Protecting Your Puppy Against Diseases

Preventive care can help you and your puppy avoid the painful, costly, and sometimes fatal outcomes of infectious diseases. When you become the owner of a puppy, ensuring she gets the recommended puppy shots can prove integral to your new pet’s health. A veterinarian near San Jose can explain the core vaccinations that your puppy should receive, as well as non-core immunizations that may be recommended depending on particular risk factors.

Rabies
Veterinary experts generally advise all pet owners have their puppies get a rabies vaccine. In fact, the rabies vaccine is generally required for dogs by law. Rabies is swift a moving disease that could lead to loss of life if your puppy is infected with it. While other dogs may not pose a significant threat to your puppy, wildlife such as skunks, raccoons, and bats are prone to carrying rabies. All it takes is a single interaction with such an animal for your puppy to contract this disease. Vet specialists warn that rabies can be especially dangerous because pets can potentially transmit it to their owners as well.

Distemper
The distemper vaccine is another core immunization that your veterinarian may recommend. Like rabies, distemper is a virus. This condition is highly communicable and can be contracted through air transmission. Puppies, in particular, may be vulnerable to distemper because they do not have fully developed immune systems. This condition has no treatment, so once the infection takes hold, it often means loss of life. A distemper vaccination can protect your puppy from this disease.

Bordetella
Your veterinarian can also provide a Bordetella vaccination, which could potentially save your puppy’s life. Many people know Bordetella as a kennel cough, and if your puppy is frequently around other dogs, she may be at risk for it. Perhaps you often drop off your puppy at doggie daycare, or maybe you often take her to the local dog park. Such circumstances can place your puppy in danger if other seemingly healthy dogs are carrying this illness.

As with human flu viruses, there are many different strains of infection. Bordetella protects and prevents the most serious infection, but not all of the milder strains. To help ensure that your puppy is protected from a kennel cough, talk to your veterinarian. Based on your lifestyle habits, your vet may determine that a Bordetella vaccination is recommended for your puppy.