Dog
& Puppy
Vaccinations:
Puppies should be vaccinated at 6, 9, and 12 weeks of age against Parvo and Distemper
viruses. The vaccine series can be started at any time after 6 weeks of age, but the
longer one waits after 6 weeks before vaccinating, the greater the risk of disease.
There is no advantage to vaccinating earlier than 6 weeks of age. Since the advent
of high-titer vaccines, the incidence of Parvo virus has fallen dramatically, and it
extremely rare for a properly vaccinated puppy to suffer from
this disease. In spite of this, many owners do not vaccinate their puppies
and Parvo is still very common in
Stockton.
Following a booster one year after the final puppy vaccination, we recommend
that dogs be revaccinated for distemper and parvo once every three years.
At 12 weeks of age or older, puppies should be vaccinated against contagious cough
(Bordetella). The first vaccination is followed by a booster in three to
four weeks (often when
the Rabies vaccine is given). The Bordetella vaccine should be
repeated annually.
Puppies are vaccinated against Rabies when they are
four months old. They receive a booster one year later, followed by boosters every
three years. Because of the high incidence of Rabies in the foothills, Calaveras
County requires Rabies vaccinations every two years.
We do not recommend
Lyme or Giardia vaccines, as the efficacy of these vaccines is questionable.
Cats & Kittens:
We recommend kittens be vaccinated against Rhinotracheitis, Calicivirus, Chlamydia, and
Panleukopenia (RCCP vaccine), once between 8 and 12 weeks of age, and twice after 12 weeks
at 3-4 week intervals. Following a booster at one year of age, the RCCP
vaccine should be boostered at three year intervals.
Kittens should be vaccinated for Leukemia
no earlier than 9 weeks of age and should receive a booster at 3-4 weeks after
the initial vaccination. Cats at risk for leukemia (any outdoor or
indoor/outdoor cat) should receive annual boosters.
For Rabies, cats follow a schedule similar to dogs: a single vaccine after the age of 12
weeks (16 weeks for dogs), a vaccination at one year of age, and then a booster every
three years.
The FIP (Feline Infectious Peritonitis) vaccine is available, but is only recommended in
special situations. Feline Infectious Peritonitis is a devastating disease, but the
benefits of vaccination have not been proven to outweigh the risks, except, possibly, in
very high-density catteries. We do not recommend the FIP vaccine for companion animals.
For more information about feline vaccines, visit the
Cornell Feline Health
Center.
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