The confusion regarding the dog vaccines It is something that we find a lot, especially in people who have just adopted a puppy or it is the first time that they have a pet.
However, it’s easier than it sounds! Really there are only some vaccinations that are mandatory and you have to put yes or yes to your best friend, the others are optional.
Vaccines for dogs: which ones are necessary, mandatory and recommended?
There are vaccines that you must get every year, others that you should put only if you live in the Mediterranean area of Spain; and others that you must choose whether to put or not. But don’t worry, what we help you clarify and decide.
Names like trivalent, pentavalent or polyvalent will sound familiar to you. These are vaccines that are administered 3 in 3, 5 in 5 or in other joint associations.
The vaccines that we usually give our dogs are to avoid the hepatitis, the distemper, the leptospirosis,the parvovirus and the one known as kennel cough.
These are obligatory, Besides the Rage (which is one of the most doubtful). If you live in the Mediterranean area the leishmaniasis vaccine is highly recommended, we tell you below.
We also have up to canine coronavirus vaccine, optional for now.
It is clear that owning a dog will entail some bills. The chip, mandatory insurance (if it is PPP), food, periodic health check-ups… and on top of everything are the vaccines. Many people believe that it is in the optional vaccinations where they can save money. However, it may not be the best for the Health of your best friend. Let’s see it in detail!
Flat rate of vaccines every yearAt the end of the article we will talk about prices of different vaccines, and how we do it at home to save us that expense every year.
How does a dog vaccine work?
Both in dogs and in people or other animals Vaccines serve to create “antibodies” that function as defenses Surely you remember those little white robots of life, that’s how they fought the bad guys.
those defenses They have the task of defending our dogs when a disease tries to attack them. The funny thing is that it is necessary to create different defenses against each pathogen or disease.
For this reason there are different vaccines against different diseases, simple right?
The importance of correct vaccination for any dog
One of the most important aspects What you should keep in mind when you have a dog (and let’s not say if it’s a puppy) is your vaccination.
I know that sometimes you will be lazy to think about the number of visits and trips to the vet What to do, especially if you don’t have one nearby or the one you like is a few kilometers away. But you should know that the first months of any pet are synonymous with more expenses, both financially and in time. It is something that you have to assume when a dog enters your life.
Therefore, if you want your best friend to enjoy good health, it is essential respect the vaccination schedule and immunize your pet respecting the deadlines. To achieve this there are 3 types of vaccines for dogs in Spain:
- compulsory: should be administered to the animal without possible exception.
- essentials: They are not mandatory, but they are considered essential due to their importance in preserving the health of your dog. In fact, for the WSAVA (World Small Animal Veterinary Association), essential vaccines should be administered to all dogs
- optional: are those that are not considered of high importance and that you can decide whether or not to administer to your best friend.
Core or optional vaccinations may be required in some countries if you are traveling with your dog. Take this into account if you travel and check that your pet meets the vaccination requirements of the country of destination.
Vaccinations for dogs that are mandatory
Initial vaccinations are those that must be given to your dog shortly after birth to protect his life.. they are from one very high importance as they dramatically reduce the chances of your little one getting sick.
along with a proper nutrition, vaccination is the key factor for a iron health in the years to come.
Vaccination is usually starts 6 weeks from birth, and they are administered periodically during the following months. So that you don’t miss a single one, these are the obligatory ones and their times.
Vaccination deadlines from the date of birth:
- 6 weeks: vaccine against hepatitis, the parvo virus and the distemper.
- 9 weeks: polyvalent vaccine (protects against the three above + leptospirosis Y parainfluenza canine although there are some that include more immunization and can prevent infection. hepatitis, the coronavirus and the kennel cough ).
- 12 weeks: new dose of the 9-week vaccine.
- 16 weeks: vaccine against Rage (takes full effect after 14 days). This vaccine is repeated every year or two years depending on the Autonomous Community, although it is advisable to put it every year in those communities that allow it every two. In the Basque Country, Galicia and Catalonia, for reasons that we still do not understand, rabies vaccination is optional. Surreal, hopefully it changes soon!
