Vaccination Schedule for your Puppy, Dog, Kitten or Cat
Puppies and kittens need vaccinations early in life as antibodies they receive from their mother start to decrease around 6-8 weeks of age. It is during this time that puppies and kittens need to start building their own immunity through vaccinations.
All puppies and kittens should receive core vaccines, and puppies should also receive certain non-core vaccinations depending on their lifestyle and breed.
Puppies, dogs, kittens and cats should follow the vaccination schedule below. Discussing your pet’s needs and medical condition with one of our veterinarians at our clinics will help you decide what is best to help your pet live a long and healthy life.
We recommend following the pet vaccination schedule below as a general guideline. Where you live and your pet's lifestyle will determine specific vaccination and testing needs.
Core vaccinationsRecommended for all dogs and cats | Dogs | Cats |
|---|---|---|
| 8 Weeks Old | DHPP (5-in-1) vaccine: Distemper virus, Adenovirus 1 and 2, Parainfluenza, and Parvovirus | FVRCP (3-in-1) vaccine: Feline Viral Rhinotracheitis Calicivirus and Panleukopenia |
| 12 Weeks Old | DHPP (5-in-1) vaccine booster | FVRCP (3-in-1) vaccine booster FeLV Vaccine: Feline Leukemia Virus* |
| 16 Weeks Old | DHPP (5-in-1) vaccine Booster Rabies Vaccine | FVRCP vaccine booster FeLV vaccine booster Rabies vaccine** |
Common non-core vaccinationsRecommended based on pet's lifestyle | Dogs | Cats |
|---|---|---|
| 8 Weeks Old | Non-core vaccinations start at 12 weeks based on the vaccination label instructions | Non-core vaccinations start at 12 weeks based on the vaccination label instructions |
| 12 Weeks Old | Leptospirosis vaccine Bordetella vaccine (kennel cough) Lyme vaccine Canine influenza (H3N2 & H3N8) vaccine Rattlesnake vaccine | |
| 16 Weeks Old | Leptospirosis vaccine booster Lyme vaccine booster Canine influenza (H3N2 & H3N8) booster Rattlesnake vaccine booster |
Prevention, testing and de-wormingRecommended based on your pet's lifestyle | Dogs | Cats |
|---|---|---|
| 8 Weeks Old | Start flea, tick and heartworm prevention: :such as Heartgard Plus, NexGard or Simparica Trio Roundworm / hookworm Dewormer Tapeworm Dewormer Fecal Test |
Start flea, tick and heartworm prevention: such as Revolution Plus Roundworm / hookworm Dewormer Tapeworm Dewormer Fecal Test |
| 12 Weeks Old | Roundworm / hookworm Dewormer Tapeworm Dewormer |
Roundworm / hookworm Dewormer Tapeworm Dewormer Feline triple test: FeLV, FIV and Heartworm |
| 6 Months Old |
SNAP 4DX Test: for Heartworm, Lyme disease, Erlichiosis, and Anaplasmois |
*Feline leukemia virus (FeLV) vaccine may not be considered a “core vaccination” by some veterinarians. Kittens are at the highest risk of contracting feline leukemia virus more so than adult cats, therefore many vets are reconsidering making FeLV a “core vaccination”. Currently, there are two different types of FeLV vaccinations available for cats: one is injectable, the other is a transdermal vaccination without the use of a needle.
**There are two different types of rabies vaccinations available for cats.
Boosters
Most vaccinations are labeled for yearly boosters. Many factors need to be considered when deciding on a vaccination plan that is tailor-made for your pet. Our clinic veterinarians can help you decide which yearly vaccinations are best for your pet based on these factors:
- Type of vaccination and how it is labeled for use
- Pet’s age
- Medical and physical condition of pet being vaccinated
- Pet’s lifestyle and exposure to disease
- Presence of disease in pet’s environment
- Reaction to previous vaccinations
- And many others
It is necessary to boost vaccinations (vaccinating again in a certain time-period) to allow for the growth and expansion of the immune response in order to fight off infection upon exposure to the actual disease.
It is recommended to keep your puppy away from unvaccinated dogs while the vaccination process is going on and away from places of multiple dog exposure, if vaccination status of all dogs is not known.