Vaccinations and parasite prevention: a yearly calendar

Vaccines and parasite treatments are the most routine part of keeping a dog healthy, and also the most confusing: schedules differ between countries, products and vets. This guide explains the principles behind them, using the international guidelines of the World Small Animal Veterinary Association (WSAVA), so that you can understand the plan your vet proposes and keep track of it through the year.

Core and non-core vaccines

The WSAVA’s Vaccination Guidelines Group recommends that every dog receives the core vaccines, which protect against diseases that are life-threatening and found around the world:

• Canine distemper virus, a very serious, often fatal disease affecting many organs, including the gut, lungs and brain.
• Canine adenovirus type 1, which causes infectious hepatitis, attacking the liver, kidneys, eyes and blood vessels.
• Canine parvovirus type 2, a highly contagious disease causing severe vomiting and diarrhoea.

Two more vaccines are core in some places:

• Rabies should be considered essential wherever the disease is endemic, even where the law does not require it. According to the World Health Organization, dogs are responsible for up to 99% of human rabies cases, and once symptoms appear the disease is virtually always fatal. Rabies vaccination is also usually required for dogs travelling between countries.
• Leptospirosis, a bacterial disease that damages organs such as the liver and kidneys and can infect people. Where it is endemic and suitable vaccines exist, the WSAVA highly recommends vaccinating all dogs.

Non-core vaccines are recommended for dogs whose lifestyle or location puts them at risk, after a conversation with your vet. Kennel cough vaccines are a common example: they are usually advised for dogs that mix with many others, go to boarding kennels or day care, or attend events.

The puppy course

Puppies receive antibodies from their mother that protect them in the first weeks but also stop vaccines from working. Because the level of these antibodies varies a lot between puppies, even within a litter, the WSAVA recommends:

• several doses of the core vaccines, every 2 to 4 weeks,
• with the final dose at 16 weeks of age or older,
• and a further dose at or after 26 weeks, rather than waiting until 12 to 16 months, to protect the minority of puppies whose maternal antibodies were still interfering.

In practice, many vets start at around 6 to 8 weeks. Your vet will adapt the exact schedule to the vaccines they use and your local disease risks. Until your vet confirms your puppy is protected, keep it off the ground in public places and away from unvaccinated dogs, but carry on socialising it safely; our guide to your puppy’s first 30 days explains how.

Adult boosters

• Core vaccines should not be given more often than necessary. The WSAVA states that the immunity from most modern core vaccines lasts many years; many vets give these boosters every three years.
• Leptospirosis and most non-core vaccines protect for about a year, so they are usually given annually.
• Titre testing, a blood test measuring immunity to distemper, adenovirus and parvovirus, can help decide whether a core booster is needed. It is not available for leptospirosis, and the PDSA, a veterinary charity, notes that a good result shows protection on the day of the test, not for a full year afterwards.

Whatever the vaccines due, the WSAVA encourages a yearly health check: it is far more than a vaccination appointment, and a good moment to talk about weight, teeth and parasites.

Side effects are rare and usually mild, such as a slight temperature, tiredness or a reduced appetite for a day or two. Tell your vet before vaccination if your dog is unwell or on medication such as steroids.

Worms

• Puppies are often born with roundworms or catch them from their mother’s milk. The PDSA’s general rule is to treat them from about three weeks old and every two to three weeks until 16 weeks, following the product’s instructions.
• Adult dogs cannot be kept completely free of worms, but regular treatment, usually every one to three months, prevents problems. Dogs that scavenge or hunt may need more frequent treatment.
• Why it matters for people: the roundworm Toxocara canis can infect humans, children in particular, and some tapeworms can also cause human disease.
• Tapeworms are most often caught by swallowing fleas while grooming, so flea control is part of worm control.

Lungworm

Lungworm (Angiostrongylus vasorum) is caught by eating infected slugs and snails, often by accident while eating grass or drinking outside. Despite its name it travels around the body and can cause breathing difficulties, bleeding disorders, seizures and death. Where it occurs, your dog’s worming plan should include a prescription product that covers lungworm. Ask your vet whether it is present in your area.

Fleas and ticks

• Fleas cause itchy skin, spread disease and also bite people. If your dog has fleas, the PDSA advises treating all the dogs, cats and rabbits in the house, using a household flea spray and washing pet bedding at 60 °C. Flea shampoos and “natural” remedies are not reliable, and the PDSA warns that garlic is toxic to dogs.
• Ticks are most active in warm months, in long grass, woodland and areas with wildlife. They can transmit diseases such as Lyme disease. Check your dog after walks, especially the head, ears, armpits, groin and belly, and remove any tick quickly and carefully, so that its head is not left behind. If your dog’s parasite treatment covers ticks, any tick that attaches should die and drop off within 24 to 48 hours.

Heartworm

In many warm parts of the world, mosquitoes spread heartworm, foot-long worms that live in the heart and lungs and cause severe lung disease and heart failure. Early infection often shows no signs. Where heartworm is present, the American Heartworm Society recommends year-round prevention and a yearly blood test, because a missed or late monthly dose can leave a dog unprotected. Ask your vet whether heartworm occurs where you live or travel.

Choosing parasite products

The PDSA advises:

• Use products prescribed by your vet where possible; they are the most reliable.
• Avoid “off-the-shelf” products that can be bought without giving any details about your dog, as they are often less effective.
• Check the product suits your dog’s age and current weight.
• Some ingredients cause problems in certain breeds; for example, the PDSA notes that Border Collies cannot tolerate ivermectin. Tell your vet your dog’s breed.
• Some dog flea products contain permethrin, which is toxic to cats: never use them on a cat, and ask your vet about households with cats.
• If your dog has had a reaction before, avoid products with the same active ingredient.

A sample yearly calendar

Your vet will adapt this to your dog, your region and the products used, but a typical plan looks like this:

When	What
6–8 weeks to 16 weeks or older	Puppy vaccine course, doses every 2–4 weeks; worming every 2–3 weeks from about 3 weeks old
At or after 26 weeks	Further core vaccine dose
Every year	Health check; leptospirosis and other non-core vaccines as advised; heartworm test where relevant
Every 1–3 years	Core boosters as advised, or a titre test
Every 1–3 months	Worming (including lungworm where present)
All year, or in warm months	Flea and tick protection, according to your region
Before travelling	Rabies vaccination and any entry requirements of the destination; parasite advice for the area

• Keep your dog’s vaccination record safe and note the next due dates in your calendar.
• Weigh your dog before buying parasite treatments.
• Ask your vet at each yearly check which parasites are a risk where you live.

Vaccines and parasite products are a regular part of the budget; see the real costs of owning a dog. Breed profiles such as the Border Collie and Australian Shepherd explain their breed-specific health tests.