did to deal with the vaccine previously, so next time round it knows exactly what to do to fight the disease and get better. The vaccinations your dog will have at the vets will protect them against:

• Canine Parvovirus
• Canine Distemper (hard pad)
• Infectious Canine Hepatitis
• Kennel Cough
• Leptospirosis