Of all these vaccines, only anti-rabies is required by law. Nevertheless, it is ESSENTIAL and advisable to administer all and, in fact, the recommendation of the experts is to do a new identical cycle on the first birthday, to later go on to vaccinate for two or three years.
Vaccination schedules in exceptional cases
The price of each vaccine is also something worth trying. I have observed, throughout all these years, enormous differences for the same vaccine in different veterinary clinics.
and I tell you that You cannot skimp on health for dogs, I always advise having insurance (the one I have already covers the price of vaccines), because it makes no sense to pay a premium for a vaccine or go crazy comparing prices.
There is a possibility that your dog, if you have any special health conditions (such as birth diseases) may have a vaccination schedule adapted to your particular circumstances, and do not follow the general deadlines.
Essential vaccinations for any dog
as i told you only anger is mandatory, but that does not mean that it is the only one that you should put on your dog.
There are others that are not mandatory by law but you must put mandatory. They are called “essential”. Let’s go see them.
canine distemper
The distemper is a highly contagious viral disease caused by a virus similar to the one that causes measles in people.
It is known as distemper in English and it is necessary to vaccinate all dogs against it, as It is the first cause of death of dogs due to infectious disease..
canine distemper virus released through all bodily secretions. It is generally spread by inhalation. Those most likely to contract it are puppies between 6 and 12 weeks of life, since in this period the mother’s antibodies decrease and no longer protect them sufficiently.
canine infectious hepatitis
Canine Infectious Hepatitis is a disease that affects young, unvaccinated dogs, until they are one year old it is dangerous and it is also difficult to diagnose (given the few clinical signs).
It is caused by the canine adenovirus CAV-type, which is also one of the causes of contagious laryngotracheitis.
The virus enters through the mouth or nose and after replicating in the lymph nodes regional causes a viremia, that is to say that through the blood it reaches organs such as liver, kidney and eye where the second replication occurs producing the injuries which will then give the different clinical signs.
canine leptospirosis
the way of transmission of canine leptospirosis is the urinary, but it can also be transmitted through the placenta, bites, contact with rats or ingestion of contaminated meat.
the microorganism infects mucous membranes or skin wounds first to later pass into the blood (leptospiremia, from 4 to 12 days). It then invades the renal epithelium and the liver parenchyma. Also can cause damage to the central nervous system, placenta and uvula.
canine parvovirus
It’s another disease viral. The virus produces mainly vomiting and diarrhea (usually hemorrhagic).
carries a lack of appetite, depression, fever, vomiting, foul-smelling and bloody watery diarrhea and progressive dehydration.
Animals sick should be isolated. The treatment is reduced, as in the case of distemper, to treat the symptoms and wait for the animal’s immune system to fight the disease.
kennel cough
Kennel cough is tracheobronchitis. inflammation of the trachea and bronchi ) originally infectious. We also know it as infectious tracheitis.
Among the microorganisms that cause the disease we find Bordetella bronchiseptica, although other agents can also intervene in the process (parainfluenza, adenovirus, mycobacteria, etc.).
The environmental factors They are also predisposing. Although this disease can occur in isolated animals, it is more common in communities (kennels, kennels, etc.) and is transmitted through the particles that a sick dog expels into the cough and sneeze.
It is a disease highly contagious that can affect dogs of different ages, giving rise to episodes of dry, hacking, persistent cough. Cough is stimulated by exercise and by palpation of the tracheal or laryngeal region. It can also present with a runny nose and a slight fever and, on occasions, it can be complicated and lead to pneumonia.
Usually the prognosis is good if there are no complications, although the recovery can be extended until the cough completely disappears.
Vaccinations for dogs that are optional
Now we go with the vaccines What are they optional, that you are not obliged to put and that we do not recommend you to put always and in all cases. But be careful, check what we tell you: Yes, we recommend some of them in specific cases., let’s see them.
You will be thinking “COVID is here again”, no, it is not that simple. COVID-19 is the disease caused by a virus called SARS-CoV-2, which is of the coronavirus type, but there are many viruses of this same type.
