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My dog's (1) vet diary shows a regular vaccination schedule for 3 things:

  • Distemper / Hepatitis Parvo / Corona / Leptosspirosis / Parainfluenza (9 in one; injection) — Once every year.

  • Anti-Rabies (injection) — Once every year.

  • Deworming (tablets or injection) — Once in 3 months.

(I've added some scans below—just to give you a better idea.)

I've read in many places that adult dogs only need to be vaccinated once in 3 years or so, and am worried that I could be over-vaccinating my dog.

There's only one good vet in/around my place (and he has never brought this topic up), which is why I am asking here.

PS: Some scans of the labels pasted in my pet's diary...

Vaccination schedule for Distemper / Hepatitis Parvo / Corona / Leptosspirosis / Parainfluenza

Vaccination schedule for Anti-Rabies


Footnotes:

  1. He's a Golden Retriever and is 4 years old (born Sept. 12, 2010).
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  • Where are you reading about the 3 year thing? I've never seen anything that suggests non-annual vax schedules.
    – user53
    Oct 30, 2014 at 17:16
  • @AshleyNunn I'm betting that's heartworm medicine. Pretty common for dogs I think.
    – Spidercat
    Oct 30, 2014 at 17:22
  • 1
    Some rabies vaccines for cats are rated for 3 years (they're adjuvated, which have problems). I'm not sure what the situation is for dogs. I'm going to edit this question a bit - overvaccination is an opinion.
    – Zaralynda
    Oct 30, 2014 at 17:24
  • @MattS. heartworm preventative is usually given monthly, so I'm not sure what you're thinking of.
    – Zaralynda
    Oct 30, 2014 at 17:26
  • @Zaralynda If heartworm preventative is to be given monthly, doesn't that mean by dog's in trouble? He gets "dewormed" once in 3 months, and I am not sure if it also deals with heartworms. (Should ask my vet next time.)
    – its_me
    Oct 30, 2014 at 17:31

1 Answer 1

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the American Animal Hospital Association (AAHA) Canine Vaccination Task Force reviewed recent research on vaccines and how long they remain effective. In 2011 they made recommendations based on this research.

This table summarizes their recommendations. To make it easier to read, I added a blue star under each core vaccine, and also spelled out some of the abbreviations used for the names and recommendations.

Core vaccines are recommended for all healthy dogs, while non-core vaccines are usually only given if your dog is in a high risk category. You should discuss the pros and cons of non-core vaccines with your vet before administering them.

Here is a short summary of the vaccines that your dog is getting:

  • Distemper - Core, immune response lasts for >5 years in healthy dogs, dogs should be revaccinated every 3 years.

  • Hepatitis Parvo (adenovirus in the chart) - Core, immune response lasts for >7 years in healthy dogs, dogs should be revaccinated every 3 years. There's an option for annual IN if your dog is at risk for respiratory infection.

  • Corona - not recommended because (in 2011) not believed to be effective

  • Leptosspirosis - non core. Discuss with your vet.

  • Parainfluenza - non core. Discuss with your vet, intranasal may be preferable if your dog tolerates it.

  • Rabies - Core. There are 1 year and 3 year vaccines available, follow the label on the vaccine your vet uses as to the revaccination interval. In addition, some municipalities do not allow 3 years between rabies vaccination and dogs/cats must be revaccinated annually, no matter which vaccine is used. Check your local laws.

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  • 1
    I didn't get into worming medications, since they aren't true vaccines. I'm feeling that should be a separate question since this got pretty long...
    – Zaralynda
    Oct 31, 2014 at 0:39
  • Can you please give a separate list for compulsory and optional vaccines in tabular form like this one? pets.stackexchange.com/questions/6935/vaccines-for-cows
    – prem30488
    Dec 3, 2014 at 16:40
  • @ParthTrivedi compulsory (required by law) vaccines will vary based on your local laws. The recommendations above are based on recommendations of veterinarians in North America. To get a list of compulsory (required by law) vaccines for your location, I recommend you ask a new question.
    – Zaralynda
    Dec 3, 2014 at 18:00

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