Bringing home a puppy is a moment filled with excitement, but along with the cuddles and play comes responsibility. One of the first and most essential steps in giving your new companion the healthiest start is ensuring they receive the right vaccinations. These protect against dangerous diseases and lay the foundation for a long, active, and happy life together. In this article, we’ll look at the essential vaccinations every puppy needs and why they play such a vital role in your pet’s well-being.
First steps
First, we must purchase everything we need: bowls, food, a collar, a leash, and, of course, a kennel, which should be placed in a suitable location. After doing all this, it is equally important to choose a trusted veterinary surgeon from the outset to whom we will entrust the health of our four-legged friend for the rest of his life if things go well.
Veterinary check-ups
We must take our puppy, whether dog or cat, to a veterinary surgeon immediately to examine it and ensure it is healthy. The vet will be able to inform us, among other things, about everything related to the first vaccinations, a fundamental
A formidable weapon
If carried out correctly, vaccination can ensure our four-legged friend’s health as much as possible. Unfortunately, in recent years, certain diseases that seemed almost completely eradicated, such as gastroenteritis and distemper, have resurfaced in dogs.
Viral gastroenteritis also causes many victims, respiratory diseases, and leukaemia in cats. Vaccination is of fundamental importance to protect our friends from these fearsome diseases.
Lifestyles
For dogs, vaccination is possible from the age of two months onwards, and it can be carried out as a lump sum or in instalments, as the case may be. The first time, it is necessary to recall the vaccine 20-30 days after the first administration.
As far as the cat is concerned, deciding which vaccinations to administer requires assessing the animal’s lifestyle. If Kitty lives at home without contact with the outside world and, therefore, with other cats, only the primary vaccination (i.e., against respiratory diseases and gastroenteritis) can be carried out.
If carried out correctly, vaccination allows you to protect the health of your four-legged friend.
On the other hand, if Kitty goes outside and meets other cats, we must also vaccinate him for my feline. A booster vaccine must also be administered 20-30 days after the first administration.
A fearsome disease
Leptospirosis is a particularly dreadful disease in dogs that deserves further investigation. Fortunately, a vaccine exists for it. Unfortunately, this disease can also infect humans, sometimes with fatal results. It often starts with a flu-like illness, characterised by high fever, tiredness, sadness, muscle pain and weakness, and migraine, followed by kidney damage.
The primary carriers of the disease are rats, which can contaminate water sources, including pools and drinking bowls, with their urine. Infection can also occur through skin excoriations or the mucous membrane of the eyes, nose and throat with contaminated material, mainly urine.
Symptoms
Symptoms differ depending on the type of bacteria sustaining the infection. One can experience even a relatively high fever (40-41°C), anorexia, muscle pain, congestion of the conjunctival mucosa, and often also vomiting.
The infection can also occur through skin abrasions, the mucous membrane of the eyes, nose, and throat, and contaminated material, mainly urine.
When the bacteria localise at their chosen sites (liver and kidneys), hepatitis, jaundice, kidney function disorders, and gastroenteritis may occur. The buccal and conjunctival mucosa take on a characteristic yellow-orange, unmistakable colour.
With anaemia, there are usually changes in blood cells, such as an increase in white blood cells and sometimes a decrease in platelets. The veterinary surgeon makes the diagnosis based on symptoms and confirms it with a serological test, which shows the presence of antibodies against the bacterium.
Prevention is the watchword.
Infection prevention is crucial; therefore, dogs should be vaccinated from puppyhood and receive booster shots annually. Different types of leptospirosis are defined in technical terms by very complicated names.
Today, a commercially available vaccine protects dogs from the main types of leptospirosis. According to recent publications, the vaccine can reduce (in-) infection, prevent disease symptoms, and reduce colonisation of the bacterium in the kidney. It also protects as many as four leptospira serovars, and immunity lasts up to 12 months.
As far as the dog is concerned, from two months onwards, it is possible to proceed with vaccinations, which can be carried out in a single solution or split up.
Depending on the case, different vaccination methods (called vaccination protocols) must be agreed upon with your veterinary surgeon. In general, as this is a perilous disease, it is necessary to repeat the vaccination every year, especially in dogs that are more exposed to the risk of contagion, i.e., those that spend part of their lives outdoors or, for example, participate in hunting activities.
Conclusion
Vaccinations are more than routine check-ups—they are your puppy’s shield against illness and the key to a healthier, happier future. By keeping up with their vaccination schedule, you’re not just protecting their well-being but also giving yourself peace of mind.
Prevention costs far less than treatment, both emotionally and financially, and it ensures your furry friend can enjoy life to the fullest. With the right care from the very beginning, you and your companion can look forward to years of love, loyalty, and adventures together.
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