In the case of dogs it is a virus that attacks the respiratory and digestive systems of dogs and, furthermore, it is highly transmissible. It resembles parvovirus and kennel cough: bloody stools, diarrhea, respiratory problems. It has no treatment, only the symptoms will be treated.
Lyme disease
It is transmitted by ticks and it’s hard to spot because takes weeks to manifest. It’s serious, you can leave aftermath or cause the death of the animal.
The usual symptoms are muscle and joint pain, fever, kidney problems and (the easiest to detect) inflammation and irritation in the bite area.
Is a bacterium, therefore it will be treated with antibiotics.
canine leishmaniasis
He is alone We recommend it if you live in the Mediterranean area, because it is where it is frequent because it is spread by mosquitoes.
This parasite causes lesions on the skin and eyes.: hair loss, bald spots, falling nails, inflammation of the eyelids, etc. That makes it relatively easy to diagnose.
It is easy to prevent with the vaccine, and much more difficult to deal with once it arrives.
Difference between trivalent, pentavalent or polyvalent vaccine
What a mess, right? A lot of information. You already know the existing vaccines for each disease, but as we told you before, many are given in groups; that is, they put several at once.
We call the vaccine that has several vaccines in it polyvalent. this prick immunizes against different diseases at once. These are the types of polyvalent vaccines that we usually find:
- trivalent: distemper + leptospirosis + hepatitis infectious.
- Quadrivalent: distemper + leptospirosis + infectious hepatitis + parvovirus.
- pentavalent: distemper + leptospirosis + infectious hepatitis + parvovirus + kennel cough.
- hexavalent: distemper + leptospirosis + infectious hepatitis + parvovirus + kennel cough + Rage.
- heptavalent: cover, in addition to the above, 2 or up to 4 strains of leptospira.
- octovalent: all of the above + coronavirus canine.
Dangerous, dispensable or inadvisable vaccines in dogs
No vaccine is dangerous. Boom.
It may not be what you expected but it is reality. Vaccine detractors have no valid arguments against them, only hoaxes and arguments that contradict science.
There are many people who do not get the rabies vaccine for fear of behavioral changes. This does not happen and should not scare us. In a cat that lives at home and does not go out, it could be understood not to vaccinate against rabies… but in dogs is a huge risk (This disease can even be passed on to you, as it passes to people).
Vaccine Side Effects
One thing that sometimes they don’t tell you is that vaccination in puppies can have many more side effects than in adult dogs.
This, which is logical for the developing immune system that the animal has, it is important to take it into account to prevent overwhelming situations in the face of possible complications.
The side effects most common are dizziness, the drowsiness, the fever, inflammation of the puncture site and diarrhea either vomiting. All of them can be present normally for 12 or 24 hours, but if the period goes beyond that, it is advisable that you contact your veterinarian as soon as possible. And the younger the age, the more importance and urgency you should give it.
Can a cat give a dog a disease?
Usually cats do not transmit diseases to dogs. Cats leave the house less and, let’s face it, they are cleaner; they tend to get less sick. It would be very strange if I gave something to your dog, most diseases do not jump between species.
Anyway I wrote a similar article about the cat vaccines If you are a cat or have both animals, click here to read about it (it was too much information to put it all here).
It is more likely that your dog will hit your cat than the opposite.
For example, the dreaded leishmaniosis It is a disease different in dogs and cats, so it can only be transmitted between the same species, never from one to another.
Rabies is the only serious disease that a cat could give to a dog.. But as we have told you above It is essential and also mandatory to vaccinate against rabies. That simple gesture can prevent many bad times for you and your pets.
What can also be passed between cats and dogs is some parasite: fleas, worms, ticks…
I recommend you take a look at our recommendations on dewormers for dogs in this article on the subject and then also review a similar post that we have but about dewormers for cats . Nails on pipettes and/or a antiparasitic collar you can easily avoid it.
Which ones do we advise you to put on your dog?
As a general rule, and if your pocket allows it, Ideally, you should give your dog all available vaccinations.. This implies an evident risk reduction in many diseases and, with it, also you will save veterinary expenses in the future.
