Puppy Vaccine Schedule
German Shepherd Breeders in Tennessee German Shepherd puppies for sale in Tennessee | Belgian Malinois Breeder
Before you new puppy comes home with you we give it two sets of vaccines, one is given at 5 weeks and then again just before it goes home at right at 8 weeks. It will need it's next set of vaccines in 3 weeks. From that point your vetrinarian will set your appointment shedule to finish your puppy vaccines. We have all of our puppies vet checked at 6 weeks and a fecal run on them as well. They will also have been dewormed. Below is the information on a typical vaccine schedule.
6 to 7 weeks of age: Administer first combination vaccine (Distemper, Hepatitis, Parvovirus, Parainfluenza, Coronavirus).
9 weeks of age: Administer second combination vaccine.
12 weeks of age: Administer the third combination injection and possibly a lyme vaccine inoculation. Generally a lyme vaccine is repeated two weeks later, then once a year.
16 weeks of age: Adminster the last combination vaccine.
12 to 16 weeks of age: Adminster rabies vaccine. The timing of this vaccine may depend on the laws in your area (since this can be a human disease, too). Confirm with your veterinarian and check your local and state laws.
WHY SO MANY VACCINATIONS?
Good question! The reason is that no one can be sure that the pup will actually mount a good antibody response to the disease just from one vaccination. The age of the pup and just how much immunity it has received from its mother will complicate the "probability of protection". So a puppy that has "borrowed" a lot of imminuty for the mother during early nursing (called passive immunity) will limit a vaccine's effectiveness.
The idea is to get the vaccine into the pup as soon as the mother's passive immunity wears off so that the pup can make more lasting immunity of its own. (Consequently, this is also the time when the pup is most prone to diseases.) The precise time when a pup can respond well to a vaccine is variable -- it might occur at 6 weeks or perhaps 12 weeks. So why not begin vaccinations at 6 weeks and end them at 16 weeks?
On very rare occasions your puppy may have a reaction to a vaccination. If your puppy has any trouble breathing after a vaccination, or seems weak, staggers, has pale gums or seems at all unresponsive, contact your veterinarian immediately! If, however, your pup simply seems a little tired or slightly uncomfortable where it was vaccinated, that is an entirely different and mild response to the vaccination. When in doubt, call your vet.
9 weeks of age: Administer second combination vaccine.
12 weeks of age: Administer the third combination injection and possibly a lyme vaccine inoculation. Generally a lyme vaccine is repeated two weeks later, then once a year.
16 weeks of age: Adminster the last combination vaccine.
12 to 16 weeks of age: Adminster rabies vaccine. The timing of this vaccine may depend on the laws in your area (since this can be a human disease, too). Confirm with your veterinarian and check your local and state laws.
WHY SO MANY VACCINATIONS?
Good question! The reason is that no one can be sure that the pup will actually mount a good antibody response to the disease just from one vaccination. The age of the pup and just how much immunity it has received from its mother will complicate the "probability of protection". So a puppy that has "borrowed" a lot of imminuty for the mother during early nursing (called passive immunity) will limit a vaccine's effectiveness.
The idea is to get the vaccine into the pup as soon as the mother's passive immunity wears off so that the pup can make more lasting immunity of its own. (Consequently, this is also the time when the pup is most prone to diseases.) The precise time when a pup can respond well to a vaccine is variable -- it might occur at 6 weeks or perhaps 12 weeks. So why not begin vaccinations at 6 weeks and end them at 16 weeks?
On very rare occasions your puppy may have a reaction to a vaccination. If your puppy has any trouble breathing after a vaccination, or seems weak, staggers, has pale gums or seems at all unresponsive, contact your veterinarian immediately! If, however, your pup simply seems a little tired or slightly uncomfortable where it was vaccinated, that is an entirely different and mild response to the vaccination. When in doubt, call your vet.
