Puppy Vaccination Schedule: What Shots Does Your Puppy Need?

Your new puppy is definitely cute, and you’re probably excited to watch it grow. If you want to increase your new pup’s chances of avoiding preventable diseases and living a healthy life, it makes sense to stick to a puppy vaccine schedule.

Puppies need so many vaccines in their first year because their immune systems haven’t fully developed. Vaccinating your puppy can strengthen its immune system and help protect it against many contagious and deadly diseases.

Here’s what you need to know about vaccinations for puppies and how these medicines can potentially save you money down the line while keeping your puppy healthy.

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Core puppy vaccines

Veterinarians recommend core vaccines for all dogs and cats, unless they have a medical reason not to be vaccinated. These are the core vaccines you’ll want your puppy to have:^[1]

• Adenovirus: This virus can cause your pet to experience a variety of symptoms, including slight fever, congestion, lethargy, abdominal pain, and vomiting.^[2]

• Distemper: Canine distemper is a highly contagious virus spread through air particles or other infected dogs. Symptoms include fever, runny eyes, coughing, vomiting, diarrhea, seizures, and even paralysis. This disease is often fatal.^[3]

• Leptospirosis: Pets can become infected with leptospira bacteria if they come into contact with contaminated soil or food. Symptoms include fever, abdominal pain, muscle weakness, vomiting, lethargy, and even kidney or liver failure.

• Parainfluenza: Also known as canine cough, this highly contagious respiratory virus can cause symptoms such as coughing, nasal discharge, low-grade fever, lack of energy, and appetite loss. This virus is different from canine influenza, although some of the symptoms are similar.^[4]

• Parvovirus: Parvo is another highly contagious virus that attacks a dog’s gastrointestinal system. Symptoms include fever, bloody diarrhea, and vomiting. Parvo treatment for a dog is very expensive, and this virus can be fatal.

• Rabies: This virus is spread by saliva and is 100% fatal in animals if they start to show signs of the disease. Contact with wildlife can increase an animal’s risk of rabies infection. Many states and local governments legally require pet owners to vaccinate their pets against this disease.

Non-core puppy vaccines

Vets recommend non-core vaccines for certain pets depending on their risk of exposure to a particular disease. Talk to your vet about your puppy’s particular risk and whether it should receive these vaccines in addition to its core vaccines.

These are some non-core puppy vaccines:^[5]

• Bordetella: Also known as kennel cough, this disease is highly contagious if your dog comes into contact with an infected dog. Symptoms include a runny nose and dry cough.

• Canine influenza: This virus is relatively new in dogs, and it’s spread through respiratory secretions and contaminated objects. Symptoms include coughing, runny nose, and fever (the same symptoms as kennel cough).

• Lyme disease: Certain kinds of ticks transmit Lyme disease. Symptoms include loss of appetite, fever, swollen lymph nodes, and painful, swollen joints. Some dogs infected with Lyme disease can also develop a type of kidney disease.^[6]

Recommended vaccination schedule for puppies

Your veterinarian will develop a vaccination schedule for your puppy based on its age and health. It’s important to follow the schedule carefully as the shots are spaced out based on how the body responds to the injections, as well as how long it’ll take the mother’s antibodies to wear off.

When you stick to a vaccination schedule, your pet has a better chance of developing an effective immune system. Completing the vaccination process within a specific time frame can help prevent fatal diseases and make certain illnesses less severe as your puppy grows into adulthood.

Here are some of the dog vaccines you should get for your new puppy, based on its age, according to the American Kennel Club.^[7]

Initial vaccinations: First 6–8 weeks

You’re likely to start with some core vaccinations in the first few weeks of having your new puppy. These usually include a combination vaccine/DHPP without leptospirosis. But your veterinarian might also recommend canine distemper and canine parvovirus vaccines.

Booster vaccinations: 9–16 weeks

This is the time when you get the booster for the combination vaccine/DHPP. Make sure that you keep your puppy away from dog parks and direct contact with other pets until the vaccination schedule is complete. This includes cats and kittens.

Rabies vaccine: After 16 weeks

Depending on your state’s requirements and local laws, you’ll need to get your puppy’s rabies vaccine at 12 weeks or after 16 weeks. This is also when you’ll likely get another combination/DHPP, but this time with leptospirosis, depending on where you live and what your furry friend is likely to encounter.

First annual vaccines: 1 year

At this time, you likely need to come back for annual canine vaccinations of DHPP and rabies. Beyond that year, you likely need to renew these vaccines based on your vet’s recommendations.

For example, you usually get another DHPP as a booster the second year and then every three years after that. For rabies, you might need to get a vaccine every one to three years, based on local laws and a veterinarian-recommended schedule.

You might have other vaccines to consider annually as well, depending on various factors. Your vet can help you determine what makes the most sense for your dog.

Situation-based vaccine schedules

Some vaccines can enhance your puppy’s health based on where you live. For example, some common situation-based additional vaccines can protect against serious diseases, including viruses and parasites, that might be more prevalent in your area.

Some of these additional vaccinations include:

• Bordetella

• Canine influenza

• Heartworm

• Lyme disease

Depending on your pet’s lifestyle, you might also need to be aware of the possibility of worms and plan for frequent deworming. You may also want to consider vaccinations for parasites. Regular flea and tick treatments can help reduce the risk of Lyme disease for your puppy.

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Cost of puppy vaccinations

As you consider immunization, especially with non-core vaccines, you need to consider cost. In some cases, you won’t need all the available vaccines because you might not live in an area that has a high risk for certain diseases.

The rabies vaccine is generally the only vaccine required by law. Others, including core vaccines like the DHPP vaccine, can help with disease prevention but are generally not required. You could also consider an influenza vaccine to prevent severe symptoms if your dog’s lifestyle might be affected.

You might be able to find low-cost vaccines online or through your vet. You may also be able to use a pet insurance add-on to cover your puppy’s vaccines more affordably.

You can see the average cost for some of the most common vaccines in the table below.^[8]

Does pet insurance cover puppy vaccines?

Whether pet insurance covers puppy vaccines depends on the type of policy you have. Standard accident and illness or accident-only policies don’t cover puppy vaccines. You’d need to purchase a wellness add-on if you want coverage for things such as vaccines, vet exam fees, and flea, tick, and heartworm prevention.

Because unvaccinated dogs can affect other canines and pets, it’s important to make sure you’re doing your part to keep all pets healthy. Keep good medical records and pay attention to your puppy’s health.

Even if your insurance doesn’t cover vaccines, paying for these immunizations can save you money later and help you make sure your puppy is as healthy as possible.

Risks and side effects of vaccinations

While vaccines are generally helpful, some puppies might have severe allergic reactions or other adverse reactions after administration. This could be due to a sensitivity to an individual ingredient in a vaccine or some other issue.

Some other potential side effects of vaccines might include:

• Fever

• Kennel cough

• Sneezing

• Runny nose

• Swelling or lump at the site of injection

Puppy vaccination schedule FAQs