There are a number of common infectious diseases that dogs are susceptible to throughout their life. Some of these diseases are life threatening and young puppies are particularly vulnerable, so It is important that your puppy is vaccinated against them. Further vaccination as adult dogs may be required to ensure that your dog continues to be healthy and happy throughout its entire life. Some vaccination may have been carried out prior to you receiving your puppy and a record of this is provided below. Please take this with you on your puppy’s first visit to a veterinary surgeon.
First vaccinations – PARVOVIRUS, DISTEMPER & LEPTO 2 (NEVER LEPTO 4)
Normally, your puppy can receive its first vaccination from approximately eight weeks of age although this can vary depending on the normal practice of the treating vet. The vet will most likely start your puppy on a course of vaccinations against the four main infectious diseases; canine distemper, hepatitis, parvovirus and leptospirosis. All of these diseases can be fatal, so after its first course of vaccinations, your puppy may need booster vaccinations according to your vet’s advice.
Keeping A Record
Once a puppy is vaccinated, the vet will issue a vaccination certificate showing a record of exactly when the puppy was vaccinated and which product was used. This should be kept safe, as you may need to show them at boarding kennels, dog-training classes, or if you take your dog abroad. If you change vet, they may recommend a slightly different regime, and it will be useful to see what vaccination your puppy has had in the past.
Vaccination and Socialisation
Until your puppy is fully vaccinated you should prevent them from being exposed to dogs that could be infected or areas that infected dogs could have had access to. Puppies are most receptive to new environments and situations at this age, so keeping them confined to your house and garden may be counterproductive. During these important first weeks at home, you could take your puppy out to different places in your arms or the car to get them used to different situations and noises, as well as letting them meet new people.
What is Titre Testing?
A titre test is a type of blood test that can detect if your dog has antibodies to a disease, and to what degree. Antibodies are made when a virus or a bacteria triggers a response from the immune system, which could be from natural exposure or from a vaccination. Since a titre test can check for immunity, it has been suggested that it can be used to determine if a booster vaccination is required, rather than giving annual vaccinations regardless of the level of immunity.
The Kennel Club is not a veterinary organisation and is therefore unable to provide veterinary guidance on the use of titre tests, instead you may wish to talk to your local vet. Further information on titre testing can be found on the World Small Animal Veterinary Association (WSAVA) Guidelines for the Vaccination of Dogs and Cats (found in the section on ‘Questions about the use of serological testing’ at the following address: https://wsava.org/global-guidelines/vaccination-guidelines/).
Puppy Advice
Read through our Puppy pages for useful info about owning a young Min Pin.
Puppy
Socialisation Advice
Puppy
Exercise Advice
Puppy
Training Advice
Puppy
Diet Advice
Puppy
Grooming Advice
Puppy
Worming Advice