There have been some cases in which excessive vaccination has been related to a decrease in the performance of the immune system. Although this is true, it should be noted that in all cases immunity acquired by vaccines is worth the slight decrease in general natural protection.
Where you have a greater margin to choose is in the polyvalent vaccines, there are several types as I explained above; and there is not excessive difference in Spain between putting one or the other.
If you have doubts about which is the best for your dog based on your geographical location Don’t hesitate to consult your vet! Usually a pentavalent will suffice.
Annual dog vaccinations
There are two vaccinations that you should get every year, are the one of the Rage and one polyvalent (I recommend the pentavalent). Rage You must do it by law polyvalent it is considered essential; so you should do it for health.
Some veterinarians recommend polyvalent vaccination every 2 or 3 years., because it is the period that immunity lasts approximately. But remember that each animal is different and that, as in people, some subjects may lose immunity faster and become exposed.
Can we vaccinate against parasites?
We cannot vaccinate against parasites but yes we can avoid getting caught with the antiparasitics for dogs that I mentioned and recommended above (in the part about diseases that pass from cats to dogs).
The problem is not the parasites themselves, but the diseases they carry. Parasites transmit diseases such as leishmaniasis (mosquitoes) or the disease of Lyme (ticks), and others such as mycoplasmosis or you had (fleas).
Necklaces, pipettes or pills They will be the solution to save these problems.
Vaccine prices for dogs, how much do they cost?
As I told you before about how to save money on dog vaccinations, the costs can vary greatly according to each clinic. We have come to quantify differences of up to 250% between different veterinarians depending on the city and neighborhood.
The cost of vaccination for a dog will usually vary between 20 and 60 dollars, depending on the factors mentioned above.
The approximate costs of different vaccines are the following:
- Polyvalent: between 30 and 60 dollars (those that cover more diseases are obviously more expensive).
- trivalent: between 25 and 40 dollars.
- Rage: between 15 and 35 dollars.
- Leishmania: 50-80 euro.
Have you seen them cheaper or more expensive? If you want, you can leave your opinion about it in the comments and so other users can know the site where they can vaccinate their dog for less money… or the one they should avoid so they don’t burn a hole in their pocket!
How to save money on your dog’s vaccinations
A major fears that all dog owners have is the cost of veterinary expenses, including vaccines.
On top of that it seems that they go up every year!
However, there are ways to save money on vaccinations. For example, if you are willing to do a little research in your area, call different clinics, etc.
compare prices
If you ask the price between different centers, you will see that in the neighborhoods with the highest purchasing power there may be differences in price. double or even triple the price to put the same vaccine.
Don’t be scared by what they will say, call 5-6 veter inaries that fit you by location and compare. Or if you have a trusted vet, go directly, peace of mind is priceless.
All vaccines administered in Spain are certified by law, with which you do not care if one or another vet puts it on, they will all be equally effective.
Vaccine without paying anything
And not only that, you can save the full cost of all vaccinations every year. Yes, as you hear it.
Both my partner and I we have hired insurance for all our dogs and cats that covers the full cost of annual vaccinations of all of them. We do not pay one euro a year for vaccines.
Besides that We have the peace of mind of having civil liability cover (in dogs) and anything that can happen to us with any animal: a accident, a illness or even the medication that the vet prescribes.
You cannot imagine what it can cost you if your cat falls out of a window (x-rays, treatment, medication…) or that your dog gets hurt or fights (cures, vaccines, medicines…).
Vaccinating your dog is peace of mind, invest in it
A vaccinated dog is guarantee to avoid bad times both of them, you as the owner and him as the patient. Invest your time and money in vaccines, the benefit of it will return in time, in money and in tranquility.
I personally think that insurance it is an extra peace of mind in our life that is priceless, that not a large outlay and that you end up paying yourself with vaccinations or any visits you have to make to the vet.
Let’s not say yes, hopefully it never happens, it arises a real problem or a serious illness.
I don’t want to see myself in the situation of having to euthanize, amputate or not be able to treat a family member because I cannot afford the cost involving an operation or veterinary treatment.