Bringing a puppy home requires lots of patience, love and investment. Your puppy has now become part of your family and will need adequate care for the successful growing years ahead. To keep puppy safe and healthy for a happy and cost-efficient future, your puppy needs to have her shots early in her life.
Here is a common time table for your puppy's first shots. Six to seven weeks into her new life, your puppy will need her first Multivalent Combination Vaccine. This is known as DHLPPCv. At 9 weeks, she will need her second combination shot. At 12 weeks, she will receive her third combination shot and a LYME vaccination. At 16 weeks she will receive her final combination injection and her Rabies vaccination (where she will earn her Rabies tag). The last Parvo shot she will need to endure around the 20th week of her life.
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Multivalent Combination Vaccine
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The Multivalent Combination Vaccine is known as the DHLPPCv injection (the combination of six essential vaccines for puppies given between the first six to seven weeks of puppy's life). This vaccine includes all of the vaccines listed below into one injection, eliminating the need for multiple shots. With one shot, your puppy becomes protected against more than a couple diseases.
Distemper Vaccination
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The D in DHLPPCv stands for the Distemper Vaccine. Distemper is a dangerous and contagious viral infection that could cause damage to your puppy's respiratory, gastrointestinal, optic and central nervous system. Without this injection your puppy becomes susceptible to pneumonia and other inflammations. This vaccine does not relate to how your puppy behaves while it is growing into an adult dog.
Hepatitis Vaccination
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The H in DHLPPCv stands for the Hepatitis vaccine. Without this vaccination the hepatitis viral infection targets your puppy's liver. Some common signs with hepatitis are diarrhea, vomiting, depression, discharge from the nose and convulsions.
Leptospirosis Vaccination
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The L in DHLPPCv stands for the Leptospirosis Vaccination. This bacterial infection not only targets dogs, it affects cows, pigs and other mammals including humans. Some symptoms are depression, vomiting, fever and pain. This vaccination is an important injection, as it will immediately allow your puppy's immune system to build up a defense.
Para Influenza Vaccination
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The first P in DHLPPCv stands for the Para Influenza Vaccination which helps your puppy's immune system build up a defense against respiratory infections and symptoms similar to the Hepatitis viral infection.
Parvo Virus Vaccination
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The second P in DHLPPCv stands for the Parvo virus Vaccine. Parvo virus is a severe virus that is fatal. The virus severely damages the intestinal tract. Your puppy will be highly susceptible to this virus. Older adult dogs, without the proper care and vaccinations can be overcome with the parvo virus as well. Bloody feces, vomiting and lethargy, as well as the loss of water intake and appetite are just some symptoms of parvo. Most the time, when symptoms start to appear, it may be too late. Take your puppy to the veterinarian if you suspect or recognize any of these symptoms. Your puppy may be able to pull through, but it will require a lot of hospital time as your veterinarian administers fluids into your puppy with an IV.
Coronavirus Vaccination
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The Cv in DHLPPCv stands for the Coronavirus Vaccination. This virus is generally not fatal, but like the Parvo virus it causes severe damage to the intestinal tract. There are usually no major symptoms. Diarrhea, loss of appetite and vomiting are some of the symptoms that may occur.
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