Vaccinations are an essential part of keeping your pup healthy and preventing the spread of disease. According to the ASPCA:
If his mother has a healthy immune system, a puppy will most likely receive antibodies in mother’s milk while nursing. Puppies should receive a series of vaccinations starting at six to eight weeks of age. A veterinarian should administer a minimum of three vaccinations at three- to four-week intervals. The final dose should be administered at 16 weeks of age.
There are core and non-core vaccinations. The core vaccinations are: canine parvovirus, distemper, canine hepatitis, and rabies. Non-core vaccinations are optional and depend on your dog's age, lifestyle, and environment. Because we knew Andy would be kenneled at some point we had him vaccinated for Bordetella (kennel cough); which is actually required by most, if not all, boarding facilities. Andy is also vaccinated against Lyme Disease because we live in an area that has a lot of ticks.
Keeping up with Andy's booster shots took some coordinating but we knew it was important to make sure they happened on schedule otherwise the previous vaccinations could be rendered ineffective. We ended up at the vet's office a total of 3 times and all told spent about $250 (our vet is a little on the high end in terms of cost). Low cost vaccination clinics are readily available in most cities and are an option worth considering.
Andy ended up with a bump on his rump after one round of boosters (about the size of a small grape). The bump stuck around for about 2 weeks. According to our vet a post-vaccination bump is not uncommon. For the most part as long as it doesn't continue to grow, doesn't cause pain, or have an odor or discharge, it's no cause for worry and should go away on its own.
Check out this ASPCA article on Vaccinations for more detailed information.
No comments:
Post a Comment