Dog breeders, and recently many dog owners, resort to administering shots to their dogs from the comfort of their home rather than taking them to their veterinarian. Delivering these shots at home is not only easy, it also has many advantages, such as costing less and ultimately being less stressful on the dog. Owners should always consider that vaccination protocols may vary from one area to another. When administering vaccines at home, it is best to check the recommended vaccination protocols of your area. However, not all vaccinations can be administered at home. The rabies vaccination, for instance, in most states must be administrated by a licensed veterinarian in order to be valid.
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Parvo Vaccine
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Parvo is a potentially deadly disease commonly affecting puppies. For this reason, it is best to start vaccinating puppies against this potentially deadly disease from a young age. Holly Nash, a veterinarian who writes for the website ''Pet Education'', includes a vaccination schedule in her article that recommends immunizing puppies at high risk for parvo at around 5 weeks of age. Further parvo virus booster shots must then be given either alone or included in the combination distemper shots per your vet's recommendation. Adult dogs are generally immunized against this disease with a yearly distemper combination shot that includes parvo.
Distemper Shot
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The distemper vaccine may be available as a standalone shot or as a combination vaccine. Indeed, often the distemper shot also protects puppies and dogs against adenovirus, hepatitis, distemper, parainfluenza, and parvovirus (five-way combination vaccine). In puppies, a series of distemper combination booster shots must be given generally starting at 6 weeks of age until the puppy is older per vet's recommendation. Adult dogs only need this vaccination yearly. Some combo shots also include leptospirosis and corona. Consult with your vet at what age puppies should be given these latter shots and which are recommended for your area. Owners vaccinating at home must be warned that combo shots are more likely to cause adverse reactions. Consult with your vet before administering these shots and on how to handle possible adverse reactions.
Bordetella Vaccination
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The Bordetella vaccination immunizes dogs against a respiratory disorder better known as kennel cough. It may be available as an injection given under the skin or as an intranasal vaccination squirted directly into the dog's nostrils. The bordetella vaccination can be given to young puppies once or in more settings per vet's recommendation and to adult dogs every year or every six months.
Lyme Disease
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Lyme disease is a debilitating disease carried by ticks, and vaccination recommendations vary from state to state and from dog to dog based on the likeliness of exposure to infected ticks. This vaccination can typically be given under the skin to puppies after they are 12 weeks old and then again after three weeks, and in adult dogs once a year. Because any shot may cause adverse reactions it is recommended to keep on hand some epinephrine and learn from a vet how to use it in case of an emergency.
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