Clinic Corner: August is Immunization Awareness Month!

By Emily Acevedo, BHS Shelter Operations Manager

We want to make sure your pet is protected, and make sure you as their pet-parent, are educated on which vaccines your pet needs based on their age and lifestyle! In this article we will touch on core vaccines and lifestyle vaccines- each play a vital role in your pets overall health!

First, let’s touch on core vaccines. Think of these as the vaccines every pet needs regardless of their extracurricular activities.

For dogs, the core vaccines are rabies and DHLPP. You may have heard of DHLPP referred to as a “5 in 1”, “distemper/parvo vaccine” or “combo” vaccine. It protects your dogs from several dangerous illnesses: Distemper, Hepatitis, Leptospirosis, Parvovirus, and Parainfluenza. These vaccines need to be started in a series when your puppy is 6-8 weeks old (rabies is one vaccine at 12 weeks or older) and continued until the 16-20 week mark. These vaccines need to then be administered annually/every three years for the life of your dog to keep them protected.

There are also lifestyle vaccines for dogs and cats, meaning they are vaccines recommended if your pet participates in specific activities and would be at risk for things that wouldn’t be covered by the core vaccines.