I know next to nothing about vaccinations and the schedules and when they're supposed to be given. I've never vaccinated my puppies in the past due several reasons (different country, lifestyle, money, etc.) and I know for sure that some of my and my neighbour's puppies became sick with distemper and such during some point of their lives, and more than half of them don't survive. I never want to relive those nightmares ever again.

Anyway, I have a new puppy, and since coming to North America and doing a lot of research I have come across the fact that vaccines aren't safe. However, I also know for sure that NOT vaccinating my puppy anyway is also a bad thing. My puppy, at the moment, I believe, was vaccinated at 7 weeks old with Distemper, Parvo, and Corona virus. She is now approximately 10 weeks old. Should I, and when should I, continue with her puppy shots? And what types of vaccines are needed, and not needed? I assume I am not to take her out where other dogs are until--what age?

Thank you for the response, and please be gentle, because as you can see, in this part about dogs, I am absolutely clueless.

For me, I gave Sabian 2 5-way puppy shots, at 12 and 14 wks. I only wanted to get the Parvo-distempter combo... I have read too much info on vaccinosis. We don't take shots evry year, why should our pets. The trickiest part is finding a vet who agrees. I took Sabian to the vet last week, and she would hardly speak to me. I figure it was because I gave Sabian the shots myself. My new vet has clients that give there own shots, and aren't that pushy.

I did take Sabian around a few select dogs I new were vaccinated. I took him other places, like the pet store, but I either carried him or put him in the shopping cart.

i would recommend Another Parvo-distempter shot at 12 or 14wks and that's it besides the rabies. Anyone else?

The safety issue has more to do with the practice of repeated annual vaccinations on adult dogs.

However, for puppies you absolutely need to get the core vaccines for distemper, parvo, rabies and adenovirus. Once the dog becomes an adult, many people do annual titers to check the level of immunity.

Rabies shots are required by law. Depending on your state of residence, those will be on one or three year intervals.

In most areas of the country, heartworm is a problem during mosquito season. You will need to give the dog an monthly pill as a preventative. Stay away from the ProHeart six-month shot.

Here is a link the AAHA report on vaccination guidelines. It's worth wading through.

http://www.dogs4sale.com.au/AAHA_Special_Report.htm

Ed has a number of good articles on his main website about vaccinations. Use to the link at the top of the page and then do a search on 'vaccinations'. Searching this forum would also be productive.

When the pup is in getting his shots, that would be a really convienient time to get a microchip inserted. That chip will make it easier to recover him if he gets lost.

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Rabies shots are required by law. Depending on your state of residence, those will be on one or three year intervals.

True. However, while the state I reside in has finally overturned the YEARLY rabies vaccination requirement, the COUNTY in which I reside still requires a yearly vaccination, in spite of the state's recognition that ALL shots given are valid for 3 yrs.

The county's rationalization for this over-medication is that it is an vastly rural county with yearly cases of rabies among wildlife, mostly bats and skunks, and since "most people let those shots lapse by several months anyway" (direct quote from a rural vet), yearly shots are not only required but carry penalty of fines and confiscation if not followed!
(can you tell how much I totally disagree with this statute? <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/mad.gif" alt="" />