I have 2.5 months old German Shepherd puppy.

When she was 8 weeks old, I brought her to vet and she got her first DA2PP shot (Distemper, Adenovirus type 2, Parainfluenza, Parvovirus).

and on the next schedule, she will get 3 more DA2PP vaccinations which is separated every 3 weeks.

This is her schedule:
May 18: DA2PP (done)
June 8: DA2PP + Kennel Cough + Heartgard
June 29: DA2PP + Rabies (I will talk about this with my vet)
July 20: DA2PP

Why my pup need 4 series of DA2PP vaccine?
Is Heartgard really important?
Is it safe if they give Kennel Cough vaccine with DA2PP at the same time?
and do you guys think my pup need kennel cough vaccine?

and also I will ask my vet about vaccination. Is that because they care and love pets or just because they follow the state regulation...

Im asking about vaccinations because here in US there is a lot of weird vaccinations that I never heard before.

I was born and grow up in Indonesia. My dogs only have one vaccine which is rabies vaccine in their lifetime and they are all life healthy.

Vaccinationa have been discussed here many times. You can do a search & find the lincs.

You might also google Dr. Jean Dodds vacccination protocal & see what many people follow. Some here choose to not vaccinate at all,(against most state regs, at least for Rabies) & many minimally vaccinate. You need to do your own research to make an informed decision. Some areas are more prone to certain diseases & some people take that into consideration when vaccinating.

Many give 2 distemper/Parvo vaccinations(seperately) & then rabies after 6 mo or a year. I personally would not pay much attention to the vets....I would find out for myself & make my own choices. Vaccinations are a HUGE money maker for vets & many still push multiple vaccinine 'cocktails' for puppies. The protocal you listed above is alot of bonbarding of a pups immune system over a very short period of time. Some of these vaccines, you listed, don't even address all of the strains of virus that they are innoculating for & also have such a short immunity life....why would you even bother to give them.

I feel that they do need a heartworm preventative.

JMO

 Quote: Daniel Fernando

Is Heartgard really important?

Yes, Heartgard is important. Virtually every state has some incidence of heartworm, and untreated, it will kill your dog.

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Is it safe if they give Kennel Cough vaccine with DA2PP at the same time?

Kennel cough is one of those vaccines that you can do without. There is no reason to vaccinate for kennel cough unless your pup is going to be boarded, and even then, for it to be effective you have to vaccinate or do the nasal spray just before boarding.

 Quote:

Is that because they care and love pets or just because they follow the state regulation...

Yearly vaccinations are pushed on dogs because that's how vets make a large portion of their money.

Get the rabies done separately from any other vaccination that you are doing.

here is Dr Dodds' vaccination schedule that Anne mentioned:
http://www.itsfortheanimals.com/DODDS-CHG-VACC-PROTOCOLS.HTM

That's a lot of shots for a pup...

FWIW, Even the American Veterinary Medical Association says that a 3 year vacciantion protocal is effective for all of what they consider to be core vaccines.

My personal choice was to go with a minimal vaccine scheldule. All my dogs get Rabies vaccine every 3 year per state law. The younger ones get distemer/parvo every 3 years. Once they are 9 or 10 all they'll get is rabies every 3 years. But everybody needs to do their own research and figure out what they are comfoitable with.

When I told my vet (a few years ago now) what I wanted to do, it was no problem whatsoever. I wouldn't stay with a vet who was pushy about vaccines.

DA2PPv is a fairly standard 5 way puppy shot. It's also becoming more and more common that vets want to give a 4th shot. The idea of timing on puppy shots is to hit the immunity window between a dog losing it's mother's immunity and the puppy's own immune system taking over. Personally I've never felt the need for the 4th shot as I've always seen a mild immune reaction from the 3rd.

One thing I did notice was the tight spacing your vet is putting on these shots. I personally prefer a full month gap between shots as I want the immune system as fully recovered as I can before I pump more stuff into a puppy.

Bordetella shots imo are a waste of money and I wouldn't bother to get one unless I knew I was going to have to have one to board my dog. Even then KC shots are a crapshoot. It's like getting a shot for a half dozen stains of the common cold only to get some other strain.

You will see A LOT of variation on this site about vaccines. As with anything in life there are risks some major, some minor, and some very expensive. Read up and decide which risks you're willing to tolerate. Please keep in mind if you do vaccinate it's not a magic spell that suddenly makes your puppy immune. It takes time for the immune system to finish it's reaction. In most cases about a month.

Personally I push off the rabies vaccine until after teething and if I can until about a year old. It is law in this area and I'm sure it's law in PA to have a rabies vaccine. Because of the amount of reactions from this shot I don't think I would give it with a DA2PPv shot.

I talked to my vet and show him some articles about vaccinations from Dr Jean Dodds. He is ok with that

and my pup now only get 3 series of DA2PP and Rabies shot

Ill give her rabies shot when my pup is ready

thank you all for the replies